The Search for Zane

by Kate Howard

  “And you thought I was going to fall,” Lloyd called back to shore, grinning. He turned and leaped again, and that’s when it happened: The corner of his foot caught a patch of slippery moss on the edge of the rock.

  Splash! Lloyd was in the river! The current dragged him downstream!

  “We have to get him!” Cole cried, running along the shoreline. The river was fast — if they didn’t hurry, they’d lose him.

  “Where did he go?” Jay yelled. “I can’t see him anymore.” The ninja all ran, but Lloyd had disappeared.

  Just then, Lloyd’s head bobbed above the surface of the water for a second. But he was pulled down again. “He’s there,” shouted Kai, pointing into the middle of the river. He yelled to Lloyd, but he wasn’t sure if his friend could hear him over the rushing water. “Lloyd, there’s a rock up ahead — try to grab it!”

  Again, Lloyd’s head broke through the surface of the water. He reached out, and yes! He wrapped his arms around the rock and held on. The water was still tugging at him, but Lloyd held tight.

  “We need something long so we can pull him back to shore,” yelled Cole. He scanned the forested shoreline. “There! Grab that branch.”

  Kai dragged a long tree branch over to shore. The ninja and Sensei Garmadon took hold of it, grabbing it tight as they stretched it out toward the center of the river. When it was near enough, Lloyd reached out his hand and held fast. The rushing water pulled at his body as they tried to bring him back toward safety. It was almost like they’d caught a fish on a line, but instead of a fish, this was Lloyd they were reeling in.

  “The water is too powerful,” yelled Kai. “It’s tugging Lloyd harder than we are. We’re going to lose him.”

  “We need one more person to help,” said Jay.

  “We need Zane,” said Cole.

  “Pull!” urged Garmadon.

  But the water was too much for even the ninja to handle. The branch began to give way under the water’s pressure. The ninja pulled harder, but the river pulled back. Suddenly, the ninja felt themselves being yanked forward in a mighty surge.

  Splish!

  Splash!

  “Ayeeeee!” Jay cried as he hit the water. He was tossed under the surface. Just in time, his head popped up and he took a huge gulp of air. Then he saw something that made his breath catch again. “Guys …” he exclaimed as he saw where the water was taking them. “I think we found the waterfall!”

  Ahhhhh!” the ninja all screamed. The river was quickly carrying them straight toward the giant waterfall.

  Moments before they toppled over the edge, Cole spotted a long vine trailing down into the water. He reached out and grabbed hold of it. It nearly slipped through his fingers, but he held fast. As the rest of the ninja came bobbing toward him through the rushing water, he shouted, “Grab on!”

  Kai grabbed on. Then Jay, Lloyd, and finally Sensei Garmadon. The river continued to pull them toward the plunging waterfall, but the team didn’t let go. The vine slipped a bit, and they all shot closer to the falls again. Sensei Garmadon’s legs were now dangling over the edge of the waterfall — the strength of the team holding tight was the only thing keeping him from plunging to the bottom.

  From here, they could easily see more of Chen’s island. It was huge, and the drop off the waterfall was really scary-looking.

  “So,” Jay yelled to Garmadon after a moment, “how’s it hanging?”

  “Jay,” Kai growled. “This is not a time for jokes.”

  “Okay,” said Cole. “What are we going to do now?”

  “It’s not like we can hope someone finds us here and comes to our rescue,” said Lloyd. “I think the only thing worse than this is the possibility we might get caught by Chen’s guards.”

  The vine gave way again. When it did, the water pulled the whole line of ninja forward. Now they were all hanging off the edge of the cliff. The only thing below them was foaming water and jagged rocks.

  “Now can I ask how it’s hanging?” asked Jay. The vine gave some more, and the ninja slipped down a little farther. “Is it just me, or does it seem like this is this one seriously long vine?”

  “I don’t know how much longer I can hold on,” Cole said, wincing.

