“Black Blood’s said a lot of things,” Eagle Talon growled as he transformed into his own feline form. He joined Little Leaf onto the desk. “As you can see, that was another one of her lies.” All the other cats stared at Talon. “You’re alive, too!” Streak purred. “Just barely,” he grunted. “What’re you all doing here?” “I was gonna ask the same thing,” Cole spoke up gruffly. “If you’re here to try to persuade Eagle Talon and Little Leaf to come back to the tribe, good luck with that. They’re done with you people, especially Black Blood.” The big tabby cast Cole a cool look. “I am more aware of Black Blood’s brutality than ever before. That is far from our goal.” “Then why are you here?” Jay demanded, planting his hands to his hips. “Spying?” “We’d have already failed miserably at that if we were trying to spy, now, don’t you think?” the tabby retorted coldly. A tuxedo cat cleared his throat and spoke up. “Uhh— what Mist Rise is trying to say is that we’re not here to spy on you or anything.” Lightning Steak rose her head and looked at the ninja. “We realized how awful Black Blood is and how she’s hurting our tribe. We’re here to join you.” A stunned silence followed those words. Then Jay snorted and made a raspberry noise. “Pbbt! Ha-ha, yeah, right. Like we’re supposed to believe that!” “Come on, Jay,” Lloyd soothed. “Let’s give d’em— them a chanbce to expain’b.” He sneezed. “Aw, man—!” “They don’t need to explain. They’re just gonna lie, anyway.” “No, we’re not!” Mist Rise’s eyes flashed angrily and his long fur bristled. “Would we risk coming all this way by ourselves just to lie to you?” “Maybe. It’s been done before,” Jay retorted loftily. “Your problem is that you keep using the same tricks over and over—” “Guys,” Eagle Talon interjected. “Mist Rise—he saved my life when I defied Black Blood and she attacked me. I owe my life to him.” “And Lightning Streak’s my friend!” Little Leaf purred. “Hey, what’re we?” a sand-colored tom spoke up in an injured voice. “Rotten meat?” Leaf giggled, “No one’s forgotten about you, Loud Bird.”
“Wait.” Mist Rise swished his forked tails. “We’re not making any decisions until we find out what happened to those cats the Sons and Daughters took away from Oxstone.” “That’s right.” The black-and-white cat looked at the ninja seriously. “What have you done with them?” Lloyd held up his hands in a soothing gesture and sniffed, “They’re saf’b—ask Talon and Leaf if you don’t beliebe meh. T’eh police are holding them as b’risoners for now. No one’s dead.” “They’ve been treated fairly,” Eagle Talon added in a low voice. “No cat is in any danger unless he makes it himself.” The black-and-white cat sighed, visibly relieved. “That’s good.” “I tried to persuade some of them to come to our side, to see how evil Black Blood has become,” Eagle Talon said. “But it was no use.” “Hm. There’s a chance we could persuade Wolf Paw. I’ve known her a while,” the black-and-white cat muttered thoughtfully. “If she thinks it’s right, she’ll do it.” Jay interjected, flustered. “We haven’t even said we’d accept you guys! What makes you think we’d trust werecats—?” Cole’s eyes flashed angrily. “If Talon and Leaf say they’re friends, then I trust them. Why else would they come all this way, by themselves, and surrender themselves to the cops?” He turned to Lloyd. “Right?” Lloyd’s gaze flickered between Jay, Eagle Talon, and Mist Rise. “It makes d’ense… I’m sure they know it wouldn’t go well for t’em if they betrab’ed us.” This last sentence was said coolly—as coolly as he could through his stuffed-up nose. “We’ve already defied Black Blood to her face,” Lightning Streak retorted dryly. “If we betrayed you, you’d either attack us all or leave us to be finished off by her.” “So yeah, you’re basically our only hope of surviving this whole thing now,” one of the cats said lightly. Eagle Talon sat up and faced the ninja. “I’ll vouch for them.” The ninja shared looks with one another. Cole gave Lloyd a nod of his own approval. Lloyd met Jay’s angry stare. “Well, Jay?” Jay’s gaze flicked from Lloyd to the cats to Lloyd again. He finally huffed, “Oh, fine— but if we end up ended in our beds, I’m blaming you!”
