Salt: A Ninjago story

48: The Veins

Nya sank into the darkness of the ruptured tunnel, her pulse raced and the prickling surge of adrenalin pushed her forward.

Effortlessly jumping through the debris she came upon a blockage, a haphazard plug of fallen rock, a solid barricade denying a route and her heart sank. Her revenge weighed heavy but her anger rose, the tingle of her element felt slick on her fingers and in the air a damp haze hung before sinking to merge with the sodden earth and Nya felt the cool shiver of water become an extension of her being.

Nya had never felt so powerful; far from letting her anger rule her, she ruled it and drawing the element to her, it spoke to her, telling her the secrets it held. Through narrowed eyes she looked at the barricade. Focusing every fibre of her being she found the gaps between rocks and pushed at the soft muddle of earth and grit between, washing it away. Just the rocks remained suspended and she bit down at the effort, humid pearls grew on her face and rolled away from her eyes as if fearful of her gaze.

The chunks of strata felt like soft pillows mid fight that she need only bat aside. The crunch of rocky knuckles clenched as Nya pressed the floating blockage into the sides of the tunnel, creating a route thick with dust. She leapt forward into the dark corridor. Like a guiding light, every mote that carried moisture showed her the way. She willed them to move ahead of her, spreading out, washing the surfaces and reaching forward nothing escaped her frenzied touch; she would find them.

--

Flying forward, Lloyd released his energy shield and his friends jumped down to run alongside Nat, Kai and Hitch. 'Nya has gone into The Veins alone' Lloyd hurriedly shouted to Nat. She pulled a face, a look of disbelief.

'I know!' she said 'and why would she do that?' Nat asked exasperated and stumbled, the inertia of her run making her skid along the road. The shadows that followed jumped over and around the green shield that immediately appeared over her. She righted herself staggering back to a run 'What was that?' she exclaimed.

Lloyd stopped her 'What do you mean?'

'She blew me over' she replied. Jay and Cole leant in to listen, the shadows flitting and sliding around them 'her power. I've felt something similar. When hothead lost it' they all looked at Kai.

'I have that effect on people. Must run in the family' he shrugged.

'Well then anger is definitely your familial drive, because she has lost it' Nat added.

'She ok?' Hitch asked.

Kai twitched, a flicker of worry passing across his brow 'she'll be fine' he said trying to mask it with his cool demeanour.

'She's... more than fine. She is... unstoppable' Nat replied, lost in Nya's unfamiliar thoughts

'Oooh' Kai rubbed his brow, uncomfortable with the news 'this is not like her...We have to get to her. She's running on anger and adrenalin... or something'

'We can catch her up... wait' Nat's eyes flicked, looking at nothing but everything 'she's found them... or she feels them, what does that mean? I can't quite figure out what I'm hearing'

'Where?' Lloyd asked

'The Heart' she ran, the team hot on her heals.

--

Nya didn't wait. She did not need to see the whites of their eyes. She wanted them dead. Deeper into the tunnels she moved, pushed forward by the accumulated elemental force she called upon. It cleared a path and she moved through like a hardened glacier cutting a swath through the earth.

Feeling ahead she found them. Drawing upon the tide that gravitated to her, it rose up with her swell of emotion and broke around her, washing down the tunnel, pushing and roaring, a gallop of white horses baying out of control.