by Tracey West
Nineko stood up. “I knew you were different from your brother, Garmadon,” she said. “You were wise to come to me.”
She placed a tea kettle on the stove. Then she took a jar from her shelf and spooned some of the contents into two cups.
“I will make tea and we will talk,” she said. They sat across from each other on the floor. Both were silent until the tea was ready.
Nineko sipped her tea. Her mesmerizing yellow eyes stared at Garmadon.
“What the guard told you is mostly true,” she said.
Garmadon’s mouth dropped open. “You mean you are a…”
“A sorceress,” she said calmly. “But now I can tell you my whole story, Garmadon. I know that you, more than anyone else, will understand.”
She trusts me, Garmadon thought. And while a small part of his brain warned him to run, he stayed put. He wanted to hear her out.
“What your father did to me hurt, Garmadon,” she began. “I had begun to think of him as the father I never had. And then he accused me of a terrible thing—something I did not do! I felt betrayed.”
Garmadon nodded. “I…I know what it is to feel rejected by my father.”
Nineko smiled. “Yes, I knew you would understand, Garmadon,” she said. “Then you will understand what I did next. I vowed that one day, I would become better, stronger, and more powerful than the First Spinjitzu Master. I would return to him and show him that he should have believed in me.”
That makes sense, Garmadon thought. I probably would have done the same thing.
“I tried to perfect Spinjitzu on my own,” she told him. “But I knew it would not be enough to best your father and his ability to live for thousands of years. To beat him, I would have to become immortal.”
“So you studied sorcery?” Garmadon asked.
“I did,” she replied. “I sought out the teachings of dark magic. That is how I learned about the Cat-Eye Jewel.”
Garmadon frowned. “The guardian said you did bad things—evil things—before you tried to steal the jewel.”
Nineko waved her paw. “I did what had to be done,” she said. “But nothing worked. The Cat-Eye Jewel was my last hope. I sacrificed my humanity to try to get it. And in my new form, I created the art of Catjitzu and practiced it for ten years. And yet the Order of Felis stopped me from achieving my goal. I need you to fulfill your promise to me, Garmadon. Steal the jewel and bring it to me.”
“I…,” Garmadon began. He could practically hear his brother’s voice in his head. The guardian was right, Garmadon! She’s a sorceress! Get out of there before something bad happens!
Nineko raised an eyebrow. “You hesitate,” she said, and sighed. “I did not want to have to do this. It would have been easier if you’d cooperated.”
“Do what?” Garmadon asked.
Her long black hair snaked out from behind her head. The strands of hair looked alive as they reached for Garmadon.
Dark magic, Garmadon thought, and he watched, transfixed, as the rippling black strands continued toward him.
“What…what’s happening?” he asked.
The brave ninja tried to move, but he was frozen to the spot.
“Don’t worry, Garmadon,” Nineko said, her dark eyes sparkling hypnotically as her captive grew quiet. “This won’t hurt a bit!”
For a split second, Wu had thought about jumping into the boat with his brother. If Nineko was a sorceress, he was only heading for trouble. But he stopped himself.
Let him go, Wu thought. He won’t listen to reason. Let him find out for himself.
He turned to Dillon. “What now?”
“In recent months, we have seen Nineko working strange magic in the rain,” the scout replied. “She is up to something. And with your brother’s help, she may finally succeed in stealing the jewel.”
“He won’t help her if he knows she’s evil,” Wu says. “Once he learns the truth, he’ll come back here.”
Dillon shook his head. “She has ways of making others do her bidding. Come with me to the Temple of the Jewel Guardians. We must warn the others.”
Wu glanced back at the lake. “I’ll go with you,” he said. “But you’re wrong about Garmadon.”
Dillon didn’t argue. He remained silent as he led Wu away from the mountain and through the woods. After a short hike, the woods opened into a clearing with a tall tower in the center.
Wu gazed up at the structure. He had never seen anything like it. The tower was seven stories tall, with a large round opening at each level. Platforms jutted out at different heights, and Wu could see the green-clad guardians jumping from one platform to the next.
“This is where we live and train,” Dillon explained. “Our mission is to guard the jewel.”
As they got closer, Wu saw hundreds of actual cats all around the building—white cats, orange cats, black cats, gray cats, and cats with a patchwork of fur in all the colors. Some cats merrily tumbled around on the grass in front of the tower or chased each other around it. Others napped in the sunlight. More cats climbed up the tower, jumping from platform to platform.
“All cats are welcome here,” Dillon told Wu. “Many strays have made our temple their home.”
Wu sniffed the air and made a wry face. “What’s that smell?”
“The whole first floor is full of sand for our guests, so they can—well, you know,” Dillon said. “Follow me! Humans enter on the second floor.”
Dillon jumped from platform to platform until he reached the entrance. Wu followed him up and inside.
“This is our training room,” Dillon said.
Dozens of guardians in green hoods were training in an obstacle course that reminded Wu of his father’s training room. Some raced across the room, jumping over barrels. Others swung on ropes hanging from the ceiling. Two guardians sparred with long spears.