A small smile appeared on Lloyd’s face. He nodded solemnly to the Moon Tribe cats. “Welcome to t’eh team’b.”
* * *
As the ninja escorted their new allies to the Destiny’s Bounty, the black-and-white cat—Spark Pelt, his name was—pleaded with them to take him to Wolf Paw, the student who’d been with him in the Oxstone village rebellion. He claimed that out of all the prisoners she’d was the most likely one to join the ninja’s side. Jay blustered that it was some new trick, but Lloyd decided to grant Spark Pelt the favor. To everyone’s surprise, when Spark Pelt had been taken to the Ninjago City police station and had a few minutes alone with Wolf Paw, he came out claiming she would join them. Lloyd ordered the young cat’s release. By the end of the day, the number of Moon Tribe allies had risen from two to ten, and they all gathered on the Destiny’s Bounty together to meet the rest of the ninja team. The ship was hovering by the outskirts of the city, so that the ninja might be the first to see the Moon Tribe army coming tomorrow morning. Nya, Liana, Zane, Misako, Master Wu, and Mr. Brookstone had been picked up from the city so that they could meet the werecats. The initial reaction from everyone on deck consisted solely of shock, suspicion and wariness. “How do we know we can trust them?” Nya blustered. Lloyd sniffed, “Eable D’alon an’ B’ittle ‘Eaf trust t’em.” “Huh?” “Eagle Talon and Little Leaf trust them,” Cole said. “I for one am willing to take them at their word and accept these guys.” “Well, I’m not,” Nya huffed. Jay shot her an approving look. Zane was more open-minded. “I have calculated the chances of nearly all possible explanations for these cats claiming their allegiance to us. It appears illogical for them to reveal themselves to us the day before Black Blood leads the attack on Ninjago City, if she wished to keep the attack a surprise. They have little to gain by being near us, as I am sure they are aware that we are as clueless about the whereabouts of the last moonstone as they are. They must also be aware we are constantly on guard now for any hostile surprises and will be difficult to catch off guard.”
The ten Moon Tribe cats were sitting in a tight group together in the center of the open deck. They were giving their new surroundings and the humans strange looks. “The Son of Ice talks a lot,” the black-pelted female—Wolf Paw—muttered. Eagle Talon stood up and glared. “If you want to kick them out, fine. But you’ll be getting rid of some good allies—allies that we might need.” “No one’s getting rid of anyone!” Cole gestured, attempting to bring peace. Wu spoke up. “A willing ally is not to be taken lightly. In an age where everyone protects only himself, a soul willing to put his life up to protect others is precious.” The hostile chatter ceased. Jay gave Wu an irritated scowl. “Of course you’d say something cryptic to support them…” “So it’s ob’icial?” Lloyd swept his gaze over the deck. “Anymore objections’th?” Wu arched his eyebrows at the younger people expectantly. Misako, standing beside him, still frowned skeptically while Mr. Brookstone wrung his hands together. Jay and Nya were still glaring at the cats but did not say anything else. Liana was chewing her lip until she spoke up. “I’m willing to give it a shot. If Talon trusts them, then—” She hesitated. “—then so do I.” Eagle Talon shot her a look of astonishment. “Then it’s official,” Cole responded firmly. The cats shared looks of surprise and relief. The white-and-ginger pelted female—Lightning Streak—said, “You won’t regret it.” “Awesome,” Lloyd sniffed. “Now, um— if you don’t min’b, could you all change into your hub’man bodies?” “Why?” Nya spoke up, “It’s because he’s allergic to your fur.” “Allergic?” The cats exchanged confused looks. “What does that mean?” Mist Rise sounded suspicious. “No, no, I’ve heard of this,” Spark Pelt spoke up. “Some humans are so sensitive to fur it makes them sick and they can’t breathe very well. Don’t worry,” he added lightly when a couple of the cats growled unwillingly. “It won’t be that bad.” “Yeah, you get used to it after a few days!” Little Leaf purred as she shifted into her human body. Eagle Talon did the same.
