This is it. Cole’s mouth went dry. She’s gonna leave. She’s gonna go back home. However, she took a deep breath and seemed to steel herself. “I— I wish I could… but I can’t. Not yet.” “Why not?” “There’s something I need to finish. I need to help the ninja fight the werecats.” At this, Cole recalled Liana’s Dark Sleep curse—It would just follow her back to Stixx and she knows it, he realized. At least with us, she has a chance of breaking the spell. Part of him wished that was not the only reason she wanted to stay. “Are you crazy?!” Rosie’s voice rose. “You’re not a ninja! Why are the ninja letting you—?” “Actually, Rosie, I am.” Liana’s tone hardened as she lifted her chin. Her hands rested on both the nunchucks and the quiver of arrows attached to each side of her belt. “It’s complicated, but—it’s not just their fight. It’s mine, too, and I need to finish it before I come back home.” Cole hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath until he exhaled in relief at those words. He turned away in case Rosie realized he’d been listening. He could still hear them speaking. “You sure? You’re not— you’re not being forced into this…?” “No. This— this is my decision now.” Liana’s voice softened. “But— I do miss you. I’ll come back home soon. OK?” There was a long silence smothered by the pattering footsteps of passing policemen. A couple telephones rang demandingly in the background. Then Rosie said, “OK.” Cole heaved a quiet sigh of relief. “But I’m not leaving. I’m staying to help y’all.” “What!” Without thinking Cole turned on them. “No way! Rosie, look, I’m sure you’re a very nice fangirl, but you’re not a ninja, and you have no idea what we’re—” “So you were listening!” she interjected. “Yeah, I’m a ninja, that’s my job,” he retorted scathingly. “So, unless you’ve got a pair of nunchucks like your cousin does, we can’t put you in danger like that.”
Rosie faced him with a defiant curve of her lips. “First: I ain’t a fangirl. Hallie and Tiffany are the sociopathic fangirls of the family. Second: I don’t fight, but I can help evacuate the citizens like the cops are doin’ right now and I can help y’all ninja prepare for these—” she gestured vaguely, “—whatever-they-are comin’ to attack. It’s the least I can do, anyway, after y’all saved Stixx a few months ago from those ghosts.” Cole groaned inwardly. First Little Leaf, then his dad, now Rosie—how many more vulnerable non-fighters would join the team? He wondered if he should refuse her here and now, or let Lloyd or Master Wu take care of it. Then Liana chimed in. “It’s OK, Cole—she can help, really. She’s a hard worker and takes things seriously. She could be like Wu and Misako and help us prepare for the battle.” He frowned at Rosie, scrutinizing. “Why do you wanna help us so badly?” “Because I ain’t losing my cousin again,” was the firm reply. He drew in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Rosie stared at him expectantly while Liana merely wrung her hands. “Fine,” he grunted. “You can help.”
* * *
“Zane?” The old man looked delighted despite the weariness in his eyes. “By jove, it’s good to see you.” “It is good to see you as well, Dr. Tyler,” Zane responded quietly as he shut the door. He pulled a chair up and sat by his uncle’s bed, which had been situated by a window. This way the old man could look out from the hospital and see how much the city had changed in the years he’d been gone. Zane observed him. “How do you feel?” “Much better,” he rasped with a weak smile. “They’ve given me more food here than those cats ever did—and by jove, I finally got a proper shower! It’s good to be free…” His voice shifted wistfully as he cast his gaze out the window. “But— it’s changed… so much has changed… I feel as if I am in an entirely different world.” Zane knew he had to change the subject. “My father—you two were brothers.”
“Indeed.” Dr. Tyler perked up. “The closest pair of twins you ever did see. We built so many wild contraptions and robots together, it drove our dear parents mad!” His shoulders shook with wheezing laughter. “Do you know, we once tried to build a rollercoaster in our backyard, for all the village children… but of course it fell apart immediately, but it was impressive nonetheless… oh, but mechs and androids were our favorites! “Bots made to help Mother with household chores were my speciality, but Bryan—heh heh, Bryan… he had a knack for building mechs, you see, and started obtaining weaponry for his creations since he was fifteen, despite our town being so small…” Zane let the old man ramble—not out of politeness, but out of a secret joy in hearing so much more about his father. He asked Dr. Tyler questions about their childhood and what young Dr. Julien had been like, what they built, and so forth. The two Juliens talked contentedly, blissfully unaware of the world outside the window that was frantically preparing for yet another attack by dark forces. Hours passed before Zane remembered what he and the ninja needed to know. “… I was not much older than twenty when I began going into vehicles,” Dr. Tyler was saying in response to another question. “I helped the very young industry back then find methods of building better, sturdier engines and finding natural resources that wouldn’t belch out black smoke and make everyone sick. Everyone grew to be content with their automobiles and trains for a time, but not me.” He shook his head, chuckling. “My head was full of dreams. I wanted motorbikes that could run across mountains, boats that could fly like the wind across water—and, of course, vehicles that could withstand against enemy armies attacking—better than horses ever could.” His eyes darkened at that. Zane jumped at the chance. “Is that why you made those war-cycles?”
