The Reign of the Oni

Chapter Nine - In Which Lloyd Grows Suspicious

Lloyd's POV:

I swung my katana at the wooden post. It sank into the wood, creating a new mark in the already mark ridden post. I wiped the beads of sweat off of my forehead, my shoulders slumping in exhaustion. I couldn't stop. If I was going to face my dad and the rest of the Sons of Garmadon, I would have to reach the next level. I would have to learn how to control this Oni power Mistake had talked about in her letter. 

And as if all that weren't enough, the Sons of Garmadon had stolen the Mask of Deception, the Mask of Hate, and the Mask of Vengeance. I had been racking my mind and doing as much research as I could, but I still had no idea what they could want with them, or how they were planning to fix the shattered masks. We didn't even know if Garmadon would be traveling to the Rift as well. Our whole team was riding their hopes on the fact that stealing the Oni Masks meant Garmadon's plan had something to do with the Oni. And even then, we couldn't be sure that meant they would need to travel to the Rift. 

But Sensei Wu insisted that ensuring that the Rift stayed closed was more important than chasing after my dad. I wasn't sure I agreed with him, but he did know more about the Oni than I did. Not to mention that the map was on the back of a letter written by an Oni. Mistake wouldn't have disclosed its location if it wasn't important. 

"Hey, Lloyd!" Jay called out from the stairs outside the dining room. "Dinner's ready. Zane made it, so you know it's edible!"

I cracked a half smile. "I'll be there in a few minutes! I have to take a quick shower first."

Jay shrugged. "I'll try to save you some, but don't be surprised if it's gone."

Before heading to the room the five of us shared on the Bounty, I stopped to put my katana back in the janitor's closet we used as a makeshift armory. Then I jumped in the shower just long enough to get rid of the smell of sweat. Water dripped onto the stairs from my still wet hair. I slid open the door to the dining room and saw the Ninja laughing and reaching across the table for food.

"Wow," Jay said, his mouth full of food. "That was a really fast shower."

"Where's Sensei Wu?" I asked.

"With Skylor here, there wasn't enough room, so he and Misako decided to have dinner in his room."

I sat down at the head of the table, next to Cole and Zane. Skylor looked incredibly uncomfortable, which was unlike her. Sensei Wu had thought it would be wise to bring her along. Her element might come in handy, he had explained. I was skeptical. She didn't have any combat training, and the drain her powers had on her were too great. Pixal had promised to keep her safe in the Bounty if anything happened, but I was still uneasy about the idea. 

"We were just speculating about what Garmadon could want with the Oni Masks," Nya said. 

"What if he just wants them for the added power boost?" Skylor suggested.

I shook my head. "I doubt it. Why would he need three? My dad works alone, Harumi being the one exception." 

Skylor glanced at Kai. He took a sip of water, his eyes darting around the room. An awkward silence settled on the room. I turned to each and every person at the table. They all looked away, avoiding eye contact.

"What are you hiding?" I asked suspiciously. 

"Hiding?" Jay repeated, his voice higher than normal. "We're not hiding anything. Why would you suggest that we are hiding something?"

The other Ninja sighed.

I turned to Pixal. "What are they hiding?"

She stared back at me, unblinking. "I know nothing of their secret," she answered honestly.