When Seliel dismounted and finally set her feet back on the ground, she was wobbling unsteadily. But she was determined not to fall in front of the boys. She already looked pathetic enough as it was.

"Guess we're even, now," Cole was saying as he shrugged off the winged contraption.

Even. Of course that was the only reason he'd saved her. To settle a debt. She hadn't even meant to help him in the Caves of Despair, she would have just as easily let the dragon have him. 

"Don't expect any thanks from me," Seliel snapped. She turned away, but Cole caught her by the arm.

"Hold on, where do you think you're going? I said we're even, but I didn't say you could leave."

"Let go!" she shouted, trying to wrench her arm free. But he'd grabbed her injured arm and it was still very sore. She realized that the ninja had her surrounded now, making it impossible for her to run.

"Your friends still have the Shuriken of Ice," Cole said, "but I'm guessing they'll want you more than it."

Seliel was worried he might be right, but she couldn't let her friends give up their only golden weapon to these guys. Teleporting wasn't an option with Cole holding on to her, or she might just take him with her. Nya was right, she really should have tested that out ahead of time.

Thinking fast, Seliel stomped on Cole's foot. He shouted in surprise and his grip loosened. She ripped her arm free, then locked her gaze on a tree in the distance and with a snap she vanished. She lost sight of her surroundings and time seemed to move slower. For a few brief seconds, she felt light as air until an instant later she was surrounded by foliage. She rocked precariously on a branch before steadying herself against the trunk. She still wasn't used to having everything suddenly change around her, and as her jump on the tower had proven, sometimes it took her a moment to assess her new surroundings and make the necessary corrections.

But thankfully, this time, the tree trunk was close and she was able to lean back against it. The leaves rustled a bit at her movement, but with the wind blowing, it went unnoticed down below.

A few feet away, she could glimpse the boys through the gaps in the tree's leaves. They turned this way and that, probably hoping that she had been foolish enough to appear where they could see her. As if.

"Where'd she go?"

"I don't see her anywhere."

"Great idea Cole, let's take the teleporter prisoner!" Seliel recognized the shrill voice of the lightning ninja.

"Hey, it was worth a shot," Cole argued. "We'll have to find a way to get those shurikens back somehow." Then he sighed. "I didn't think she would be able to get that far while she was injured. Guess I was wrong. Come on, let's get back to camp." The others threw a last glance around before they grudgingly turned to leave.

Seliel stayed in her tree, trying to steady her breathing for a few minutes more. When she was sure the coast was clear, she had to slowly lower herself into a sitting position and dangle her legs over the edge of the branch so she could hop safely back to the ground. She wasn't about to try teleporting again – she didn't have enough energy left, and it would be too loud, anyway. Those boys would just come running back to find her. She was tired and her feet felt heavy, but she marched on. She had to get back to the rest of her team. Even though Nya and Skylor had been closer to the base of the tower, Seliel was worried that they might be in danger from the dragon.

The surrounding forest was unexpectedly quiet, even for the dark of night. In the distance, thunder rumbled, and a constant wind rustled in the trees, but there was no sign of wildlife. When she finally reached the edge of the forest, she could see the silhouettes of Garmadon and Pixal waiting at the foot of the bottom-most pillar. She glanced up to see the lightning dragon circling the tower, but it was way up high, weaving in and out through the clouds. Lower on the tower, Nya and Skylor had apparently changed direction – they had probably noticed that Seliel had been with the other ninja when they fled. The two girls had almost reached the ground.

"Pixal!" Seliel called out as she neared. Pixal turned and ran to meet her.

"Are you alright?" Concern was written all over her reflective face, making the synthetic girl appear more real than ever. "We could hardly see what happened."

Seliel sighed. "I knew that if they got to the weapon first, we wouldn't be able to stop them. So I tried teleporting up there, but it was too far. The boys caught me and helped me down." She frowned. "I don't understand it. They always help us when we need it. They're nothing how Sensei Garmadon described Wu."

"Perhaps Wu has not totally succeeded in corrupting their minds yet. There may still be hope for Nya's brother. But I am glad that you are safe." Pixal put one arm around Seliel and the weary girl gratefully accepted the support as they went back to meet Nya and Skylor.

. . . 