“This is some serious training,” Wu remarked.
Dillon nodded. “We take our duties very seriously.”
As they spoke, one of the guards ran toward them. She lowered her green hood and red hair cascaded down her shoulders.
“Dillon, what have you learned?” she asked. “And where is the other ninja?”
“This is Wu, Adara,” Dillon answered. “His brother, Garmadon, has gone back to Nineko.”
Adara frowned. “Then we must prepare for another attack,” she said. “Before these ninja arrived, Nineko was working on some new magic.”
“Summoning monsters again?” Dillon asked.
Adara shook her head. “I’m not sure. All we know is that it has something to do with her umbrella.”
“What did you mean about Nineko summoning monsters?” Wu asked, remembering the beast from the forest. “By any chance, do they look like tiger-lizard-bears? And have terrible breath, too?”
“She uses magic to summon monsters from remote parts of the island—monsters that none of us have ever seen before,” Dillon explained. “She has summoned some horrible creatures in her quest to steal the jewel. She made them fight us. But some wouldn’t obey her, and now they roam free in the woods and hunt unwary travelers….”
Wu frowned. “I still can’t believe that Nineko is an evil sorceress,” he said. “She seems so normal—except for the whole half-cat thing.”
“I will bring you to our leader, as I promised,” Dillon told him.
Adara nodded. “I will organize a unit to guard the perimeter of the mountain,” she said. “Meet me there.”
“We will,” Dillon promised, and she hurried away. He motioned to Wu. “Come on. Library’s on the fourth level.”
They climbed up ladders until they reached the fourth floor. Paintings of cats covered the walls, and shelves of books filled the room. In the center, a woman with white hair and a wrinkled face sat cross-legged on a large pillow with her eyes closed. On a small table in front
of her, fragrant incense burned.
Dillon and Wu approached her, and Dillon bowed.
“Komala, this is one of the ninja I told you about,” he said.
The leader of the guardians opened an eye. “Please sit,” she said as she nodded to Wu.
“Dillon said you could prove to me that Nineko is a sorceress,” Wu said, sitting on the floor in front of her.
“I can,” Komala said. “Look into the smoke, ninja.”
She motioned toward the curl of smoke coming from the incense. Wu watched it, confused, but then images began to appear inside it.
“I was a little girl when Nineko came to my village,” she said, and an image of Komala as a young girl appeared in the smoke. “She cast a spell on our crops—she tried to become immortal by draining the life from them.”
The image changed to a woman with long black hair in a kimono that looked very much like Nineko. She stood in a wheat field with her arms outstretched. Her hair floated behind her as waves of energy flowed from the plants into her fingertips. The crops grew black and withered.
“Nineko’s spell failed and she wasn’t able to take the life force from our crops. But our crops did die and my village nearly starved,” Komala said.
Wu nodded. “Dillon was right. That is evil.”
“And that is not all she has done,” Komala continued. “She casts spells that summon horrible monsters….”
“I know,” Wu said. “We met one of them.”
“Then you understand,” Komala said. “After what I witnessed, I devoted my life to the study of good magic so I could stop evil sorcerers like Nineko. The Order of Felis sought me out to help protect the Cat-Eye Jewel, and I agreed. And when Nineko showed up to steal it, I wasn’t surprised. Her thirst for immortality was so strong that I knew she would stop at nothing to use the jewel’s powers for herself.”
More images appeared in the smoke. First Nineko, in her human form, transforming into a cat in front of the Cat Eye-Jewel so she could take possession of it. Then Komala appeared, sending Nineko tumbling with a magical blast.
“I placed a spell on the Cat-Eye Jewel so that no human could steal its lives, but Nineko was clever. She transformed into a cat so she could obtain its power,” Komala continued. “We stopped her just in time, and then I put many spells on the mountain so no cats can climb it. They are welcome in the temple, but not on the mountain.”
“She transformed herself into a cat for nothing,” Wu said.
“Not nothing,” Komala replied. “She did gain the nine lives of a cat. But she has probably lost several of them already, which is why she is so desperate to get the jewel.”
Komala paused for a moment, then said, “Nineko has tried to send humans to fetch the jewel for her before, but none could get past our guards. Even her monsters could not defeat them. She was very lucky to have two Spinjitzu ninja fall into her clutches. And where is the other?”
“He returned to Nineko,” Wu said, standing up. “And he is in danger!”
“We must go to the mountain,” Dillon said. “We can intercept them there.”
“Yes, I can sense that she is near,” Komala said. “Go, quickly!”
* * *
Wu and Dillon climbed down the tower and hurried toward the mountain. When they reached the base, they saw three lines of guardians there. Adara approached them.
“Our scout just returned from the lake,” she said. “Nineko and Garmadon are on their way.”
Wu looked at all the guardians. “There are two of them against all of us, right? That shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll get to Garmadon and tell him that Nineko is bad news. If I can talk some sense into him, this will all be over.”
