Chapter Ten

Toa Lesovikk was about to charge into Karzahni’s cave when he saw red and blue streaks heading out of it. They turned out to be Sarda and Idris, with Karzahni in maddened pursuit behind them.

Lesovikk glanced around. The crude trap was already in place. As Sarda and Idris emerged from the cave, he grabbed them and threw them roughly to the side. Unable to halt his lunge, Karzahni struck the trap, which promptly slammed shut around him.

The Toa of Air had waited a long time for this moment. Now Karzahni would pay for his crimes against the Matoran. But as Lesovikk looked at what remained of the once fearsome ruler — now a maddened, pathetic shell, thanks to his previous battle — the Toa turned away, sickened. There was nothing more he could do to Karzahni than had not already been done… and leaving him alive was a worse punishment than killing him.

“That Toa who told me about this place… Krakua, I think his name was… he said if Karzahni was captured, someone would come to take him away,” Lesovikk muttered.

“Wherever they take him, I hope they have strong chains,” said Sarda. “But… now what? Idris and I have become water-breathers — we can’t live in our own village anymore! What’s going to become of us?”

Lesovikk turned away in time to see a strange figure disappearing with Karzahni. (This was Botar from the Order of Mata Nui, still a stranger to Lesovikk.) “Follow me,” said the Toa. He led the two Matoran to a small cave in which were scattered fragments of equipment.

“I think this used to be some kind of breathing system,” said the Toa. “I found it when I was scouting around. It won’t work for breathing air, but I might be able to repair it for water-breathing. Only thing is, there’s only enough equipment here for one unit.”

Idris looked at Sarda, then back at Lesovikk. “You take it, Toa. The world needs you. Two Matoran more or less won’t matter.”

“I don’t know that there’s any place left for me in the world I’ve known,” Lesovikk replied. “Maybe there is in this one. Anyway, I am in no hurry to leave.”

“Then neither am I,” said Sarda. Before Idris could object, he cut her off. “You take it, Idris. Go back to Mahri Nui. Tell them… tell them I wanted a new adventure.”

Idris wanted to argue, but the look in Sarda’s eyes told her it would do no good. After many hours of work, Lesovikk had fashioned a crude helmet that would allow Idris to breathe sea water that would be held inside the device. Sarda kept his goodbye to her short, but Lesovikk could see how hard it was for both of them.

“Where will you go now?” the Toa asked.

“With you,” Sarda replied. “I don’t know everything you’ve been through, but I think maybe you could use a friend.”

Lesovikk thought for a long time, and then slowly nodded. “And a reminder of what I once was… and maybe could be again.”

Together, Toa and Matoran swam off into the depths of the ocean, both being careful to look only ahead, never back.