The forest where they made camp that night was dark, a small fire providing the only scrap of light. Seliel and Garmadon were managing the fire, and Skylor was drawing in the dirt with a stick, strategizing, while Pixal appeared to be meditating. Nya was fiddling with the golden shuriken, holding it pinched between her fingers and spinning it round and round. There was a sense of defeat hanging in the air that Seliel didn't like. But, admittedly, it was hard to find a light side to all this.

According to the map, they should be close to the Temple of Fire. Seliel and Skylor had been asking Sensei Garmadon a thousand questions, racking their brains for the perfect plan to get the weapon. But there were too many factors that put them at a disadvantage. Even Skylor was having difficulty coming up with a strategy she was satisfied with.

Nya gazed thoughtfully at the spinning shuriken. "I wonder if I could rig this thing up to a larger machine," she said thoughtfully. "Maybe we could freeze them all in their tracks." It sounded more like wistful thinking, and Seliel wasn't sure how useful an ice weapon would be in a fire temple, anyway.

Skylor threw her stick to the ground and hung her head in her hands. "It's useless! There's no way we can get that sword! We might as well get as far from Wu as we can and focus on keeping the shuriken safe."

Seliel suddenly had an idea. "Hey, you said your dad owns a whole island, right?" she asked. "Do you think he'd let us hide it there?"

Skylor's eyes widened.

"We probably shouldn't bother him with our mission," Garmadon hurriedly answered for her. "After all, this is our fight, not his."

Seliel was already curious about her loner friend's past, but even more so after their strange reactions to this simple suggestion. But it wasn't her business to pry, and she supposed that Skylor didn't have to tell them anything if she didn't want to.

"Wu has been preparing for this moment for years," Garmadon continued more solemnly. "He has amassed his forces and trained his students well. There is nowhere in Ninjago we could hide."

"Pardon me, sensei," Pixal interjected, "But if there is no way to hide the weapons from Wu, what could we do even if we collect them all?"

"Without any of the weapons, my brother won't be as powerful," Garmadon answered patiently. "And, even though you four are not masters of the four elements, my hope is that you could still learn to wield them with some measure of control."

"But where does it end?" Skylor asked. "We would have to spend the rest of our lives protecting the weapons, and then what? Wu seems practically immortal from his place in the Underworld."

"Rest assured, Skylor, the battle will not go on forever. The war my brother has started will draw to a close. I fear, sooner rather than later." Again, Seliel wished her sensei would elaborate instead of speaking so vaguely, but she still got the impression that it wasn't her place to ask. She just wished that it all didn't have to be so complicated. She preferred a simple problem-solution setup rather than all this moral ambiguity.

It was Nya who brought the focus back to their present battle. "We shouldn't give up hope. We have just as much of a chance here as we did at the ice temple. We don't know what will happen, but that means there's an infinite amount of possibilities left. We just have to do our best."

Seliel nodded. "I believe in us."

But Skylor shook her head. "We just got lucky with the shurikens. Maybe if we had more training we'd stand a chance, but right now, it's just hopeless."

Everyone went quiet again. Skylor had a point. If only they had more time, then maybe they could manage it. But right now, it was hard to imagine that there was any scenario where they came out on top. That wasn't enough to stop them, though. Seliel was determined to keep fighting until the end.

But for now . . . .

There wasn't much point dwelling on things they couldn't change.

Standing, Seliel stretched one arm above her head. "Well, we've got one weapon, and I think that's better than nothing." She set her hands on her hips with a smile. "And if we see those boys tomorrow, they'll be sorry! Just let them try and take that sword!" She punched the air as if an invisible enemy stood before her.

"They'll probably try to talk us out of it again," Nya said.

Seliel rolled her eyes. "Those boys are all talk and now fight. 'You don't know what you're getting into!'" she mocked in a low voice. "'There's no way you can beat us!' Blah blah blah!"

"But they have fought us on multiple occasions," Pixal argued.

"I know, but, you'd think they would get the hint by now and stop going easy on us. There's no point letting an enemy come back to cause more trouble. I know I wouldn't."

"You sound like you want to be defeated," Skylor pointed out.

"They are not as cruel as their master and prefer not to hurt anyone. Considering what we have heard about Wu, I am for one am pleasantly surprised to find that they have such morals."

Seliel kicked at the ground. "Yeah. But it's still annoying. It wouldn't be so bad if we could kick their butts."