“Yes… they weren’t perfect, but they were sturdy, and Bryan helped with the weaponry,” Tyler responded thoughtfully. “Many people were being destroyed in petty conflicts, even before the Serpentine Wars. I wanted vehicles that could both transport and protect the soldiers on our side.” “How did the Moon Tribe find out and capture you?” Zane probed gently. His uncle sighed. “I was already sixty-five then… most of the world simply was not ready for my inventions yet, so like my brother, I became a recluse and lived in the north, by the beaches. That’s where I found the clearstone. And that’s where the Moon Tribe found me.” He gazed out the window. “Some of their spies had heard of my abilities, and they wished for weapons that would help them fight humans… when I refused their offers of riches in return for my work, they kidnapped me… locked me in that warehouse. I had no choice.” His voice quivered now. “I had to, you see—they would have destroyed all the villagers they’d enslaved if I didn’t. They could have gotten their slaves anywhere else they’d have liked. So I built what they wanted—first the swords, the knives… the clearstone made them indestructible against any kind of steel or iron. They can break your weapons.” Zane’s stomach sank. “And… the motorcycles?” “Also indestructible. Clearstone was mixed into the metal that makes the outer plates, shields and all… rockets added to the back, to attack from long distance.” Dr. Tyler looked at Zane imploringly. “I attempted to make the weapons advanced and the controls complicated, since they were only animals for the most part, but—they learned, Zane! They adapted. Some of the cats became engineering experts—like Spark Pelt.” He shook his head. “I— I only made them stronger, more clever—I’m sorry…” “Is there any way to destroy them? The weapons and the motorcycles?” “No. Your best chance is to draw the warrior cats away from their bikes, and to best them in a sword fight before their sword breaks yours. At least they are slightly more vulnerable in their human bodies.” Zane sat back and sighed. This battle would be a lot more complicated than they thought.
A soft knock at the door made him jump. A nurse stuck her head in. “Have you taken your medicine, Dr. Julien?” “Oh— yes, yes, I did. Thank you, ma’am.” The old man gestured to a thick cluster of prescription bottles on the beside table. “I took all that you instructed.” “Good.” Her eyes settled on Zane. “I’m sorry, but visiting hours will be over soon. We need to have all the patients moved to a secure location for the attack.” “I understand.” Zane nodded, and she left. He looked the large array of medicines and pills. His uncle followed his gaze. “It seems,” he ventured tentatively, “that I’ve contracted some obscure virus in the mines—something in my lungs or other… these doctors are insisting I swallow everything they put in front of me.” Zane stiffened. “But you will be all right—right? It is not serious?” “Oh…” His uncle chuckled weakly and shrugged, but looked away. His silence was an answer by itself.
* * *
Jay was not a naturally angry person. Goofy, yes—angry, no. Desperate situations often drove him to be irascible and scathing, but that wasn’t true anger. True anger had been when Nya seemed to be having second thoughts about their relationship and suddenly Cole became interested in her. Jay he hoped he would never feel that bitter anger again. Yet here it was again; churning constantly within him like a bad stomachache, along with a sense of constant anxiety. It had followed him out of bed and into the waking world and would not leave him. Even as he, Nya, and several police officers helped herd a crowd of nervous and muttering citizens out of the downtown area, he could feel it. It was a sickening sensation and he felt he could not stand it much longer without letting it out. When the stream of people had slowed a bit, he sided by Nya, attempting to be casual. “So, ah— what were you and Cole talking about?” She was waving to the citizens to follow the crowd down the main street. “Huh?” “Y’know, uhh… this morning.” He had to raise his voice above the clamor of traffic and shouting people.
