Shifting Sands (Ninjago AU)

Chapter 6- Preparations and Plans Set in Motion

Clouse grit his teeth. Captain Pyth knew better than to approach him in public- and at the Princess's ball no less. He stalked to the edge of the ballroom with the captain following closely on his heels.

"What was so important you couldn't wait until later this evening to discuss with me?" Clouse hissed, his voice barely discernible above the din that surrounded them. "This is not what I meant when I said you needed to check in regularly with me."

"I'm sorry sir. It's the newest arrival. He's been more unruly than my men anticipated him being and we- we might have lost him."

"You. Did. WHAT?" Clouse barely restrained himself from screaming at the man, though his tone carried enough to earn him several sideways glances from the nearest partygoers.

The normally collected captain paled significantly. "He's still in the lower levels. He couldn't have made it back to the surface, especially since he has no way to know the way in or out."

"You'd better hope his lack of sight keeps you from lacking a head. Get down there and find him. I can't leave yet without drawing suspicion and you'd better hope you find him before I do."

"Yes, sir." Nodding his head Pyth hurried out of the room.

'I'm surrounded by idiots!' Clouse seethed. If the Master of Sound escaped it would be disastrous for his plans. Not to mention alert the public of brewing plans. How in the world did they manage to lose a blind man?

Gritting his teeth Clouse walked back into the throng of people. Music swelled and Clouse didn't ask anyone to dance. No one asked him to either.

A stir ran through the crowd. It took Clouse a moment to pinpoint the source but he froze when he did- Princess Skylor and Prince Cole partnered together on the dance floor.

'And a moment ago I only had a wayward Master of Sound to worry about.' The tertiary Elemental was nothing compared to the secondary Element of Amber, let alone a primary Element like Earth. Though he had many contingency plans in place, Skylor becoming close with a primary wielder could cause more trouble than he bargained for.

That would have to be dealt with. Subtly.

Frowning in thought Clouse didn't have time to process it further when a phantom pain pricked his palm. Someone had entered his quarters.

Lithely, Clouse stalked through the dancers. His presence had no further significance in the evening and Clouse held no fantasies that any of the nobles gathered would care to speak with him again. He would be free to deal with whoever was foolhardy enough to enter his chambers uninvited.

Other than an occasional guard the palace halls were silent as Clouse made his way to his room. 'To think anyone would try to sneak past me and my wards undetected.' Such was laughable, though Clouse never remembered being in a laughing mood in his life. Within three minutes of leaving the ballroom Clouse arrived at his destination.

He burst through the door, foregoing any pretense of subtly.

"Who dares-!" His enraged shout died out when he saw a falcon staring deadpan at him from the windowsill. "Humph."

Slamming the door behind him Clouse sent a bolt of magic at the bird. "You'd better have a good reason for abandoning your post."

For once Ronin really did have a good reason. Clouse gave a feral grin when Ronin finished his report. Ronin took an unconscious step backward, the look on his master's face more terrifying than any of the times he blew up in anger.

"You have until first light to tend to your own devices. I'll give you your next mission then."

Clouse waved his hand and both of them melted into a plume of smoke. Seconds later they reappeared in the caverns. Ronin groaned quietly, but he'd long since adapted to the vertigo sensation that came with Clouse's preferred method of transportation. The constant vomiting in the first few months of his servitude had not been fun.