Spark Pelt hesitated, then copied them. The lithe tuxedo tom transformed into a young man who was probably a few years older than Cole. The shape of his face was smooth and handsome, accompanied by a mop of black hair and dark, intelligent eyes. The deerskin outfit was similar to a traditional gi, added on by a soft leather apron—probably something he’d applied to his attire for his engineering duties. Pale wraps stretched from his wrists to his elbows. Lightning Steak came next. She grew into a muscular young woman with pale blond hair pulled into a messy ponytail. Pieces of what appeared to be animal bones and teeth were strung together on a necklace that hung over her chest-covering. Skinny breeches reached down to her bare feet. Hazel eyes bright with excitement, she purred to Little Leaf, “I haven’t done this in forever!” Despite this, the other cats hesitated still. Mist Rise cast them a cool look, tails twitching. “You don’t seem to have a problem being humans when you’re fighting other humans.” “This is different!” a tom protested. “So what?” “I don’t see you doing it, either.” “Oh yeah?” Mist Rise huffed and shifted; his dark tabby cat shaped turned pale and humanoid and within seconds another young man—also looking to be a little older than Cole—stood before them. He was larger and more muscular than Spark Pelt, with a strong jaw, piercing blue eyes, and dark blond hair sticking up from his head. A couple of long clearstone knives hung from a thick leather belt. “I’m not scared!” Wolf Paw followed and became a teenage girl with long, thick brown hair pulled into a graceful braid and light freckles sprinkled over her youthful face. She grinned fiercely at the ninja. “Not so little now, am I?”
Loud Bird and his sister, Quick Fin followed; they looked surprisingly younger than Cole expected. Quick Fin looked to be around Lloyd’s age when the ninja had first met him. Earth Flame transformed into a tall young man with a goatee spreading from his chin and a mischievous glint in his eyes. Finally Violet Swift joined, becoming a small girl in her teens with two braids hanging down her back. She wore a constantly uncertain expression on her fair face. “Wow,” Cole commented, surveying the group. “This ship suddenly just got a whole lot more crowded.” “Thank’ds, guys. I feel better already. Ah-CHIEE!” Lloyd sneezed. Eagle Talon wore a strange expression. He looked around, gazing at the new Moon Tribe allies and the ninja standing together. “Wow,” he murmured. “This is really happening.” When Cole looked at him questioningly, he attempted to explain. “It’s just— all happening so fast. The attack… Lightning Streak and the others joining us… everything. It’s all so fast-paced.” Cole chuckled dryly, “Fighting bad guys can be like that. Anything can happen.” “Just another day in Ninjago,” Nya added. Misako sighed, turning her gaze beyond the deck of the ship. The sun was setting in violet and gold hues behind the skyscrapers. She spoke. “Sometimes I wish I did not have to watch all of you constantly throw yourselves into danger every month. You’ve faced many villains before, but Black Blood—Black Blood is different. If she can take Kai and Skylor away from us, she can take away other loved ones. It is a miracle we are all here, still alive and well, when we look back on all that has happened—ever since that terrible night they came and burned the teashop to the ground.” Misako’s words had been so unexpected, all the ninja stared at her, dumbfounded. Even Wu look perturbed.
