***Sorry things are a day late, my dudes, but I had to write a better ending than I was gonna give you guys. This makes so much more sense and ties up a lot of loose ends.

The funny thing is, without the epilogue, this story would have a really sad (yet confusing, given "I Never Knew") ending. Aren't you glad I didn't just stick with fifteen chapters? ;) ***

***(Kai's POV)***

The haunted noises of this place are really bothering me.

I've been sitting in a spare room alone for hours. Last I checked, there were two guards outside, so I can't get out through the door.

And there's no window. Don't they know that's a fire hazard?

A fire hazard...

I look down at my vengestone cuffs. If I only had my powers, I could for sure get out of here.

I need my element back. I can't sit around, waiting to bait Skylor here. I couldn't forgive myself for that.

I glance around the room. What could I use to get these off?

I totally need to start wearing hairpins.

To my left is a closet, and to the right is a nightstand. Either one could have something valuable I could use to get out of here.

I try the closet first, but all I find is an abundance of metal armor.

Weird.

Footsteps sound outside, and I freeze.

"Get Yang," someone orders.

It sounds like Clouse.

More footsteps, and a shout.

"What is the meaning of this?" Yang rumbles. "I didn't ask to be interrupted during – oh." His voice loses the heat, replaced by horror. "My queen."

Who's his queen?

"I found her outside," Clouse explains.

A fist colliding with wood. "What did you do to her?"

"Nothing, my lord, I assure you. I found her in this condition."

Yang releases an expletive. "Take her to her chambers! I'll deal with Chen for this."

The retreating march of feet.

Silence.

I shiver. What does Yang have up his sleeve?

I finish searching through the closet, finding nothing. I guess I can still check the nightstand.

It has three drawers. I filter through each one, trying not to waste time wondering about the contents. But seriously, there's a pile of gold coins, a cloak, some weirdly coded list written in shorthand, and a tablet computer. Do they even get Internet service out here?

Yet I find nothing to pick the lock on my cuffs. I suppose I'll have to find another way to –

There, in the carpet, lies a bobby pin.

Bingo.

Okay, I can do this. Sensei Wu showed the guys and I how to pick locks one time, and this shouldn't be any different. I bend the pin into an "S" shape, then poke it into the upper part of the keyhole. I apply downward pressure.

Nothing.

I fiddle with it for several more minutes before groaning.

I close my eyes, still working at the lock. "Please, I need to do this. Skylor's in danger, and I don't even know if my sister is alive or not! And Chen's probably going to take over Ninjago if he brings his wife back, since she'll have essentially unlimited power! Come on, Kai, just pick the – "

It snaps open, and I immediately shake the cuffs off.

"Yes," I whisper. "Yes!"

My eyes dart around the room, looking for where my best escape route is.

I mean, there's always the door. I can try opening it and catching the guards off their game.

What do I have to lose?

I knock three times on the structure.

The hall is utterly quiet.

Huh.

I try the doorknob.

Locked.

I retrieve my credit card from my jeans pocket. I've locked myself out enough times without my house key that I know how to use a card to get a door open. I just need to slide it through the crack, then –

Bingo.

I shove the door open and create a ball of fire with my hand, ready to fight whoever's around.

No one.

However, I do hear commotion from somewhere down the hall. I creep along the wall, heading toward it.

"Chen, your promises mean nothing to me! You told me I could have your daughter, and yet you give her to me in the worst-possible shape!"

My ears prick. Skylor...she's here? And it sounds like she's not doing too well.

My stomach drops.

Okay, I just need to focus on finding her. I command my breathing to slow.

"Oh, whatever!" Chen yells. "She'll work for what I need her for."

"That's it! I'm going to – "

As the noise nears me, I slip away from Chen's office and into the nearest room.

It's the Queen's room. I just hope she's not in here, or I'm in deep trouble.

I softly close the door behind me, taking a deep breath. What is this place? Embroidered curtains, a carved armoire, a lit vanity.

A giant bed on which Skylor Chen is passed out.

I do a double-take and run to her. "Oh my goodness, Skye!"

Her face is deathly pale, except for the occasional smear of soot. She's on oxygen, and her limbs lay limply at her sides.

I check the pulse in her neck. "Skye, wake up," I beg. "Speak to me. Skye, are you okay?"

She stirs just a little.

"Oh, thank heavens you're all right," I sigh, planting a kiss on her forehead. "I'm going to get us out of here, okay? Are you hurt?"

Stupid me. She's on oxygen. Of course, she's hurt.

Her eyes light up as she realizes I'm at her side.

"I'm here, Skye," I whisper, placing my lips to her cheek. "I'm so sorry this happened to you. I'm so, so sorry."

The door leisurely opens, and I freeze. It's one of my guards from earlier.

He must've been pulled off to help with Skylor.

I pull her body close to me. "Stay back," I warn him. To emphasize my point, I create a small flame with my hand.

