Webmaster: Lewaswingin

The Chosen climbed out of the Le-Koro elevator, the cable bouncing up and down as they got out. They looked around.

“I thought that Le-Koro was supposed to be full of music and dancing?” said Kohuke quietly.

The silence was deafening. Nothing made a noise, not the branches, or the leaves, or even the birds.

“So… quiet. Wonder where all the Le-Koronans are?” asked Moana, rubber necking all around.

“Hmm… Well, guess we should have a look around,” said Pirihi.

Kaiwera tried a door.

“Locked.”

“Try the others.”

The Chosen tried some of the other doors.

“They’re all locked. Think the Le-Koronans are in there?”

“Well-“

“Hey guys!” hissed Kikia, “This ones open!”

Kikia pointed to the door he was standing next to. The door, and the rest of the hut, like all the huts in Le-Koro, was made out of branches, twigs and vines, all interwoven to form a surface. The overall effect was that of a wasp or birds nest.

The Chosen gathered around the hut, which was larger than some of the others, and Kikia slowly pushed open the door. Inside it appeared to be some kind of shop. There was a counter, with some parchment lying untidily on top, their corners being buffeted by the wind of an open window. To the side there was a waiting area, and then an exit on the far wall.

“’Welcome to Le-Koro Airways’” said Moana, reading the large poster on the wall behind the counter, on which was that slogan and a picture of a Kahu bird and rider cruising over a dark jungle with a golden sunset.

“Help…”

The Chosen looked round.

“Who said that?” said Pirihi.

“I’m behind the bookshelf!” someone gabbled in alarm, “Can you get me out?!”

“How did you get behind the bookshelf?” asked Kohuke.

“We keep all of our logpapers back here, out of the wind. I came in to get some and then the bookshelf slamclosed behind me and I couldn’t get out. Could you pull on the book entitled “How to Build Secret Compartments” by I. C. Antseethem?”

Moana pulled on the book, and a lock clicked inside the booshelf. It was silently pushed open by the Le-Koronan inside, who came out and squinted at them.

“Thank brightgoodness you’re not Rahi!”

“Great… at least you worked that out quicker that Kikia…” said Kaiwera.

“Hey! It’s not the same up here. The lights brighter!” said Kikia.

“Calm down boys,” said Moana.

“I am Lekopo,” said the Le-Koronan.

“Well Lekopo, we are the Chosen. This is Moana, Pirihi, Kikia, Kohuke, and myself, Kaiwera.”

“Nice to greetsee you, I am Lekopo.”

“Yes, we know. Now, we need to see Turaga Matau – is he around?”

The Le-Koronans eyes grew wide.

“No! No he has been sneekytaken – along with many others! Ringalarm, ringalarm, and then Rama-Beasts attack village! We were too lateknowing to do anything! They come and quicksteal everyone! Turaga Matau come out of hut and try to stop them with KauKau Staff, but no good! Rama slapbat it away, and take him too! We must help! Will you help me quickfind them?” He said with urgency.

“Well, I guess we have to see Turaga Matau anyway, so we may as well…” said Kikia.

“Yes, then we can tick off another village we’ve saved…” said Moana with little enthusiasm.

“Lekopo, we are at your assistance. We will come with you and help you to find your Turaga.”

Lekopo jumped into the air and punched up, and his eyes glowed a neon lime.

“Yes, quickly – we must go deepwood to find him! Come with me, I lightshow you the way there!”

The Chosen, with their heavy rucksacks and weaponry, trudged out of Le-Koro Highways. They were led round the back of the building, where, tethered and magnificent stood a gigantic bird.

“Hey hey! She very quickfast! This is Feera, a Kahu-Bird.”

“Whoa… and I thought the gulls off the coast were big,” said Moana in awe.


Frost started to form on Feera’s metallic feathers as she soared silently over Mata Nui, popping out of the highest cloudbank and skimming over it. The Chosen, and Lekopo, despite their best efforts, could do nothing to stop her – nor direct her. Their cries fell on deaf ears, as they hung onto her back with whitened knuckles.

“Soooo… cold….” compained Kaiwera, as he sat huddled next to Moana.

She turned to him, and pulled out of her rucksack a blanket – only for it to be whipped out of her grasp by the icy wind.

“I’m sorry Kaiwera,” she whispered, “but you will just have to hold on.”

A storm was picking up, and there was a metallic taste to the air. The Chosen looked around worriedly, and where amazed and horrified to see that below them the clouds were raining.

“Wow! I never thought I’d be above the icky-yucky rain!” cried Kikia.

