Roots of Earth ~ A Ninjago Fanfiction

Chapter 18: Catching the Mole

Liana's fingers trailed over the smooth woodwork. From the weapons hanging up on the walls and the chests along the sides, she knew she was standing in the armory of the Destiny's Bounty. She had wandered in the room idly, lost in thought. The blind teenager could feel, if not hear, the slight, constant vibration of the rocket boosters running, keeping the ship hovering in the sky. Aside from the ever-so-soft humming in the background, all was quiet in the room.

Liana was glad to have a minute of peace to herself, for she wasn't quite used to being around so many people for so long. That wasn't to say that she didn't enjoy their company, even if things were a bit tense because of the constant attacks.

She liked Nya in particular. There was some sort of fierce, fiery spirit in the girl ninja that she admired and could relate to, and if she wasn't mistaken, Nya liked her back. This was a surprise for Liana, because not only did few people actually like her, she rarely liked them back. Despite being away from her uncle and cousins, Liana found that she didn't mind working with the ninja too much. After hearing so much about these famed heroes of Ninjago, how cool was it that she was hanging with them...! Even if nearly half the team members were down.

She was glad that familiar voices like Matilda and Cole were there. If only Philip were here to see this...

Liana's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps coming from the hall. She recognized the heavy, steady footfalls, and her theory was confirmed when she heard Cole's voice. "Liana?"

"Here." She tilted her head in the direction of the doorway as his footsteps grew more audible before coming in and stopping. She heard the sound of the door slightly squeaking on the hinges and the audio from outside the armory fade out when it closed. There was a small click of the latch, signaling that she was now alone with Cole in the room. Her heart jumped nervously.

"I think we need to talk." There was something disconcerting about his tone of voice. He sounded tense.

She let herself frown. "OK..."

He ran a hand through his hair; she could hear the soft rustle. There was a long pause. Then: "Jay and I have been talking about you."

She wondered if he could see how confused she felt. "OK...?"

She heard him swallow before saying quietly, "We noticed how... coincidental it was that you've shown up after several years out of nowhere, just as this stuff with the werecats began to happen."

Liana stood very, very still.

She heard him take a step closer. "Ever since we picked you up, those things were somehow able to track down our every move. And whenever they attacked us, while a lot of us got hurt, you were completely unscathed."

Is he serious? her mind roared.

"How do you know that's not just a coincidence?" She forced herself to speak. "I was always with you guys, and you're so well-trained and experienced in fighting that I usually found myself just shoved aside from the brawl."

"Maybe." Cole responded softly. "Or..." He took a step closer.

She took a step back.

"Or maybe you're not here by accident. Maybe you didn't find me to tell me about Philip."

Liana felt her heart begin to race when he took another step closer.

How did he know? She thought she had hidden it so well!

"Maybe..." There was a hint of menace in his voice. "Maybe there's more to you than meets the eye."

She took another step back, only to bump into the wall. Her hand trailed over the wood and ran over a sai standing up on a prop.