She looked confused but continued gesturing to the citizens. “This way, everybody, to the safety zone! —Umm, I don’t remember. Why?” ‘I don’t remember’. Does she really think I’ll believe that? His jaw clenched. She’s gotta be hiding something—that’s it. Of course she remembers what they were doing in there. She just doesn’t wanna— “Everything OK?” “Uhh— no, actually. Everything’s not OK.” He didn’t mean for his voice to sound so accusing—it just came out that way. “Do you think I can’t see you and Cole being all best-friendsy? How I keep catching you two together?” To his frustration, her perplexed smile stayed. She wasn’t taking him seriously. “What? What’re you talking about? Cole and I aren’t being all,” she made quotation marks in the air, “‘best-friendsy’. What does that even mean?” “You know darn well what it means!” he burst. “Why won’t you tell me what you were doing in the den together, alone?” Now she frowned. “I told you, I can’t— wait. Now I remember. I asked about Liana’s condition. Cole told Master Wu about her nightmares earlier and—” “Pfft, yeah, right!” Jay scoffed and crossed his arms. “A likely story.” Her eyes flashed. “What’s that supposed to mean? You don’t believe me?” “Of course I don’t!” His voice rose, attracting stares from a couple of the police officers. “I keep catching you two together, more often than regular friends should!” “You mean that one time this morning? Wow,” she retorted scathingly. “Makes me wonder why you haven’t gotten onto me for making turns driving with Lloyd all day.” “You and Cole are up to something!” His fists rolled into balls at his sides—he could feel his pulse picking up with pent-up anger. “Are you— are you cheating on me… again?” The expression that flashed across her face was a horrible one. First shock, then hurt made her lips twist. Then her eyes burned with sudden blue fire. “Are you serious?! You— you think I’m—?!” “Why not?” he responded stiffly. That was the twist of the knife. “But— you—! But we—!” She sputtered, “Jay! I said I was sorry and I meant it! How could you think—? After— after the pirates, all we’d gone through—!”
Jay finally began to realize the damage he was causing. “Nya, I—” “Save it. I’m not doing this now— we’ve got a city to save.” With those cold words, she ran off. Before he could stop her, she summoned her elemental dragon in a burst of watery light and flew off. His eyes followed her dragon soaring beyond the skyscrapers. He exhaled slowly, inwardly reeling from the shock of the words that had burned out of him. He turned and met the stares of a couple staring policemen. One of the cops gave him a sympathetic wince. “That’s rough, buddy.”
* * *
Street barricades were being hastily assembled at the east side of the city, made to both warn the citizens to stay away from that area and to possibly ward the enemy off. Traffic was straggling here and many policemen and random volunteers bustled to and fro carrying whatever they could to add to the wall from lumber to furniture. Rosie was among the volunteers, whom Nya wasn’t even aware of until Little Leaf introduced them. She wished she could be more interested in getting to know Liana’s cousin, but despite having escaped Jay’s scathing accusations, hurt and anger stayed with her. She hoped that working would help her cool off and get her head together. The long board she was carrying by herself slipped and clattered to the ground for the third time. She groaned angrily and kicked it. “Everything OK?” She looked to see Little Leaf coming toward her. It was kind of funny, how she looked so out of place standing in the middle of the streets wearing her ragged deerskin top and skirt. Yet she looked at Nya seriously. “Yes— no— no, it’s not!” Nya kicked the board again, as if everything were its fault. “It’s Jay. I don’t know what’s come over him! He— he started asking me all the weird questions, like he didn’t trust me…!” She didn’t want to specify. She hadn’t realized Rosie, standing a couple yards away carrying a coffee table, had been listening until she said, “Maybe it’s just stress talkin’—y’know, from all the waitin’.” Like Little Leaf, her expression was sympathetic over the little table. “Maybe…” Nya sighed, despondent.
Rosie and Little Leaf exchanged a glance—neither one knew each other well, but now they shared a situation in which they wanted to comfort Nya and didn’t know what to say. Finally, Nya toed the fallen board and muttered, “Boys.” Little Leaf giggled tentatively. “Toms.”