The clouds darkened beneath them.

One of the strangest things in the world is riding over a storm. As, apart from the fact you are possibly several thousand feet high, you are also in full sunlight – as there are no clouds to cover you. It is almost as if there were two different worlds – separated by only a metre of airspace.

This, unfortunately, the Chosen did not have time to think about.

“We are too high! The winds – ahh! The winds are getting everstrong and the electrical discharge may hit us!” cried Lekopo over the howling winds.

“What, is an electrical discharge?” asked Kohuke.

“What we’re about to be hit by, said Pirihi, who huddled into a ball. The air became tingly.

“GET DOWN!”

Zaaaaaaack!

In a flash of light Feera began to fall, her wings trailing uselessly in the wind.

“Whats happened?!” screamed Moana.

“We get hit by big electrical discharge! Feera quicksoaring straight down now! She no awake!”

“Well try to wake her then!” said Kohuke.

“Excuse me, but the ground is coming towards us rather quickly!”

“Yes Kikia, we know! Lekopo, get this Kahu awake again!”

“I cannot! She will be sleepyout for several minutes!”

“We don’t have several minutes – about thirty seconds!”

“Do something Lekopo!” cried Moana, frosty tears swirling in her eyes.

He looked at her, and seemed to draw strength. With a leap he jumped off the Kahu into the jet streem –

“NO!”

– and there was a large ##### as he grabbed onto Feera’s large tail feathers. He curved his body down, and the Chosen felt the bird level a bit.

“Yes!” cried Moana, “Yes Lekopo! It’s working!”

Lekopo strained more, but as he did so he could feel the warmth and life be sucked away from him by the wind, and looked at his hands to see them covered in frost. The rain hit him like needles, and froze on the spot.

“I… can’t hold … ON!” he whimpered, and let go.

When Moana opened her eyes, he was still there.

“Lekopo!”

There was no reply. Moana tried to stand up, and saw that Lekopo’s hands were secured with large blocks of ice.

She looked around her, and only Pirihi showed any signs of life.

Of course, she thought, only I and him can endure the cold…

She looked down, and saw Kaiwera lying on the Kahu’s sleek back, huddled in a ball, browny and dead-looking, muttering into the Kahu’s feathers.

With panic she tried to rouse him –


But then there was a light. As Kaiwera’s vision came back to him, all he could see was a brilliant light, emitting from a silver Hau.

“Hello Kaiwera,” it said.

“Who… who are you?” he said faintly, “ Where am I?”

“I get asked that so many times. So so many times. It makes me sad. Where do you think you are?”

Kaiwera thought about this.

“ I know where I am.”

“Good. And now, we must talk.”

A Rama was flying over the Le-Wahi jungle when it saw a dark shape move over it, darker than the light around it. It looked up, and was hit in the face with a mouthful of frozen Kahu.

The Chosen and Lekopo were thrown free of the stricken bird, and, some of them screaming, flew into the dense jungle undergrowth of Le-Wahi.

Pirihi rolled up into a ball, holding his sword out at an angle so that as he spun round he would cut whatever he fell into. He briefly felt himself hit the soaking upper canopy, and then there was a thud and he stopped spinning. He looked around blearily and saw he was eighty feet high up in a tree. The rain fell around him, bravely falling to the ground like parachutists. He was about to wonder how he would get down, but then his sword came free of the branch it had lodged into. For a few seconds he crashed through the tree, and then landed with a big slap in the wet marshy ground below him.

There were bubbles. Then an enraged Pirihi erupted from the quagmire, bubbling and frothing. He felt arms pry him from the mud, and heard through his mud-clogged ears a buzzing sound.

His blood ran colder.

Shaking his head, he managed to disperse some of the mud between his Akaku mask and his face, and looked in horror at the two Nui-Rama clutching him.

He gurgled with rage, and struggled mightily, but their unrelenting grip was unbreakable. Then the scenery darkened, and Pirihi looked up to see he was in the shadow of a volcano-like structure, which blocked the light from the grey swirling sky.

A volcano? In Le-Wahi? It must be one of Makuta’s tricks…

But it wasn’t. As Pirihi was brought closer, he realised it was no trick. He struggled ferociously.


There was a brief period of weightlessness, and then some air, and then Kikia and Kohuke hit the ground and rolled several yards.

Kikia sat up, and quickly scrabbled for his frosty bag.

“Smashed. Everything, it’s all been frozen and then smashed.”

Kohuke groaned and rolled over. He still had ice stuck in his joints.

