Flames of the Past #4: A Tangle of Lies (A Ninjago Fanfiction)

Chapter 9

Lloyd sat on the stairs of the porch outside the back of the palace. The combat training grounds were in front of him, where Cole, Jay, Nya, and Zane were practice-fighting. Lloyd had been, too, but he had grown exhausted. Now he was petting Kitty as he caught his breath.

He gazed ahead of him as he did. He thought back to his conversation with Clouse. Chen is alive, he remembered. And he's got to be hiding somewhere in the palace. Or, at least, he had to have accomplices around.

But how had Chen reactivated Lloyd's marking? Had the villain found the Overlord Crystal? He had to, Lloyd thought. There's no other way to connect to the Overlord's power.

Lloyd breathed out a sigh of relief. Now that he decided it was Chen in the mist and not his old rival, he felt a lot more ready to fight him. The Overlord's dead.

He was sure of it now.

The green ninja looked up as Cole and Nya walked over to him. They grabbed their water bottles and took some time to catch their breath.

Nya sat on the step beside Lloyd. "You doing okay?" she asked.

Lloyd nodded, straightening up. "Doing better," he admitted.

Nya smiled sadly while Cole blinked down at him in silence. Lloyd avoided his gaze and instead stared at the ground.

After another moment, Cole turned away. "Hey, where's Kai?" he wondered.

"I don't know," Nya answered. "I haven't seen him all day."

With a grunt, Lloyd heaved himself to his feet. "I'll go find him," he suggested. He figured he'd rather do that than start a conversation with Cole.

He headed into the palace with Kitty at his feet. He put his hands in his pockets, weaving through the back hallways. He hadn't seen Kai in a while, either. It wasn't like him. The red ninja was always around; they rarely found him alone.

He's probably with Skylor, Lloyd thought, rolling his eyes.

Kitty mewled and the green ninja broke from his thoughts to see what she was on about. He spotted a few guards huddled close together at the end of the hall, murmuring to one another. Stepping closer, Lloyd noticed Chester was among them.

What's going on? the green ninja wondered, observing their serious expressions. Furrowing his eyebrows, he stalked over to them.

"Excuse me," he grunted as he reached them, "is something wrong?"

The group turned to him. The guards stiffened and seemed about to advance closer, but Chester held them back. He gave them a stern look before facing Lloyd again. He put a smile on his face. "No, nothing's wrong," he assured him. "But... do you know where Kai is?"

Lloyd blinked in confusion. "No, I was just on my way to look for him," he answered.

Chester exchanged glances with the guards. "I think he's telling the truth," he told them. The guards mumbled to themselves, stealing looks at the green ninja.

Lloyd stared from them to Chester. "Why wouldn't I be telling the truth?" he questioned suspiciously.

Chester's eyes rounded in realization. "You didn't hear?"

"Hear what?" Lloyd demanded, growing frustrated.

Chester nodded to the guards, dismissing them. He sighed when they were gone, and for the first time Lloyd noticed the bruises and dried blood encrusted on the prince's face. His clothes were torn and his gelled hair lay shaggy over his head.