At that moment, a green mist crept toward the mountain, rolling low on the ground. As the mist reached Wu and the guardians, Nineko and Garmadon emerged from it.
“Garmadon!” Wu yelled. “Nineko is a sorceress! You can’t trust her!”
Nineko smiled, and Garmadon stared ahead, blankly.
“Garmadon!” Wu cried again, and then he noticed something—his brother’s eyes glowed with a strange green light.
Dillon tugged on his sleeve. “She is controlling him with magic,” he said. “We can help him, but we must defeat her first.”
Wu held his staff in front of him and stepped forward.
“Release my brother, Nineko!” he demanded. “You will never be able to defeat all of us. Give up now!”
Nineko held up her umbrella. “You are correct. Your brother and I cannot defeat all of you alone,” she said. “But we are not alone.”
She opened the umbrella. Suddenly, green clouds began to form in the sky. A wind whipped through the foothills.
“What new sorcery is this?” Adara asked.
Big, green raindrops began to splash onto the ground. Then the water quickly began to take shape. One by one, cat-shaped warriors made of rain sprang up from the ground.
Wu gasped. “It’s an army of rain cats!”
“Those aren’t just rain cats,” Dillon said. “It looks like the sorceress has used her umbrella to awaken the legendary Warriors of Felis!”
“And that’s not good, is it?” Wu asked.
“No,” Dillion replied. “No, it is not.”
The cat warriors glowed with green energy. They were larger than house cats, and they all had sleek bodies, rippled muscles, and extra-sharp teeth.
“Whoa,” Wu said. “Is Nineko going to use them to steal the jewel?”
“No cats can touch it, not even cat warriors made of rain,” Dillon reminded him. “She’s using them to battle us so your brother can steal the jewel.”
“Attack!” Nineko yelled.
Wu knew he had to reach Garmadon. I have to save him from Nineko’s sorcery somehow, he thought.
“Ninjaaa-go!” he cried as he launched into a twirling Spinjitzu tornado. He plowed into a crowd of the cat warriors, expecting them to burst into water droplets, but they felt impossibly solid! Even so, he became drenched with water after attacking them.
“They’re made of rain, but they’re also solid!” Wu cried. “How are we supposed to defeat them?”
He knocked a few of them aside, but more began to circle him at high speed. Wu tried to spin through them. They were creating so much energy that he kept getting pushed back.
He stopped spinning. Think, Wu! The cats still raced around him. The air was filled with cries of cats screeching and the confused battle cries of the jewel guardians.
“We can’t fight them—they’re cats!”
“They’re not actual cats. They’re magic!”
“We must battle them to protect the jewel.”
And then he heard Nineko. “Garmadon, fetch me the jewel!”
Wu began to spin again. This time, he performed Catjitzu, launching himself high above the circle of cats.
At least something good came out of meeting Nineko! he thought.
He landed in front of Garmadon.
“Nineko has you under some kind of spell, brother!” Wu said. “Come with me back to the temple of the jewel guardians. We’ll find some way to help you.”
Garmadon stared blankly at Wu through the eerie green light that filled his eyes.
“I must get the Cat-Eye Jewel,” he said. His voice sounded weirdly flat.
Wu grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. “Snap out of it, Garmadon!”
Garmadon picked up Wu and flipped him backward. Then he ran toward the mountain. Wu scrambled to his feet and took off after him.
As he ran, the jewel guardians fought off the cat warriors. Three cat warriors had Dillon cornered in a tree. Adara delivered a sideways kick to one of the cats, sending it flying.
I’m the only one who can stop Garmadon, Wu thought, and he ran even faster. He had to get to the bottom of the mountain before his b
rother did.
At first glance, the mountain seemed impossible to climb. Then Wu noticed narrow wedges of rock sticking out of it, staggered from the bottom all the way to the top.
Just like the temple, Wu thought. It’s why Nineko taught us Catjitzu! We can’t reach the top without it.
When Garmadon got to the base of the mountain, he realized that, too, and he began to spin. Then he rocketed straight up into the air and landed on the first rock platform.
“Garmadon! Stop!” Wu yelled, and he jumped up and landed on another empty platform.
Zoom! Zoom! Zoom! The two boys sprang from rocky ledge to rocky ledge, using what Nineko had taught them to ascend the mountain.
Garmadon reached the top of the mountain a few seconds before Wu. Two green-clad guardians waited for them there, holding long spears. They looked surprised to see the ninja.
“My brother is under a spell!” Wu called out. “Don’t let him get the jewel. But don’t hurt him!”
“We must guard the jewel at all costs!” one of the guardians cried, and they charged at Garmadon with their spears.
Wu hesitated. If I battle the guards, Garmadon gets the jewel. But I can’t let them hurt my brother!
Just then, Garmadon jumped into the air between the two guards.
Whack! Whack! He delivered a kick to each guard, sending them sprawling. He ran off, and Wu followed.