4. Dark Sides: Rise of the Anacondrai

Chapter 18 - A Little Snake Problem

Nya was watching the horizon intently through a pair of binoculars. For the better part of the past hour, nothing but sand had billowed past her post. Her back was stiff from sitting in the same position for so long, and her bottom was sore from the concrete roof where she sat. But she ignored all of that, staring out at the desert dunes stretched out before her.

She was only distracted when the radio crackled and a voice came through. "Anybody else getting tired of waiting?" It was the lightning ninja's voice. "We should just go out there and track them down ourselves."

"No," came Seliel's reply. "The desert's way too big, we could easily pass by each other without knowing it."

Nya tensed when her brother's voice chimed in. "Relax, Jay. It can't be much longer. Griffon already saw them heading out there a couple hours ago, so it's only a matter of time until they come back."

"Maybe we already missed them," Jay suggested. "They could've finished whatever evil deeds they were doing before Griffon even made it back to the warehouse."

"You just gotta rub it in, don't you?" Griffon said over the line.

"Jay's just jealous because he's still slower than you," Seliel joked. Nya lowered her binoculars. Seliel was actually making jokes – with one of Wu's ninja!

"I am not!" Jay said. "I just don't want to stay in this heat any longer if it's all for nothing."

"Relax," Seliel said. "They'll come eventually. I'd rather wait than leave too early and miss this opportunity. We need that Serpentine if we're going to figure out how to defeat Chen."

Nya didn't know why Kai and Jay had to come help instead of Pixal and . . . well Skylor may have been more of a liability if she wasn't used to fighting just yet. But Nya still didn't like how much trust they were offering the boys now. Even Seliel's banter was leaning too close to friendly. If they didn't stay vigilant, the boys could easily turn on them whenever they wanted.

"How are you holding up, Nya?" Seliel asked.

"Fine," Nya replied shortly. She could feel the awkwardness rising in the silence that followed.

Well it's not my fault they've all forgotten that we're supposed to be on opposite sides!

This truce was temporary, nothing more than a means to an end. Nya couldn't forget all the fighting they had already gone through before. What was the point in being friendly with the dark ninja when they were sure to go right back to their old ways once this was over?

"How about you, Karlof?" Seliel said, addressing the only other one who had remained quiet.

"Nothing to report, all clear," he answered.

But at almost the exact same time, Griffon cried out, "I see something!"

Nya brought up her binoculars again and gazed over the desert. A handful of figures had appeared over the crest of a distant sand dune. Their violet shaded scales were hard to miss.

"That's them alright. Come on, we'll meet them halfway!"

Pulling up her mask, Nya left the roof and the outskirts of the city behind. As she jogged into the desert, the other five Elemental Masters converged on the sand alongside her. They stood just outside the city limits, waiting to intercept the band of Anacondrai. As they drew nearer, Nya spotted Clouse in the lead, just as Griffon had said. But one of the other serpents caught her eye as well. His scales were the same dark shade of purple as the rest of them, but was marked with a different pattern. His neck was much longer, his head a slightly different shape. There was no doubting it: they had found a real Anacondrai. Nya might not have believed it if she wasn't seeing it for herself, but there he was, surrounded by a dozen of Chen's soldiers.