The guard swallows. "Sensei Yang!" he screeches.

"Oh, great," I mutter, pulling off Skylor's oxygen mask. I sincerely hope she'll be okay without it.

Hugging her in my arms, I rush toward the door...just as Yang comes to see what's going on.

I back into her room. "Don't come near us. I can burn you to a crisp."

He laughs. "Hilarious. Now get your hands off her. She's mine."

I raise a brow. "The funny thing is, I don't recall Skylor ever saying she belonged to anyone."

Yang's expression darkens. "Listen, Boy, she's mine. My queen. I've waited years for her to come of age and for her silly father to finally find all the elements needed to bring his wife back."

The pieces click. "You've been helping him. Skylor is your reward."

"Very clever. And now she's mine."

I frown. "Listen, I can obviously see the attraction to her, but you don't seem like the kind of guy to just fall in love with a girl. There's an ulterior motive here."

"Oh, and wouldn't you like me to reveal it all to you? Sadly, that won't be happening." He smiles smugly. "Guards, take my queen back, then kill the boy."

I shoot a flame right next to his head. "I don't think so. Start talking." So I can stall and find a way out of here.

He grimaces at me. "Perhaps we can strike a deal. Give me the girl, and I'll spare your life."

I cradle her head under my chin. "Kill me first."

"Kai..." Her small voice says.

"Shh, it's okay. I've got you."

"Not...worried. Look." She motions off to the side with a jerky movement of her hand.

One of the guards runs at me, assuming I'm distracted. However, I launch a ball of fire right at him. He gasps and immediately falls to the floor, rolling to quash the flames.

"Who's next?" I yell, waving my flaming hand in Yang's direction.

The sensei raises a brow. "How about...you give me the girl, and I give you a way back to Ninjago? I am in possession of the realm crystal, you know."

"I thought Clouse had it!"

"He borrowed it," Yang bites out. "He and his stupid master needed a way to come here to store up their elements for the spell. Clouse was on his way back to Ninjago for the final piece when he found my queen in a heap outside."

I frown. How did she get here without the realm crystal, if she was already here before Clouse used it again?

"You never answered my question about why you wanted Skylor, Yang," I try.

"You never gave me a reason to."

I bite my tongue. Oh, she's going to hate me for this. "How am I supposed to make a fair trade with you if I don't know what your intentions are for her? I'm not going to just stand by and let her become your slave."

He raises a brow. "Sudden change of heart. Must be a stalling tactic."

I throw flames at another guard who takes his chances at running for me. "Maybe it is a stalling tactic," I bite out. "But there's no chance of you getting Skylor if you don't at least try to tell me what's going on."

He strokes his dark beard, then snaps his fingers. "Guards, let him pass through. We're taking this to my office."

I sigh with relief. Maybe I'm getting somewhere.

He seats me in the room labeled "Master". I cradle Skylor in my lap, since I'm not about to let her out of my grasp.

Yang pours himself a glass of tea. "May I offer you anything to drink?"

I shake my head. This guy would probably try to poison me.

"Let's get straight to it," I say. "What do you want with Skylor?"

"I want a queen of power to rule beside me."

"So...you want to marry her?" I choke out. I mean, this guy's at least forty years old.

"Yes, but I also want her to reach the full limits of her potential."

I raise a brow. "So you can take over Ninjago, I'm sure."

"Or..." He fingers an object on his desk.

The realm crystal.

"Ruling just Ninjago is so shortsighted," he sighs. "Now, the sixteen realms? That's another story, entirely."

Something doesn't match up. "You made a deal with Chen for Skylor, but you know Clouse's spell will take her power, then kill her. How does that work into your plan?"

He shrugs. "It doesn't, so I got rid of Chen."

Good thing I didn't take him up on that drink offer. If had, I would have spewed tea everywhere. "Did you kill Skylor's dad?"

He smiles. "Well, I'm in the process of it. My men should be disposing of his body right about now."

I try not to vomit. "How am I supposed to trust you if you went back on your deal with Chen? How do I know you won't do the same with me?"

"I'm going to tell you the very thing you told me, Boy: You have no other choice. I'm your only ticket back home."

I furrow my forehead. "How did Skylor get here, then?"

"There is a tea that allows you to travel realms, but you won't find any here. It's all back in Ninjago."

I blanch. "Um...okay." Oh, I hope my team comes for me. "What did Clouse go back to Ninjago for, again?"

Yang rolls his eyes. "He went back for a component to his spell that Chen forgot in his rush here."

"And...how does it relate to the spell?"

He smiles wickedly. "He needs the bones of his wife if he wants to bring her back."

***(Skylor's POV)***

Somebody dug up my mom's grave?

I could kick Clouse right between the legs.

I look up to see Kai's stricken expression. I wish I could comfort him, but my voice isn't exactly working right now. And I'm trying to save my breath so I don't pass out again.