She finally seemed to sense the dismal note in her words and turned back to them. Forcing a sad smile, she said, “I’m sorry. I just—” Her eyes flickered to Lloyd. “I just have a feeling that— that the worst has yet to come. That each and every one of us is still waiting for the final test, and— and it will not be like anything we have ever faced before.” She gaze swept over the group. “Some of us may not come back.” The cool breeze tugged at everyone’s hair. The sails above their heads flapped softly, making the silence louder. The weight of Misako’s words seemed to have quieted everyone, even the Moon Tribe werecats. For some reason Cole found himself looking at Liana—she stood away from him at the bannister. The sunset behind her seemed to set her pale blond hair on gold fire while her milky eyes stood out in a strangely enchanting way. Misako was right. Some of them may not come back alive from this fight. If he was one of those people— if Black Blood finally succeeded in destroying him… Then tonight was his last chance. His last chance to tell Liana— Mist Rise spoke up in a startlingly gentle voice. “Ey now, none of that.” The cement look on his human face waned. “I— I’m sorry for what our tribe has done you—all of you, truly. That’s why we’re here. The events of the Red Battle does not matter anymore. It is this battle and its cruelties we must focus on.” He spoke to the humans steadily. “This is no longer about you, or about us. It is about the fate of this world entirely, humans and bakeneko-nekomata alike. We have seen what Black Blood has done and what she plans to do. We must stop her at all costs.” “He’s right,” Liana joined in. “Besides, they still don’t have the seventh moonstone, as far as we know. As long as they don’t have it, there’s still hope.” “And where there’s hope, there’s a good fight waiting for us!” Wolf Paw grinned and smacked her fist into the palm of her hand. “We’re still alive and kicking, so why don’t we kick some tail?” Unexpected pleasure made Cole smile broadly. “I like your style, kid!” Earth Flame smirked, though not unkindly. “For the Moon Tribe.” “For mankind,” Eagle Talon murmured.
Cole gripped his brother’s shoulder and they both shared a fierce grin. “For Ninjago—all of it.” “For justice and peace,” Lloyd said philosophically. “For kicking butt!” Jay chortled. “Yeah!” Liana cried, and the rest of the ninja—even Wu—joined in. Misako’s sad expression faded into a faint smile while Mr. Brookstone looked upon his three children with blatant pride. Zane, Lloyd, Cole, Nya, and even Jay echoed Liana with a “yeah!” in chorus, soon followed by Eagle Talon, Little Leaf, and the rest of the werecats. Everyone cheered together—both joyously and defiantly, crying to the sky and the creeping stars. There was still hope, and in that moment, there was plenty to go around. As the cheering and lopsided laughter continued, Cole’s hand found its way to Liana’s and impulsively curled around it. She squeezed it back and laughed louder, blushing. Hope rose from the deck of the Destiny’s Bounty and was elevated to the distant twinkling stars that came with the setting sun.
Jëmlen was much quieter at night. The windows of the once-merry houses were now dark and were glaring down at the two cloaked figures who hurried in and out of alleyways, never on main roads. A few windows still glowed, but the figures shied away from the flickering light as if it burned them, just as they shied away from anyone else on the narrow cobblestone streets. The pair of shadows ducked between buildings that had been built so close together that their shingled roofs tickled one another’s edges, sometimes overlapping. In the trashier alleys one of the figures would accidentally kick a can or empty crate, whereupon the taller cloaked person would shush him irritably. Sometimes small shapes would skitter from these trash piles, meowing balefully on their eight furry legs. The shadows skirted by the thick of the city until they reached the wall that surrounded a black, towering shape that stood out against the clear night stars: the castle. They ventured further and further into the sordid part of the city, where ragged and dangerous-looking people alike crept from alley to alley and gave the newcomers hostile looks. Some men lay groaning happily as they leaned against the buildings with empty bottles in their hands. Others in dark hoods and cloaks carrying suspiciously messy knives walked with their heads down and their eyes always scanning their surroundings like a hunted animal. Women lingered about dingy, noisy buildings where the sweet smell of kimbachi juice and other such drinks emanated strongly. The shadows crept past all these sordid sights and ventured to a stone ditch that ran between buildings. A small stream—not of sewage, but from the freshwater river that the city was built beside—ran down the ditch and through a grate that was set into the wall that surrounded the castle. The taller figure slid quietly down the ditch and landed in the water—it ran up only to his shins. He crouched before the grate, revealed a small ring of mismatched keys, and began searching through them. Kai joined him—splashing a little—and spoke quietly. “This is how we’re getting into the castle?”