  The water bounced the ninja to and fro, making it harder and harder for them to hold on. “I don’t know about the rest of you,” said Kai. “But I’m thinking we should just —” His voice cut off as the vine suddenly snapped and sent them all plunging down into the hissing water below. “Drop!” he yelled.

  Their bodies twisted and turned in midair. Jay hollered all the way down. At the bottom, the five ninja hardly made a splash as they plunged into the raging waters. After what felt like an eternity, all of them spluttered to the surface again, coughing and gasping.

  “Everyone alive?” Jay asked, scanning the bubbling surface of the water for the others.

  One by one, everyone else answered yes. After a few deep breaths, the team swam toward the sandy shoreline.

  “Well,” said Cole. “So much for getting a good view of the island from the top of the waterfall.”

  “I saw enough to realize just how huge Chen’s mysterious island is,” said Kai. “Searching for Zane here is like looking for a needle in a haystack.”

  “Well,” said Lloyd, wringing out the bottom of his gi. “We need to try. Zane’s relying on us. We have to find him if we want to be a complete team again.”

  “Lloyd, did you get a closer look at the symbols on the rock in the river?” asked Kai.

  Lloyd shook his head. “I fell in before I could get a good look.”

  The others sat quietly for a moment, considering their next move. Cole got up to pace. “Okay, so here’s what we know: The island is huge, Chen’s guards are everywhere, and Lloyd can’t walk on water.”

  Lloyd glared at him.

  “What we need is some sort of clue,” said Kai.

  Cole stopped and stared into the dark area beneath the waterfall. Over the years, the rushing water had carved out a cave-like space behind the falling water. “Uh, you guys? Anyone want to take a guess at what that is?”

  The others hustled over to stand beside Cole.

  “That?” asked Garmadon. He stepped forward and reached out his hand. Whatever Cole had found was leathery, but delicate-looking. It was almost like an enormous pile of rice paper, stacked up in a heap. It was huge — longer than all the ninja put together, and nearly as wide. Garmadon broke off a piece and took it in his hand. “That is a snakeskin.”

  “A snakeskin?” gasped the others, rushing forward.

  “That has to be the skin from one big snake,” said Jay.

  “Right,” said Cole. “And if the skin is here … where’s the snake?”

  Suddenly, a loud boom rang out on the other side of the waterfall. A moment later, several groups of people came into view. They hadn’t yet seen the ninja, but in just a few moments, they would.

  “I don’t know about a snake,” said Kai. “But I think I see something worse: Chen’s guards. Everyone, run!”

  Whatever you all do, don’t let them see you,” warned Sensei Garmadon.

  “We cannot get caught,” Cole agreed. “If we do, then everything’s over, including our search for Zane.”

  The ninja dashed across the riverbed and dove behind some huge rocks. When they peeked out from their hiding spots, they could see Chen’s guards were everywhere.

  “How did they find us?” Kai asked as they all watched the guards warily.

  Cole’s stomach rumbled again.

  “Well, there’s a clue,” muttered Jay.

  “Or maybe it was all your screaming-like-a-baby when we fell off the waterfall?” Cole snapped back.

  “You need to work as a team if we’re going to escape,” Garmadon reminded them.

  “My dad’s right,” said Lloyd. “We need to stop bickering and remember why we’re here. We need to get moving and see if we can find any more clues that could lead us to Zane.”

  Qui
ckly, the ninja zigzagged past the boulders that surrounded the bottom of the waterfall. When they were sure they were safely out of sight, they ran — away from the waterfall and the giant snakeskin and Chen’s guys.

  Cole looked up at the sky. “It’s getting later in the day,” he said. “We need to be back to the temple before dinner, or the others will notice we’re missing.”

  “Maybe we should split up, and then we could cover more ground?” suggested Kai.

  Garmadon shook his head. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to split up. It’s too dangerous.”

  “The island is too big, and together, we’re wasting time,” said Cole. “We have a better chance of finding Zane if we split into two groups.”

  “Fine by me,” said Jay. “Same groups as before, though.”

  “What if someone finds something?” asked Kai.

  Cole shrugged. “Should we have some sort of signal?”

