Darkness from Within #7: A Promise Broken (Ninjago Fanfiction)

Chapter 17

"I told you to get rid of him!" Lloyd roared the next day after seeing Hugh and Ariana together once again.

Cree shrank backward. "I-I-I know," he breathed.

"Then why is Hugh still alive?" Lloyd demanded, turning on the Top.

Cree's breath quickened. "W-we tried," he gasped, "but we couldn't catch him!"

Lloyd folded his arms. "Couldn't catch him?" he hissed. "What kind of an excuse is that?"

"H-he was too fast," Cree went on desperately. "A-and there was the horse and... the dog..." He shuddered.

Lloyd's eyes rounded in disbelief. "You got beaten by a couple of animals?" he exclaimed, his fury rising.

"Well, n-not exactly," Cree stammered, shuffling his feet. "Your... Your wife showed up."

Lloyd froze. Of course she did, he thought with irritation. Gritting his teeth, he whipped around, trying to work through his anger. Now she knows I want Hugh dead. Working through his anger wasn't working so well when he realized he was even closer to losing Ariana than before. With a growl, he conjured an energy ball in his hand and stalked back toward Cree, desperate to take his anger out on something. He lifted his hand above the Top and, gasping, Cree stumbled backward, eyes widening with desperation. Lloyd glared at him for a moment longer before throwing the ball at the far wall instead. His body was weakening and he turned his back to Cree, not wanting to let the Top know he was drained. "Leave me," he commanded.

There was a skitter of footsteps and he knew Cree had fled. Breathing heavily, he rubbed his hands together, grunting as he struggled to build up more power. His fingers produced nothing but sparks and his fury rose. Straining his energy, he groaned with the effort of forming a ball until his anger gave him the last burst of strength he needed. Jolting backward, he thrust the power at the desk in the center of the room, shaking as he watched the whole thing explode into dust. His vision started to blur and he staggered on his feet, but he could still make out the chunks of wood flying across the room from the broken desk. Panting, he reached over and drew out That Sword, determined to push through his weakened state. Must I do everything myself?

But he knew he wouldn't last long in a fight. Not now, when he was in so much pain. But I'm not about ready to let Hugh know that, he thought, furrowing his eyebrows. For all he knew, the traveler was too afraid to challenge him again after he had beaten him so easily the last time. As long as he believes I'm still that strong, I'll be able to hold him off for the time being. And that was all he could do.

From outside the Main Base, Ariana halted at the end of the street. Bright flashes of green light were showing through the large building's wood and she drew in a deep breath. Lloyd, she thought. He's angry again. Straightening up, she headed forward. We have to talk about this. They hadn't interacted with each other in weeks, not since Lloyd had reduced the Baddies' pay. He seemed to grow crueler by the day, and now, without tokens, many of the Baddies had begun to starve... including Ariana, who was forced to share her pay with Hugh and Ronin.

To be fair, though, the more Baddies Lloyd tortured or killed, the more food there was for the rest of them.

The last time she had seen Lloyd, he had been staggering out of the tavern—drunk. He seemed to be drunk a lot lately. She had avoided him, and had continued to, for she had been scared, but she now knew they couldn't keep avoiding each other like this. They had to work it out. Somehow.

Ariana found her husband in the main room, where he most often was. An energy ball was forming in his hands, but when he heard her footsteps and spun around, it disappeared.