Excerpt Four

Lewa stared into the eyes of the great Muaka. The huge beast had cornered the Toa of Air deep in the jungle, and now they both studied each other, looking for signs of weakness.

“Very large, aren’t you?” Lewa said lightly. “What do they feed you? Not Toa, I hope.”

The Muaka’s answer was a growl. A second later, he lunged at Lewa. But the Toa had already backflipped out of the way, leaving the Rahi’s claws slashing at empty air.

“Not nice. Not nice at all,” Lewa said, from his refuge on a low branch. “Ordinarily, I am a very peaceful sort… but you see, there is a Mask of Power in the cave behind you, and I mean to have it.”

Raising his axe, Lewa summoned a hurricane-force gust of wind. The Muaka, growling, dug his claws into the earth, but even he could not resist the power of the Toa of Air. With a howl, the Rahi was torn loose and sent flying into the trees.

So satisfied was Lewa with this outcome that he did not hear the buzzing sound behind him until it was too late. He turned just in time to see a bolt of ice strike a Nui-Rama, instantly freezing the giant insect in midair.

For a moment, there was no sound but the crackling of the ice. Then a voice like a winter breeze broke the stillness. “The first rule of Mata Nui… always know what’s behind you.”

Kopaka stepped into the light, his sword radiating icy cold. “Your recklessness will be the end of you one day, Lewa.”

Lewa laughed and climbed higher into the tree. “Not as long as I have friends like you, Kopaka.”