  “Caw like a bird.” Jay flapped his arms and crowed,“Caw! Caw!”

  Cole and Lloyd walked away from him, shaking their heads. “Good luck not getting caught,” said Cole. They hustled up a hill with Garmadon trailing after them.

  Jay spun in a slow circle. “Sooooo …”

  “Where to?” asked Kai.

  “What we really need right about now,” Jay said thoughtfully, “are dragons! A sweet ride that would get us up and over the tree line. Think of how much ground we could cover if we had vehicles or dragons to show us around.”

  Kai shrugged. “Well, we don’t have dragons, so …”

  “So we walk,” sighed Jay. They set off, walking away from the river along the bottom of the long ridge of rock their friends had just set off to climb. As they walked, Jay talked. He kept scanning their surroundings for things he could use to build a vehicle or some sort of search tool. Kai tuned him out, hoping they would find something soon that would make his buddy stop talking.

  He was in luck. Ahead, there was a large black bird sitting on top of one of the rock formations. It seemed to be staring at Kai and Jay as they made their way along the bottom of the rock face.

  “Hey, Jay, is that a real bird?” Kai said, pointing toward the creature. “Look at how its eyes follow our every move.”

  Jay stared up at the bird. He waved his arms in the air, then dashed back and forth — the bird’s head swiveled back and forth, back and forth. He danced, and still the bird watched him. “I think it likes us.”

  Kai wasn’t so sure. “What if it’s not a real bird? What if it’s some sort of robospy that Chen planted out here to keep an eye on the remote parts of his island? Maybe the bird has a camera inside, and it’s projecting our every move back to Chen and Clouse at the palace.”

  Jay stopped dancing back and forth. “If it is, then I just made a pretty big fool of myself.” He paused. “Do you really think it could be a robot?”

  “With Chen, anything’s possible. We should be careful.” Kai walked on, searching their surroundings for any signs of life or clues.

  A few minutes later, Jay said, “The bird’s still following us.” In fact, it was. The bird had flown along the top of the ridge, and now sat perched on another rocky post. When Jay stopped to stare at it, the bird cawed at him. He cocked his head. “You don’t think the bird is trying to get our attention, do you?”

  Kai looked at him like he was crazy. “Uh, no.”

  “Think about it. You know how Zane is with birds. They love the guy. What if that bird knows where he is, and he’s trying to get us to follow him?” Jay shrugged his shoulders. “It’s possible.”

  Sighing, Kai admitted, “I guess it is possible.”

  “I say we head up the cliff and follow it. It’s the best lead we’ve gotten all day.” Jay began to scramble up the side of the rocky cliff. It was tough going, but he and Kai were both able to find enough foot- and handholds that they were soon nearly halfway up the steep rock face.

  “Almost there,” grunted Kai, pulling himself up so he was level with Jay. The bird was still sitting serenely at the top of the cliff, watching their every move. Up close, it was easy to see that it was very much a real bird and not a robot. Both guys were hopeful that maybe they had found a clue that would help lead them to Zane.

  “If it’s still there when we get to the top, we know it’s waiting for us,” Jay said, grabbing for a jagged chunk of rock. He heaved himself upward again. Then he put his foot on a small rocky ledge and stopped for a rest. The only warning that something was wrong came when the bird spread its wings, squawked several times, and took flight. Less than a second later, the rock under Jay’s feet broke away from the cliff and plummeted to the ground below. Jay was dangling by his hands, and he couldn’t see any more places he could put his feet.

  In the next instant, more rocks pulled away from the face of the cliff and began tumbling past the two ninja. It was a rockslide! The wall boomed around them as rocks clattered and fell and thudded to the ground below. Both Jay and Kai were hanging — helpless — from the side of a cliff.

  And if they screamed for help, there was a very real chance Chen’s guards would find them long before their friends did.

  What are we going to do?” asked Kai.

  The bird cawed again, from high up in the sky, before flapping away.

  “So much for following the bird,” said Jay. “I say we try to figure out how we get the rest of the way up rather than following the rocks back down.”