* * *
Meanwhile, down the next block over, Cole and Eagle Talon were also helping volunteers put up a wall made of up broken lumber and mismatched furniture. It wouldn’t stop much, but it would at least serve as a warning to people who might think the east side of the city would be a good place to hide. The little wall was nearly finished and most of the volunteers had gone. Eagle Talon rested atop a fencepost, having shifted into his bakeneko form. He watched his brother keenly as he set up several orange barrels. “What are those for?” “Extra warning. The bright orange stuff tells everyone to stay away,” Cole grunted. “Oh.” The tabby cat turned his head so that he was facing east. The pale horizon stood out past the blocky shapes of the skyscrapers—the desert could be just barely seen from there. Letting the last barrel drop upright, Cole grunted and rubbed his hands. “That should do it.” He followed Talon’s gaze. “You gonna be OK?” “I’ll have to be,” was the quiet response. Cole looked at the cat sitting on the post. Then he clambered up on other barrels and sat beside him upon stacked-up cinder blocks. He too looked upon the horizon. It looked hazy in the light of midday. “This is it,” he muttered. “This is where it all ends.” “No.” Forked tails twitching, his brother looked at him from his feline body. “This is just the beginning.”
“Is this it?” Kai looked down on himself. A red cloak covered his head and fell from his shoulders. An iron clasp attached at his breast kept the pieces of the cloak together. The color stood out sharply compared to the rest of his beige-and-brown tunic. A lithe longsword dangled at his side from the thick leather belt that matched his knee-high boots. “I thought we’d need more— y’know, armor or something than this.” Rantan replied gruffly. “You two are going to be trying to blend in with the crowd before getting into the castle and pretending to be part of the staff.” Hands planted on his hips, he looked over Kai approvingly. “Can’t have you looking too poor, but neither too rich. Keep that blade hidden beneath the cloak. Only nobles and soldiers own swords.” Kai flicked the heavy material so that it draped over the sheathed weapon. “Pretty sweet. Thanks. Where’s Garagan?” “Drowning himself in kimbachi again in the kitchens, I expect,” the older man snorted. “That’s about all he ever does when he’s not out on the field.” Kaeden and Jukeni met Kai on his way to the kitchens. They exchanged well wishes and goodbyes while slapping his back and shaking his hand heartily. “We’ll see each other again soon,” Kai assured them with a grin. “We’ll all get together, beat that Hälogen’s, and free your country once and for all.” “Or you and Garagan will both get caught and beheaded before you can get us all in,” Jukeni added cheerfully. “Thanks, Jukeni.” Kaeden spoke up seriously. “He has a point. This will be incredibly dangerous. Take care—not just for your own sake, but for Garagan and everyone else’s.” “It’s gonna be fine. You’ll see.” Kai gripped Kaeden’s paw-hand and grinned warmly at him. “We’ll all be together again, sipping kimbachi and laughing about this in a few days.”
Kai felt surprised by the feeling of wanting to stay with Kaeden and Jukeni—he was going to miss them, he realized. They’d become his friends over the past few weeks through their adventures. He would see them again soon enough, of course, but they had become the most familiar faces in this strange place—this bizarre realm where dogs walked and talked like people, where unicorns were carnivorous predators, where pixies could bite your toes in your sleep and countries were torn apart by civil war. He entered the loud, steamy kitchen; women young and old in skirts and aprons bustled this way and that. Enormous black pots hissed and bubbled from the rickety stoves whose flames made Kai’s skin prickle with sweat. The lack of windows made it feel hot, crowded and stuffy. “Fire Mage?” A young voice startled him. “What brings you here?” He turned and met the heart-shaped face framed by dark brown hair and matching eyes. This time her hair was up in a bun. It took him a moment to remember her name—the girl who’d flirted with him a few nights ago. “You— Yu— Yarida!” She smiled and giggled coyly. “How may I serve you?” “I’m looking for Garagan. Have you seen him?” Her smile wilted. “Oh. He’s by the mantle.” She gestured with the wooden spoon she held. “Thanks.” Kai approached the large stone mantle that sat away from the activity. A figure crouched there in a dark, weather-beaten cloak. Bright blond, scruffy hair peeking from the fallen hood betrayed the man’s identity. “Hey, Garagan.” Kai shook the older man’s shoulder. “Tinny Bird told us it’s time. We gotta go now, man.” Garagan turned and scowled at him—his eyes were glazed over and bloodshot. “I need a drink,” he slurred. Yarida said, “You’ve just had seven!” “I’z need one fer the’h road.” He staggered to his feet and leaned on the mantle. “Jus’ one more.” “He’s been seeing for hours,” Yarida scoffed. She used her spoon to gesture to the entrance. “Just take him out into the sunlight. That’ll help him come to.”
