Ninjago's Shadow

32: Shadows vs. Ninja

War cries sound behind me as we dash through the trees. The giants tare up trees and throw them at the shadow men, women, dark dragons, and black phoenixes.

The shadow men and women disappear before the trees hit them. I slide to a stop.

"What is it?" Lloyd asks stopping beside me.

"Shadows. The shadow men and women can become part of the shadows cast by the trees." I tell him. "I forgot they could do that!"

"Use your full potential to blow down the trees or something." He says.

"I'll never reach my full potential. There's too many obstacles in my heart." I start running again and Lloyd follows. "What am I doing?! This is a battle! We don't have time for chit-chat. Where's Cole? I have an idea."

"There!" Lloyd says pointing ahead through the trees. I can see a blur of black and gold.

"Cole!" I shout.

He stops and waits for Lloyd and I. "What? Can't you see I'm a little busy here?" He grunts as he slices a shadow man with his scythe. The shadow man crumples in a puff of black clouds.

"I have an idea."

"Good. What is it?"

"Well, because the shadow men and women can become part of the shadows cast by the trees and sneak attack us."

"So what do you need me for?"

I nock an arrow in my bow and let it fly. It goes through three shadow people. The shadow people crumple in puffs of black clouds. "Cole, is it possible for you to raise the ground and make a rock flat?"

Cole and Lloyd dodge a jet of black fire. "Uh, yah. I think."

"That isn't an answer."

Cole shrugs. "I mean, if I use my full potential I guess I could." Behind him Lloyd stabs a black phoenix.

"Okay, good. You do that then meet us at the portal." I say over my shoulder dashing off again.

Trees are on fire, set off by the dragons above. Dragons and dark dragons clawing and spitting fire at each other. Blurs of red, blue, green, purple, yellow, and turquoise against the black and gray of the dark dragons. Drops of scarlet fall like rain.

The phoenixes screech and claw one another or drop rocks on the opposite army.

The giants are the only thing the shadow men and women haven't tinged with darkness. Trees, flaming and not, hurtling into the shadow army. Black clouds puffing above the treetops.

"Leray!" Lloyd shouts.

Then I am hit by a plume of black fire. My cheek, neck, and shoulder on my left side is flaming. I twist around on the ground in pain.

Lloyd slide to his knees beside me. "Leray, stop moving I can..."

"Make it stop!" I sob. It's not just burning, it's eating my skin. Enchanted fire is what it is.

Lloyd uses his powers to form ice on the fire, but the extreme heat melts the ice making it into water and outing out the fire.

He takes my hands and helps me to my feet. "Better?" He asks.

I nod.

The ground begins to tremble and solid rock lifts us off the forest floor, forcing us through the tree branches, and above the trees. Then it stops.

"About time." I mutter looking out across the barren wasteland. There is not a single bump or break, rock or tree to be seen. Just smooth rock. With nothing to cast shadows to hide in the shadow men and women are standing out in the open.

The dragons and phoenixes continue to battle over head splattering the rock with drops of scarlet. With nothing to throw the giants begin to squish a and crush the shadow people.

Then it dawns on me. "Xavier!" I gasp.

"Don't worry. I instructed him to protect the bounty." Lloyd tells me.

"But he's just a boy!"

"Yes. But he is one heck of a fighter. Come on, we need to get to the portal."

Lloyd pulls me along as we dash unnoticed through the fighting shadows and spirits.

At the entrance to the portal we find Kai, Cole, Jay, and Zane. Kai has a black eye and a gash on his thigh. Cole has claw marks on his side. Jay has a cut coming from his temple to his jaw. And Zane has claw marks over his left eye, but instead of blood I can see metal and wire, and the cuts spark every so now and then.

"About time you got here." Kai says resting his golden sword on his shoulder.

"What happened to you?" Jay asks noticing my bloody neck, shoulder and cheek.

"Fire." I say gasping for breath.

"Is this what you wanted?" Cole asks gesturing to the rock.

"Yes. It's exactly what we need." I say nodding.

"Come on let's go. We don't have much tim." Zane exclaims jumping onto the portal.

We follow him in then appear in the throne room of the void.

"Follow me! I know where to go!" I say dashing off.

I lead the way down many long twisting corridors and tunnels. We stab, slice, shoot, and destroy all shadow men and women.

At one point I take a wrong turn and we end up in a small room with five shadow children. I leave to find the right path again. Even though they were evil, I couldn't hurt them.

We run for what seems to be for ever. When we finally stop to catch our breath, I can't help thinking that we are never going to find Lucy. I reach into the pouch on my belt. Plunging my arm all the way in I am able to fish out balls of water. (Think about balls of water the dive of softballs.) I hand them out and we drink.

Before we take off again Lloyd catches my wrist and says to me. "Don't worry we'll find her."

I nod and lead the way again. Finally we reach the dungeons. It is the same as before. Drippy and shadowy with mushrooms growing in the corners and in the huge cells that used to hold the dark dragons. Except now it is quiet and empty, and puddles of what appears to be dried blood litter the floor.

Four shadow men pop out of the shadows, but we defeat and destroy them quickly. Then we reach a thick metal door at the end of the dungeon. Kai burns it to a crisp and we rush in.

Sliding to a stop we look around. We are in a big natural made cave. Stalactites and stalagmites cover the floor and ceiling. Thirteen shadow men and women jump out and run at us. We easily destroy them to.

Then she creeps out from behind a bolder.