  Both ninja could feel the rock face crumbling all around them. “Whatever we do, we need to do it fast — or we’re not going to have much of a say in the matter.” As soon as Kai spoke, the rock under his left hand gave way and he swung down.

  It was almost impossible to see anything around them, since there were so many rocks tumbling at them from above. They were in big trouble, and there was no easy way out of their situation. They needed a miracle.

  Suddenly, a voice rang out from far overhead. “Kai! Look to your left — there’s another rock just a couple of inches up that you can grab.”

  It was Cole!

  Kai did as he was told, and soon he was holding on to the rock face with both hands again. He took a deep breath and called, “Thanks, Cole.”

  “If you reach up a little farther with your right leg, Jay, you’ll find a spot to rest your foot,” said Lloyd.

  Step by step, Cole, Lloyd, and Garmadon helped Jay and Kai find their way up the rock face as the wall continued to crumble around them. When they were finally at the top, Kai asked, “How did you know to come find us?”

  “You cawed,” said Cole. “That was our signal, right?”

  Jay laughed. “It was our signal! But that wasn’t me cawing like a bird — it was an actual bird. We were following it.”

  “You were following it?” asked Lloyd.

  Jay and Kai looked at each other a bit sheepishly. Now that the bird was gone, their lead suddenly seemed a little silly. Still, though …

  “I can’t explain it, but the bird reminded me of … Zane,” Jay said slowly. “And its cawing did save us. Kind of like he was here watching out for us, you know?”

  The ninja looked at one another, slightly spooked.

  “Maybe we should stick together from now on,” Lloyd suggested. “Come on. My dad said he remembered a temple garden in the direction we were heading, from when he trained on the island. We were going to go check it out when we heard, you know, the caw.”

  They walked for about a mile. The ground was uneven, and it made the trek difficult. All the ninja were growing tired, but they knew they only had a few hours left to search, so they continued on.

  Soon, they came upon a beautiful garden. Bright flowers bloomed everywhere, and small, delicate-looking trees lined the space. There was a bubbling fountain in the center of the garden that made the space sound peaceful and relaxing.

  “I hope we find Zane here,” Jay said. “Because this would not be a terrible place for him to have had to spend some time.”

  The ninja all walked a
round the garden, searching for any sign of life — or their missing friend. “This bench is all dirty,” said Jay, running his finger over a stone seat. When he lifted it again, it was covered with gray dust. “I’m getting the impression that no one has spent time in this garden for a while. I wonder if Chen even knows this is here?”

  “I’m pretty sure he does,” said Cole. “And I’m starting to think Chen is the kind of guy who doesn’t like to share his pretty things. Look.” Cole was pointing at a long metal rod that was tucked under leaves along one edge of the garden. The rod was connected to a pulley system that, when triggered, would snap up an unsuspecting victim in a mechanical trap.

  “He set traps in his garden?” asked Lloyd. “As if the guy doesn’t have enough space out here on his island that he can’t share some of the flowers with others?”

  “We must walk carefully,” said Garmadon. “Where there is one trap, there are likely many more.”

  Kai nodded. “And I’d also say that where there are traps, there is probably something Chen is trying to hide. What’s the point of booby trapping this place if he’s not hiding something?”

  “That is an excellent point,” said Cole. “Clearly, Chen is up to no good in this garden. Let’s split up and search. We’ll see if anyone can find clues that might help us get closer to Zane.”

  The ninja all headed off in different directions, scanning the ground and the garden for any sign of evil activity. “Guys, I think I found something! It’s another symbol.” Lloyd’s voice rang out from the far northwest corner of the garden. The other ninja set off at a run.

  When they reached Lloyd, the ninja all stared at the symbol. It was the emblem of a large, ominous snake carved into a round, flat stone in the ground.

  “Another snake?” asked Jay. “All this snake talk is starting to give me the slithers.”

  His friends groaned. But Garmadon had grown strangely quiet.

  “This may be worse than I feared,” he said. “I know this symbol. Perhaps it is left over from long ago. And yet … we must leave. Now.”