“Seeing? Seeing what?” She did not reply, however, instead returning to her chores, so Kai snatched Garagan’s arm and tugged him out of the kitchen. Garagan snorted and rubbed his eyes as they stepped into the courtyard and warm sunlight bathed over them. “Hey, c’mon!” Kai snapped. “We were supposed to leave an hour ago!” Garagan waved him off. “A’right, a’right, ease up there, lad—gimme a minute. Bit dizzy.” He inhaled deeply and stared straight ahead of himself, blinking slowly. The glazed look in his eyes seemed to melt away, although they left his once-blissful expression now looking sad. “Are we going or what?” “I know, I know, oi!” He grimaced, as if the sound of Kai’s voice hurt his ears. “Just shut up and get on yer horse.” Kai bit back a scathing retort. He saw two horses saddled and tethered to a post by the gates of the castle; one was the large chestnut bay Garagan had ridden the other day, the other being a shorter, black-pelted beast with a white star in the middle of its forehead. Garagan took the reins of the bay and swung himself into the saddle with a low grunt. I’ve never gotten on a horse before, Kai realized. He pushed aside the feeling of uncertainty that immediately began to nag him. “Can’t be that different from riding a dragon…” he muttered to himself as he walked up to the black horse. Its ear twitched as it looked at him inquisitively. This feels like the time we had to ride those wollopers. “OK, stay still, big guy,” he muttered. He took the reins and made a large, awkward jump; he landed with his belly on the saddle and already sliding out. He scrabbled frantically at the reins, pommel and the horse’s mane for a moment before managing to pull himself up into a suitable sitting position. “Ha!” Garagan heaved a rasping chuckle. “You look like you’ve never been horseback before.” Kai felt his face burn, but he curled his lip. “Where I come from, I don’t need to ride a horse.”
“Sure, sure.” The man was still chuckling when he nudged his horse and made his way down the path out of the open gates. Hastily Kai imitated his kicking motion into the horse’s belly; his steed took off with a jolt and quickly joined Garagan. The two horses clip-clopped their way briskly down the broken path until they hit the grass and delved in between the trees. Kai looked back one last time at the dilapidated castle sitting atop the hillside, then turned in the saddle to face Garagan, who rode beside him. After several minutes of silence, he spoke up. “So, uhh— what’s the plan, exactly?” Garagan responded without looking at him. “We get to the country. I’ve got a friend who’ll get us into Jëmlen. That’ll be risky, but once we’re in, we’ll basically have run o’ the place so long as we don’t attract unwanted attention to ourselves. We wait for the signal, then open the way for our pals to get in. Slishy-slash here, stabby-stab there, and boom, we’ve got the whole city under siege.” “Right. Cool.” Another minute of silence fell between them. Chatty. Kai ventured to say, “So, I heard that you were once a Pingouser?” Garagan shot him a nasty look—Kai almost shrank back from the force. Then he snorted and rolled his eyes. “Kids’ gossip spreads faster than a summer forest fire, don’t it? Aye. Still am a Pingouser. I’m not one to forget my roots.” “But aren’t Pingousers, like, the bad guys?” “Not all Pingousers are evil, kiddo.” He sounded exasperated—perhaps this wasn’t the first time he had to explain himself. “Just the fat politicians and the soldiers they brainwash. Believe it or not, most o’ the common folks in Pingous hate the nobles and the army just as much as you Pawrelesers do. Thing is, we’re not much more powerful than they are. We’re all victims here.” He added darkly, “Some of us just have enough guts to actually do something about it.” “So it’s really the rich guys who’re controlling everything,” Kai realized out loud. “And they don’t care about what happens to their own people?” “If they did, would I be here, fighting with their enemies?” he retorted wryly. Kai didn’t speak for a while.
They rose horseback for the majority of the day. The sky was perfectly clear and the air felt warm the whole time, so the ride wasn’t unpleasant, although Kai learned soon enough what it meant to be saddlesore. They kept an eye out for both Pingous patrols and unicorns, but the most threatening creatures they saw in the forest were a couple of pixies. They zipped by Kai’s face like bugs; lithe, colorful shapes in the dappled daylight beneath the trees. He tried to see what they looked like, but he could only catch sight of the colors zipping as fast as wasps away from the horses and up into the canopy. With it came the sound of tiny voices giggling before they died away like a faint whisper in the leaves. The sun was already angling down to the horizon when they finally left the trees and took a dirt path that wound itself up and down grassy hillsides. Small, dark cottages began to dot the land, accompanied by well-tended fields and orchards. A bubbling stream appeared by the path, and Garagan followed it to one of the cottages. There a cart full of hay, pulled by two donkeys, awaited them. A little old man with balding white hair in a plain brown tunic sat upon the cart, smoking a wooden pipe. He nodded at them. Garagan stopped his horse and slid out of the saddle. “Take the horses and tie ‘em up in the barn,” he grunted. It took Kai a moment to realize he was talking to him. “Our friend’ll take care of ‘em later. Get into the hay when you’re done.” “The hay?” Kai repeated. “Do it.” He huffed, but obeyed—it was part of his agreement with Tinny Bird, after all. Once he was sure both horses were tethered snugly to one of the posts within the barn, he joined Garagan back outside. The older man was sitting on the back of the cart, picking at his dirty nails. “All tied up?” “Of course they are.” “‘Aight. In here, then.” Garagan proceeded to scoot himself ungracefully further into the cart, right into the hay pile until he was no longer visible. Kai barked a laugh. “Umm… what’re you doing?”
