Roots of Earth ~ A Ninjago Fanfiction

Chapter 106: Nine Lives

Black Blood didn't enjoy being in her human form, but in it she stayed. It made her feel tall. In silence she stood in the tunnel, listening to the roar and screams of battle coming from the darkness beyond. I wonder how they got in...

Some distant part told her that she ought to feel alarmed about the invasion and that she ought to assist her tribe in fighting off the ninja and the traitors. Yet she knew that Broken Fang, Raven Frost and No Claw were there. They would be able to hold them off for now. At the moment there were much more important things for her to attend to...

She turned away and strode down the tunnel, past the dark dens and floating lamps. Her path wound away from the gathering cavern until all noise was drowned out. She came to a part of the tunnels the tribe did not enter very often. It was here an isolated cave for prisoners lay, away from the others.

Raven Frost was stepping out of it. Black Blood stiffened at the sight of him. "Are you not supposed to be taking part in the battle?"

He paused and grinned toothily. "Aren't you?"

She curled her lip. "What were you doing in there?"

For the first time she noticed the thin clearstone knife dangling from his hand. Blood was dripping from it, and he held it up like a prize. "Just settling a score with the Daughter of No One."

Contempt made her want to hit him. Black Blood grabbed his shoulder and yanked him away, shoving him to the tunnel entrance. "If you touch her again I shall rip your ears off. Now get out there and kill the ninja, before I come out there to do it myself."

"What are you doing, then?" he drawled, though easing to the entrance.

"Get out."

Something dangerous in her voice silenced any more snide remarks he had. As the sound of his footsteps hurried away, she unlocked the door with a low incantation and entered the little cell.

Liana hung by her wrists against the wall in iron manacles. Bloody cuts ran up and down her arms and her torso, as well as a gash bleeding over one eye. Her hair had fallen loose from its ponytail and now hung over her face. Despite this, Black Blood could see the girl's cloudy eyes widen and she stiffened in her prison.

"Who's there?" The question came out as a halting whisper.

"Me." Shutting the door behind her, Black Blood walked up and stopped before Liana. "You have something of mine."

"What else do you want?" The human was exhausted, yet anger could be detected beneath her shaking voice. "You've already taken everything from me."

Black Blood grabbed her gi and ripped the collar open. Liana gasped and shied away, but the werecat's hand grabbed something dangling beneath her shirt.

"Leave that alone!" Liana cried, straining against her bonds. "That was my mother's!"

"Then your mother was a thief." The chain snapped. Black Blood took the necklace and inspected it. Though the stone had been carved into the shape of some sort of seashell, it looked much like all the others. "This is a moonstone—the last of the seven moonstones. Did you know?"

"The— the moonstone!" Liana's mouth fell open. "I— I had it with me this whole time...?"

Black Blood inspected her face, regarding her. "You're not lying. You really did not know you've had this with you the entire time." She chuckled mirthlessly. "How frustrating that must be! You and your ninja friends have been trying for so long to catch even just one moonstone and keep it from me, and you just brought the last one right into my hands. I really must thank you—"