Nya dramatically put a hand to her forehead and said, "But they're just too powerful! We could get hurt!"

"Tell that to my blackened eye," Seliel grumbled. She started punching the air again, as if she could see the earth ninja clearly before her. "Next time I'll give him an eye as black as his stupid gi!"

"Now girls," Garmadon said, standing from his place by the fire. "As Pixal said, I don't believe that they mean any harm. It's likely that my brother has told them many lies, and they are merely misguided. They may even believe that they are doing the right thing."

Seliel lowered her arms with a sigh. "Well I'm still not going to go easy on them."

"Of course not! Whatever they believe, they're still wrong. And therefore it is your duty to, as you said, 'kick their butts!'"

Nya giggled. "We'll sure try, Sensei."

"I still think it's hopeless," Skylor grumbled, hugging her knees to her chest. "You know, when this started I thought that it didn't matter if we were weaker, because I thought that I could carry the team on my own. Now I'm starting to think I was just making things worse, either by running off or bossing everyone around." She shook her head. "I should probably just go home. I don't even know why I came out here in the first place. At least there things had been a lot easier."

Garmadon harrumphed. "Easier, maybe. But can you really say you were happier there than you are out here?"

"Don't say that, Skylor," Nya soothed. "We like having you here."

"Your assistance has been invaluable," Pixal agreed.

Seliel sighed. "I'm sorry I got so angry with you before. We're all new at this, it'll take some time before we get used to working together."

Skylor was quiet for a moment. "I guess I'm just used to . . . being on my own," she admitted. "I've never had anyone to worry about but myself, and usually everyone just sort of knows what's expected of them. I've never really had friends to watch out for."

Seliel shrugged. "I suppose I was getting a little too worked up over everything. But, come on, it is the fate of the world at stake."

Nya groaned. "Don't remind me."

"Communication seems to be our main concern for the moment," Pixal said. "I suggest a focus on more interaction prior to an encounter."

Seliel nodded. "As a general rule, let's just make sure we all discuss plans before leaping into action. Time permitting."

"Including you, right?" Nya teased.

Seliel shrugged. "We all have things to work on."

"Some more than others," Pixal added with a slight smile.

Skylor snorted. "She got us there."

Garmadon grinned as he surveyed his students. "I'm proud of you girls. And whatever happens, tomorrow, I'll be proud of you, still."

Seliel wished she could feel the same. But, as positive was trying to be, she couldn't imagine losing. The word just wasn't in her vocabulary. 

"Now, I think it's about time we all got some sleep," he continued. "You certainly won't fair much better if you're sleep-deprived."

The girls voiced their agreement and then settled down for the night. Still, they had trouble drifting off, and as the fire faded, so did their confidence, and in the dark of night they each wondered whether or not they really could defeat their enemy or if, in the end, they would be the ones to lose. 

. . .

The cold of night stung, but stronger still was the tension that pierced the forest. The air seemed to echo with Master Wu's final words before he had disappeared again. Not even the trees stirred now, but seemed to be holding their breath, waiting to see the ninja's reaction.

In the stifling silence, all Jay could think was, This isn't what was supposed to happen. 

Jay looked at Kai out of the corner of his eye. At the same moment, Kai shot to his feet. "I . . . I need to think," he blurted out, then turned to stalk deeper into the forest. Beneath his brusque attitude, Jay could see how shaken he was. Jay knew that this must be Master Wu's punishment for Kai using the scythe against his orders.

When he was out of earshot, Jay turned to Cole. "Do you think he'll be up for it?"

Cole rose to his feet as well, and Jay and Zane followed suit. "He'll be fine," he said quietly. "He just needs a minute to let it sink in."

"I know, but . . ." It doesn't seem right, Jay wanted to say.

Cole's brow furrowed. "One way or another, we're getting the shuriken and the sword. We made a promise to Master Wu."

"We have a duty to uphold," Zane agreed.

Jay looked in the direction Kai had gone. "I just don't know how I would feel if . . ." If it was one of you.

"We don't have all night," Cole said, quickly, and Jay thought he might have said too much. "We'll need to get ready, too."

Jay nodded. Maybe he was being silly. He should have just kept quiet rather than voice his thoughts and look like a coward. And Master Wu was probably right. He was always right. There were greater things at stake. 

Greater, even, than family bonds.