“This fella’s gonna get us into Jëmlen via this haystack, knucklehead,” Garagan’s voice replied, muffled. “This is our ride. We can’t be seen by anyone, so c’mon and get in here—and make sure nothing of you is showing.” “And just when I got a new cape, too…” Kai sighed and crawled into the cart. He shut his eyes against the dry, prickly strands poking into his face as he pushed himself in. Being encased in pounds of hay felt hot and stuffy. He opened his eyes to find himself sitting nose-to-nose with Garagan. “This is cozy.” “If you wanna get into the city alive, you’ll keep your trap shut. You don’t want someone to hear a pile of hay talking to itself.” Garagan reached out and knocked his fist against the wood. “Take her away.” Kai nearly fell over when the cart jolted sharply. Large wheels creaked loudly in protest as they started moving. Immediately they met bumps that sent the entire cart shuddering, and one of the wheels began squeaking rhythmically. The old man driving mumbled and slapped the reins—Kai could hear them hitting the backs of the mules—and the mules snorted in reply as they moved to a brisker pace. Their long journey began. “You meet a lot of girls like this?” “Shush.” The trip went on for several hours. Kai felt sick for the first few of it, what with all the bumping and rattling, but after a while he felt himself adjust to it. It even became soothing, and he was able to take a long nap within the hay; despite all the itching, it was rather comfortable. He didn’t really care if he got fleas from it. He had a trick with his fire powers that would chase any creepy-crawlies off of himself in no time. He did, however, wake up with a strand of hay sticking into his nose when Garagan shook him awake. “We’re at Jëmlen, kid,” he muttered into his ear. “Keep still. All that’s left is getting past the guards.” Jëmlen! Finally, Kai would get to see this famed city. He sat up scratching his nose, then his back. “Keep still,” his companion reminded him sharply.
Kai made a face at him but obeyed—though not without tentatively pulling aside a small clump of hay by his head so that he could peek beyond the cart. He caught his breath. They were in a loud, bustling suburban area now. Streets of dirty cobblestone wound this way and that around tall, pointed houses with whitewashed walls and thick wooden beams. Flower boxes overspilling with red, yellow, blue, and violet colors hung from the narrow windows, giving their houses a cheerier look about them. Men and women alike—and very few children—bustled about the streets, each with their own purpose and destination. Their clamor was nothing like the constant blare of Ninjago City, but it was definitely the sound of a large population living in tight quarters. A great stone wall caught Kai’s eye; ahead of the cart, in front of them, a foundation around a hundred feet tall towered over them, with turrets lining the top and the occasional watch tower peeking out beyond. Several bright red flags flapped weakly in the warm breeze. On the road, just at the large wooden gate stood several familiar-looking guards. Kai stiffened as he recognized the gold-and-maroon pattern of the Pingous soldiers’ uniforms and their rounded helmets glinting in the sunlight. “Remember, be quiet,” Garagan hissed. “I don’t wanna hear your big mouth yapping.” “You’re the one talking,” Kai pointed out. “Shh!” A new voice called out, “Hi there, old man! What’s that you have?” The cart jolted to a stop. One of the mules snorted uneasily. “Hay, sir.” “I see that. Hay for what?” “Hay is for horses, sir.” “I know that.” The soldier sounded irritated. “Who ordered this hay? Is it authorized to come into the city?” “Duke Finnilan ordered it, sir.” Silence. Some papers rustled. “No order for hay from the royal stables,” a different voice rumbled. “It is in there, sir—” “Ah, yes— never mind. I see it.” The first soldier’s voice still had an edge of hostility to it. “I’d like to check it, anyway. Make sure no beggars or thieves are hiding.” The other soldier sighed. “It’s just hay—”