“Just us.” Garagan grunted. “This city’s set at a somewhat vulnerable angle if you approach it from the east and should be easy enough to take. The hard part is actually getting into the castle. This, however,” he nodded to the small stream running through the grate beneath the wall, “happens to be not guarded by anyone, anytime.” “So how’s the army gonna get in here?” “We’re gonna wait for the right moment, then get into the main watchtower and lower the drawbridge for ‘em. That’ll be the hard part.” He finally picked a key and fidgeted with a fat, rusty lock hanging from the bars. After a moment there was a click, and Garagan swung open a little gate that led to the tunnel beneath the wall. “Ladies first.” “Age before beauty,” Kai quipped. Garagan rolled his eyes but crouched down and entered. “Close it behind you.” Kai followed—picking up the train of his cloak so that it wouldn’t get wet—and shut the gate as he entered. A loud clang rang through the tunnel, but the sound of the running water just about drowned it out. He blinked against the pitch-black darkness that pressed itself against him suffocatingly. “Just follow the sound of my voice and try not to get too wet,” Garagan’s grumbling voice sounded ahead of him. Kai obeyed, stepping carefully through the water. He headed downstream. The tide seemed to tug at his surprisingly waterproof boots, urging him to follow his guide and to reach their destination. He heaved a sigh of relief when they finally crawled out of the grate at the other side of the wall and met starlight. They scrambled out of the stone ditch and found themselves at the edge of a massive courtyard. The wall curved behind them; the castle towered in front of them, its outer wings and buildings seeming to close in on them. For all the towers, turrets and battlements that grew like weeds, Kai could barely tell where the mighty fortress started and where it ended.
Garagan seemed to know where they were. He led Kai away from the walls and the eyes of the guardsmen on the battlements. The two men slipped into the night shadows surrounding the castle, skirting the large buildings. Despite the torches placed here and there, Kai could barely see a thing—if anything, the torches interrupting the night pitch made it worse. Yet Garagan strode confidently to one of the squarish buildings set in the back, away from the main courtyard. He stopped at a rickety wooden door and tried it. It wouldn’t open. “Locked. I figured, after they caught my scent last week,” he grunted. His eyes peered at Kai from his hood. “Now’s your time to shine, Fire Mage. Bird told me you could fly or something.” “It’s called Airjitzu.” “Yeah, yeah, whatever. See that?” He stepped back and pointed upward. Kai followed his gaze to see a turret peeking out from one of the lower towers that hovered over them—judging from the position of the tower, it was most likely some sort of storage room. “They never lock the windows and doors up there, ‘cause they don’t expect anyone to get that high. What yer gonna do is fly up like the lil’ pixie you are, get in, come back downstairs and let me in. Got it?” Kai bristled at the brusque tone. “Can you say ‘please’?” he asked snidely. Garagan’s lip curled. “Oh, beg pardon, sir—I mean, please get yerself up in the tower before I grab you by the ear and chuck you there like a sack of bonig plants.” “We’ll have to work on your ‘please’.” Kai grinned and summoned an Airjitzu vortex. Startled, Garagan jumped back and stared at the whirl of red colors and sudden wind. Kai flew high into the air; Garagan and the courtyard shrank beneath his feet, but he wasn’t looking down. He kept his eye on the single shutter standing out on the turret. When he was close enough he snagged the large handle and yanked the shutter open.
The vortex evaporated. Kai suddenly plummeted but clung to the windowsill. Gravity returned and tugged on his dangling legs. He struggled for a moment before managing to pull himself up and over into a small, dark room. Once he’d caught his breath he peered out the window. He couldn’t make out Garagan among the black pit that was the courtyard. He stepped back and closed the shutter. Once more he was enveloped in darkness. There were plenty of wooden crates and trunks to trip over in the closet. Kai stumbled blindly before running into the door and cautiously opening it. A narrow set of stone stairs spiraled down into the depths of the unlit tower. He stood there listening for a minute, then ventured out and closed the door quietly. He then made his way downstairs—they curved at a constant left angle. He listened constantly for any sign of life, but no one came near him. As he reached the lower levels of the castle he would catch echoes here and there of women’s voices and the occasional man, but other than that all was quiet. He kept going to the point he was dizzy from the constant turning. The steps were so small and narrow he tripped several times and was forced to run his hand along the wall to steady himself. Finally he found the bottom of the stairway. Two corridors branched off on either side of him; he chose the one to his left. He reached a door and opened it into the eery courtyard. Nothing stirred. “Garagan?” he whispered. The movement of a tall black shape five feet to his right made him jump. Garagan shoved past him and shut the door silently. Without a word he kept going down the corridor. Kai followed. They avoided maidservants cleaning up after the evening meal and tired page boys running late night errands. They stopped at a small storage closet. Garagan motioned for Kai to wait and entered the room. A few moments later he returned with a couple of blue badges in his hand. “What’re these for?” Kai asked.
