Bionicle G2: New Legends, New Heroes

Chapter 7: Meetings

The light chatter grew heavy by the time Ferra entered the small chamber. After the death of Ekimu, the Temple of Creation had been refurbished into a great meeting hall. The forge itself, where thousands of masks were made, laid dormant as the great hexagonal table rested atop the hole once burning with fiery smoke. When Ferra took her seat between Hunarr and Ruka, she glanced at everyone else, their cloaks barely seen in the dim rays of light coming from outside. "So," Ferra began, "did I miss anything?"

"Not much," Hunarr said, low enough for Ferra to hear over the two arguing voices.

"Pretty standard. Ignar's been grillin' Torren ever since they got 'ere," Ruka added, her eyes smiling at her little pun while Hanu-sitting on the Jungle Protector's other side-shook his head.

Ignar's anger blazed with every word he spoke. "... I trusted nothing but your word! I was promised a master of fire, not this! How can I work when I'm stuck with a Toa asking questions all the time?!"

Hunarr silently scoffed at the Fire Protector.

Sitting right next to Ignar in his aqua-blue chair, Torren rubbed his mask and sighed. "Ignar, the fact is they are here to help us. We need to give them a chance to acclimate to their situation!"

From his fiery throne, Ignar huffed. "As if we have the time! Already, I had to worry about Ruka and her gang trespassing onto my territory! How long will it be before others will steal what belongs to my people?!"

"We're right here, you know," Ferra snapped, something Ignar noticed.

"All the more reason for me to be worried."

Ferra turned her glare to the others, trying to contain her annoyance. "It's the Toa, right? I saw them on my way in. They're certainly a strange group."

"Strange ain't enough. More like bizarre!" Ruka piped in. "I mean we've got Toas of Light and Shadow, and a Toa of Air with a bow..."

Ferra raised an eye ridge. "Air? I thought he was jungle."

"That's what I said!"

"See, even they know what I'm talking about!" Ignar exclaimed to Torren, pointing to beyond the enclosed walls. "The Toa are supposed to represent our elements! Do any of those Toa outside remotely look like them?! How can they understand us if they can't-?!"

A SLAP of Hanu's black hand echoed off the table. Beside him, the fire of Ignar calmed down with the rest of the clammer, and Torren nodded a grateful head to the oldest Protector. "Thank you, Hanu," he said, then to the others, "Now, that we're all here, we can get to the matter at hand."

"We know, Torren," Ruka said. "No need to skirt 'round on Makuta's Mask bein' back."

An uncomfortable silence fell all around until Torren cleared his throat. "Yes... First, our Elemental Guardians have left their posts, and now this. It can't be just a coincidence. That's why we need the Toa-we all do-now more than ever. With pieces of the Forbidden Mask reappearing, it will only be a matter of time before Makuta may return."

Ignar puffed out a hollow laugh. "Again, all we ever had was your word, Torren. You still haven't given us proof of the pieces reappearing! If they exist, we would-"

"Oh, they exist," Ferra, ever wanting to interrupt Ignar, said and put her metal piece on the table.

Five pairs of eyes widened. In the room, the golden light shimmered off the metal, and the power it immanated, the power of stone, was still fresh for all looking at Ferra's piece of the Forbidden Mask. Among the watchful eyes, Ignar's rose to Ferra. "Where did you find that?" he asked with an unusual quiet voice.