Kikia rummaged in his bag and brought out a shard of apple. It hurt his hand to touch it, for it was so cold, so wrapped it in a piece of leather from his canteen. With it, he began to pick the ice out of Kohuke’s joints, but left it in the wounds. They had fallen together, stuck by the ice, and had crashed into the side of a large tree. Injured and tired they had huddled together, only to endure a similar fate as Pirihi. Kikia knew it would not be long before the Rama came again.

Massaging some life back into his legs, Kikia began to tend to Kohuke’s wounds. There was a large graze on his back from where he had hit the tree’s trunk, and a dent in his shoulder. They were both covered in scratches, and Kikia now sported a large dent on one of his Kakamas cheeks, and a broken “fin” on the bottom. This was the least of his worries, as Kohuke was loosing consciousness.

“Kohuke? Kohuke!”

Kohuke’s eyes came in near enough focus on Kikia.

“Good. Now do not go to sleep. You’re in shock, and you may have hit your head. If you go to sleep you could go into a coma. Now, we’re all alone in this nest full of Rama, and I’m scared Kohuke,” said Kikia, stammering, “I, I don’t know where, the, the others are. I’ve not seen them. I don’t even know if they’re OK. And if you leave me, I’ll be all on my own…”

Kohuke’s eyes winked out.

Kikia hugged his comrades cold body to his chest.


Matau saw the Chosen being brought into the hive. As he worked, digging further into Mata Nui’s fertile soil, he watched the six of them being brought in. When Lekopo was carried in, stuck in his peculiar frozen position, Matau’s eyes dimmed. So, now it was that all the Chosen were harboured by Makuta. He looked down and stared at one of the glow bugs. The bugs were used to light the area the workers were digging in. They looked like giant glow worms.

A Rama saw him stop work and watch the new arrivals, and quickly flew over and chattered viciously at him. He looked at it, then solemnly picked up his tool and began to hack again.

Later in the day, he saw some of the Chosen being taken away. He sighed, and silently wept.

Suddenly, piercingly loud in the echoic expanse of the hive, a Rama warning call sounded, and there were loud explosions heard from the west of the nest. There was then a scream, and the explosions got louder. He felt his pick axe trembling, and looked round in time to see the rock it was resting on explode into tiny shards. The explosions grew nearer. The other Le-Koronan next to Matau now downed their tools, and looked about nervously, then to him.

“Stand back,” he warned them.

They didn’t need telling twice.

Leaping out of the way of the blast, the wall behind them erupted with dirt and a brown object burst out of it, traveling almost too fast to be seen towards Matau – who in a flash, was gone.


“Slowstop Po-Koronan! Slowstop!” Matau commanded, as he was taken through wall after wall of dirt and stone. Slowly, reluctantly, the travelling slowed, and eventually Matau was dropped down in a deserted chamber, somewhere to the East of the digging line.

Matau wiped grit out of his eyes to see Kikia standing before him, panting, covered head to toe in damp earth, carrying the remains of a rucksack on his back and fiercely clutching a sword in a sheath.

“Where… have they… taken the others?” he demanded.

“The other Chosen?”

“Yes.”

“I am sorry Chosen of Stone, but they have gone, stopdead.”

“NO! They are NOT dead – they can’t be! Kohuke is only unconscious! Where have they taken them?!”

“It is too hardluck late now – they have already gone. I am sorry. The legacy has ended – the Chosen are broken…”

“NO, they HAVEN’T! Where have they TAKEN THEM?!” shouted Kikia in rage, making the chamber tremble.

“Po-Koronan Chosen, please ragecalm down! They have been taken to the Great Holes, where they throw deepdown the dead things. They are full of darkness, and creatures never seen by anyone breathalive.”

“Where are these holes!” Kikia commanded, breathing more heavily.

“They are to the south, in the very bowels of the nest, but you will not be able to get there in time, it is too la–“


Moana sat against a damp wall. The smell of the air was putrid, the stink of Rama-dung was wafting in from around the rock that sealed the entrance to the little cell she was in.

There was a tremor in the wall, like the ones she had felt earlier. She pressed her ear to the wall, and thought she could hear footsteps.

There was a bang, and she was hit with a wall of dirt. Coughing and spluttering, she tried to sit up, but there was another bang and she was covered again. After a little while of suffocating panic, someone pulled her out. She looked up into the earth smeared face of a Le-Koronan.

“I am Matau,” he said, “I think I should explain…”


Kikia ran. He had always liked running. Running through the sand, running round the track… But now he was running somewhere else. He was running through rock.