“What’re these for?” Kai asked. “Shh.” Garagan searched their surroundings with a suspicious gaze before replying in a whisper, “Spare messenger badges. Mark of the Royal Messengers. No one’ll bother you with these, even if they don’t recognize ya. These are the mark of people constantly comin’ and goin’ here, delivering messages to and from Lord Hälogen. Highly respected and important.” “If these are highly respected and important badges, why’s it so easy for you to steal them?” Kai demanded. “We’re not stealing them. We’re borrowing them. And anyway,” Garagan retorted, rolling his eyes, “the ones that work here often leave ‘em lying around when they’re done with work. Arrogant idiots.” He chuckled. “Put it on.” Kai took the badge and pinned it upon his breast, so that it stood out against the blood-red cloak. “Doesn’t mean you want a lot of people to see ya anyway, though,” Garagan continued. “But when we do see someone, look like you know what yer doin’. Y’know, like you’ve got a job to do and yer too busy to stick around for chit-chat.” “Got it.” “I sent a message to Bird an’ the others this morning, while we were in the barn. The whole army’s gonna come ‘ere tomorrow and start bashing heads in the city.” He grinned fiercely. “Once we get the signal, you’re gonna help me get up into the main watchtower and lower the drawbridge to let ‘em pour in.” “Sounds like a plan to me.” They ventured deeper into the hushed castle interiors. The corridors became wider and more furnished. They stopped at a larger door, somewhere within the lower east wing of the castle, by Kai’s estimate. “Messengers’ break room,” Garagan muttered as he opened the unlocked door. “Nobody’ll bother us in here.” As they were entering, Kai happened to glance down the hall and noticed a maidservant with a broom standing there. She was far enough away in the dim light that he couldn’t make out her face, but it looked as if she were staring at him and Garagan.
Before Kai could point her out, Garagan yanked him inside and closed the door quietly. Kai found himself in a small room; it was furnished with a patterned rug, several plushy armchairs in front of the modest fireplace and a desk set opposite in between two bookshelves. A different desk in the middle of the room appeared to hold a basket of bread, some fruit, and some drinks. “We’ll move out tomorrow, before anyone’s supposed to c’mere.” Garagan heaved a low sigh and settled down into one of the large chairs. “In the meantime, make yourself at home. Here, have a drink.” Kai obliged, settling himself into the second armchair. Garagan looked pleased when he recognized kimbachi juice among the options on the table and poured two glasses. When Kai hesitated he said, “It’ll help soothe ya nerves, kid. A couple o’ glasses oughta do it.” “You seem to really like this stuff,” Kai retorted suspiciously. The older man shrugged. “Maybe. Either way, yer not gonna get too attached to it even if you want to. Just drink enough to get some sleep.” “I’m not worried.” With that Kai impulsively took a huge gulp. The sweet strawberry taste came with that tingly sensation in his jaw again, almost like sugar rush. The two of them lounged before the fire in the pair of armchairs, exhausted by their long journey throughout the day. They sipped kimbachi juice and shared the occasional remark but otherwise all was quiet. Soon Garagan’s head dropped onto his chest with a few faint snores, a glass of half-finished kimbachi still in one hand. Kai was surprised by how soothing the drink really was after a couple of glasses. It made him feel warm and fuzzy—safe, even, as if all danger had drifted away like mist in sunlight. He gazed into the fire and felt tempted to play with it—he liked taking a flame and letting it run up and down his arm sometimes—but every limb felt much too sore for him to make the effort. He settled for simply gazing into the crackling tongues of light.