I reach up shakily to stroke his face.

The one thing I need to tell Kai, I can't say in front of Yang. If only we could get him to leave for a moment...

"Yang, what kind of work do you exactly do?" Kai asks. "I mean, this place is huge."

"I bargain for information. Knowledge is power."

"Yes, but...what do you trade with?"

Yang smirks. "I think you already know."

Kai whitens. I wish either of them would just say what they're thinking out loud. I have no idea what Yang does here, since I've spent most of my time here unconscious.

Though I have to think it's something creepy. I mean, this guy is entirely unbelievable. He wants to marry an eighteen-year-old girl, then thinks I'm going to love him and use my powers for his cause.

Not happening.

Kai clears his throat. "Yang, I don't really see this plan working out for you. Skylor is never going to love you and use her powers to help you rule all sixteen realms. You're a little...evil, and she's not into that."

Thank you, Kai, for pointing out the elephant in the room.

Yang rolls his eyes. "Don't you know that Chen isn't the only one with access to spells? I can wipe her mind."

I scoff, but it only comes out in a coughing fit. The nerve of this...creep!

Kai pushes back my hair. "Calm down, Skye," he soothes me. "It's okay."

Yang rises. "Look, it's obvious you like her, and I highly doubt you're going to make a deal with me, so it's best I go ahead and kill – "

To everyone's surprise, Kai launches a fire orb right at Yang's face.

The villain cries out in agony.

Kai leaps out of his chair and runs as fast as he can down the hall. However, guards meet us as soon as we leave.

I muster my strength and launch ice at them, weakly holding out my hand. I only manage to freeze their feet in place, but it works.

Kai starts to run, but I stop him. "Oxygen...tank," I cough. It's our ticket out of here.

His worried eyes assess me. "Do you need it? Can you breathe?"

I moan in frustration, but only end up coughing.

"I'll get it for you," he promises, running back in the room I'd been sleeping in.

Well, at least he's going the right place.

As soon as I stop hacking up a lung, I point to the tank. "Oxygen. Fire."

"What do you – oh."

He grabs it and drags it with us, throwing me over his shoulder. And may I remind you, I am wearing a hospital gown. I super hope Yang does not see this. He's already pervy enough.

Unfortunately, I have a full view of the villain as he turns a corner and chases us down the hall. And his face may have been disturbing before, but now...I can't even look at it. It's horrible what fire can do to a person.

That just makes me worry about Nya.

"Kai...leave it."

"But we're still too close, Skye. I can't shoot it yet!"

"Have...to!"

***Music Cue***

He slings it behind us, knocking Yang over.

Kai scoops me off his shoulder and into his arms so he can better protect me from the coming explosion.

He puts a few seconds' distance between us and the tank.

He creates a flame, takes a deep breath, and launches it right next to the device that's supposed to heal people.

We make it just around the corner before we hear the aftermath: A scream, a deafening boom, crumbling fixtures.

Kai nestles my head and torso against his chest, just in case any debris come flying. However, we're pretty well protected, given we have a wall between us and doom.

That's when I smell the smoke, and I break into coughs all over again.

I'm getting tired of not being able to breathe like a normal person.

"Hang on, Skye," Kai yells. He runs with me toward the giant doors of the building as I shake in his arms.

All the wheezing gets to me, and I begin to see spots. Oh, no. I just want to stay awake for more than half an hour at a time. Is that really so much to ask?

Unfortunately, once we get out into the clean air, it doesn't do much to help things. I guess Yang must mess with the oxygen levels in his monastery to make things more breathable, but out here...the air is just thin.

Darkness dances before me, and I try to hold on. Kai still needs my help.

The world stops moving so much. Did we sit down?

"Stay with me, Skye," Kai begs. "We're in the home stretch now. We've just got to get back to Ninjago and take you to the hospital."

I continue to choke on my own breath. "Kai..." I try to say.

It does not work.

"Don't leave me, Skylor!" he says gruffly. "I swear, I will get you out of here. Focus on me. Try to relax." He rubs soft circles at my back.

I want to tell him so badly that it's not his job to make sure everyone he loves stays perfectly safe and healthy, but that's way too many words.

As panic sets in, I grip his shirt collar. "Love...you." It's so garbled, I don't know that he even understands.

"I love you, too, Skye. And I'll tell you that every day once we get back home."

My lungs beg for air, and I feel my fingers begin to lose their hold on his shirt.

But it's okay. I saved Kai. That's all I needed.

"Skye, don't you dare close your eyes!" he screams.

I can't help it. I wish I could, but I can't.

"Skylor, please," comes his weak voice.

I try to hold his hand, but I lose all control to the darkness.

"No!" he cries.

But sadly, "no's" don't stop my inability to breathe.

***Epilogue will be posted soon... :) Give it an hour, tops.***