In his anger the wall blistered in front of him, and only just kept up with the speed he was maintaining from his Kakama. Where he had damaged his mask he felt it glowing hot, but he took no heed of it. There was no way he was going to loose the other Chosen after what they’d already been through. The whole island was resting on him and them, so they could summon the Toa.

In the complete blackness he had only his element to see by, feeling out in front of him for pathways through the rock…

He began to smell something. The rock became less dense, more crumbly. He slowed. As he did so, the smell became worse. He came to the end of the rock, feeling the cold hard earth in front of him. He kicked.


Pirihi was lying on his back when he heard a tapping noise.

“Hello?” he asked.

“Pirihi?” said a tinny voice from somewhere.

“Moana!” he cried with relief.

“Pirihi, you see the rock blocking the doorway?”

“Yes, I see it.”

“I need you to push against it.”

“It won’t budge Moana, I’ve already tried!”

“Not with your hands Pirihi, with your element!”

“But the Rama have my Ice Blade!”

“Focus your mind Pirihi… and PUSH!”


With a feeling of weightlessness, Kaiwera returned to his body. And tried to get back out of it. It was cold and painful, and as he opened his eyes he coughed out water and mud. He sluggishly rolled over, and with the light of his dimly glowing eyes looked around him.

He was in some kind of cell, dank and smelly.

“Great,” he complained, “Just great.”

As he looked around him, he saw two other shapes against the walls of the cell. He crawled over to one of them. He poked in gingerly, and then saw Kohuke’s sword lying next to it. In panic he wiped away the mud to reveal Kohuke’s battered face.

“No!” he sobbed.

He looked around and waddled over to the other shape. As he neared he could see it was Lekopo, his hands covered in a dirty ice.

Kaiwera returned to Kohuke and listened for any signs of life. He felt a faint breath from Kohuke’s dark lips, and sighed with relief. He checked for any wounds, then dragged Kohuke over to Lekopo, where he could tend to them both. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Kohuke’s bag had a large tear in it. He quickly fumbled around inside, and sighed immensely to feel both of Onua’s Claws inside. He reached back and felt both of his swords in their sheaths on his back.

He now attended to his comrades, first of all Lekopo. He melted the ice off of his hands, and on a gentle heat began to waft the Firesword over his prone body. Slowly, Lekopo seemed to untense, then to stir. With a whirr and a faint clinking he moved his head, then slowly opened his weary eyes.

“Am… am I stopdead?” he asked, smiling.

“No Lekopo,” Kaiwera said as leant back on his knees, “I think your most certainly alive. Now we must attend to Kohuke – he is not awake yet. Do you now anything about healing?”

“No… you could try warming him, he is very soggywet and cold…”

Kaiwera began to fire up his Firesword again.

As he bent over Kohuke. Lekopo sat and watched. He realised that the air smelt putrid. He gingerly touched the ground, and felt it was slimy, like thick mud. From somewhere distant came the sound of buzzing.

“Kaiwera!” he said as realisation dawned on him, “I think we are in the Rama-Hive!”

“What’s that?” Asked Kaiwera, looking up from Kohuke.

“Where all the Rama live…” said Lekopo, quivering.

There was a rumble. A distant thudding. It became louder, then stopped suddenly. There was silence then… a sniffing noise.

Lekopo looked at Kaiwera and grabbed onto his arm.

The sniffing grew louder, then there was a grunt.

“Kai….wera…. what was that?!” Lekopo whispered.

There was more thudding, and more sniffing, and then silence.

Kaiwera stood up, and raised his Firesword. He let it glow slightly, but there was nothing but a long walls of earth. The walls curved, and disappeared around a bend.

“Lekopo – see to Kohuke, and be ready to run with him if I tell you.”

Lekopo looked up worriedly and nodded.

Kaiwera started to walk down the passage. He didn’t feel scared anymore. He knew he had the spirit of Tahu within him, and he was a Toa.

He raised his sword higher, and as if it could read his mind it glowed more brightly. He stopped, and looked behind him. Lekopo was watching him, whilst rubbing Kohuke’s hands in his own. He waved, and Kaiwera waved back. He then continued and rounded the corner. He heard to thuds, and ran back the way he came.

The Firesword burst into flame, illuminating two scuttling crabs running towards Lekopo and Kohuke. These weren’t just ordinary Ussals, they were big beasts, with gigantic shells and armour plated legs.

“RUN!” Kaiwera shouted, and sprinted towards the crabs.

Lekopo got up, tripped, and in panic grabbed onto Kohuke’s rucksack and tried to pull him away, which ripped and spilled it’s contents out onto the mud. The two claws gleamed, and seemed to sparkle amongst the other items. Lekopo grabbed them, rammed them into his mouth and pulled Kohuke. From down the corridor he saw Kaiwera running towards him, firing flame from his sword at the crabs, who were now almost upon him…

He closed his eyes, and grimaced.

Nothing happened.

Lekopo opened his eyes.

The crabs were standing in front of his, regarding him cautiously. He saw Kaiwera creeping up behind them. He cried to whimper, but the claws in his mouth prevented him from doing so and just wobbled around.

At this the crabs backed away.

Lekopo looked at them confused.

He tried to say “What’s happening?” and stood up.

The crabs clicked their pincers in terror, turned and ran down the passage, narrowly avoiding spearing Kaiwera.

“Sorry!” said Lekopo though the claws.

Kaiwera came running over.

“What on earth did you do?”

“I bon’t kbo-“ he took the claws out of his mouth, “I don’t know. They just quicklooked at me and speedyfled away!”

“We should leave before they come back, pick up Kohuke’s things and–“

BANG!

Kikia burst through the wall of the cavern, and looked around.

“GUYS! You're OK!” he shouted.

“Kikia? What are you doing here? Where are we?” said Kaiwera, getting up to greet him.

“Kohuke!” said Kikia, seeing his comrade lying on the floor, “Is he OK?”

“He’s breathing, but he looks like he’s been battered about. We need to get him out of here, do you know the way out?” said Kaiwera.

“Well, no. But I can sure make one,” said Kikia, grinning.


“This is too quickfaaast!” moaned Lekopo as they sped through Mata Nui’s rocky crust.

“Quiet Lekopo, when you talk it’s right in my ear!”

“Eversorry Kaiwera, leader. I am feeling very caved in – I am used to very open spaaacess!”

And Kikia ran on.


“What now?” said Pirihi, panting on the ground in the abandoned hut Kikia had brought Matau to after stealing him away.

“This tunnel leads back to the digging lines – no doubt if we come out there we will be caught. I am sorry to say that I do not think you will see your comrades again – if they have been taken to the Holes then there is no–“

“You should have more faith in us Turaga,” snapped Pirihi, “If Kikia has gone to find the others, he will find them.”

“Yes, Chosen of Ice, but in what condition?”

“Lets stop thinking about that now. We need a plan in order to free the Le-Koronans,” said Moana, the voice of logic.

“There is another thing you should know…”

“What? Tell us Turaga.”

“There is… one very powerful in here, and he will try to stop you.”

“Who?”

“Toa Lewa, Spirit of Air.”

There was silence in the cave, only broken by Pirihi’s breathing.

“What do you mean it’s Lewa? He is a Toa! We have not yet summoned the Toa to Mata Nui!”

“Yes Chosen, I know that. But that is where you have been misguided. You have already searchfound all the Masks of Power, the ones which you wear, and have callsummoned the Toa unwittingly – and without Makuta’s everknowing!”

“Um… OK, how did we do that? We haven’t found the sixth Chosen yet… the one from… your village… Turaga?” said Moana, looking at Matau quizzically.

Matau smiled.

“You mean you’ve already given the sixth Mask to the sixth Chosen?” said Pirihi.

“Yes, my clever Tohunga, as it was planned all those ages ago. But with an unfortunate effect.

Toa Lewa, before he could get to Le-Koro, was quickambushed by Rama and infected! He now battleserves Makuta – and does not trueknow his destiny!”

“Wonderful. So, as well as some kind of boss beast, lurking around here somewhere, we also have to fight a Toa?!” said Pirihi, exasperated.

“I am afraid so, Ko-Koronan. The other Toa will not know of his leaveabsence for a while… I am sorry.”

Matau looked down, and then looked worried.

“We must dashleave. NOW!”

Matau began to run along the tunnel back to the digging line.

“But Turaga – you said it was guarded!” shouted Moana, setting off after him.

Pirihi stayed behind, and then heard the buzzing. It was faint, and echoic, but it was getting louder. He too sprinted off, after his friends.

They ran. They ran on their fear of what was chasing them. For Moana it was a Rama, with it’s smelly green skin and whippy wings. For Pirihi it was a swarm of Rama, which could surround him and attack from all sides. For Matau, it was his own protector – the one who was meant to save him and his people.

Then they came out of the tunnel, and looked up to see two big green feet in their line of sight. They followed a sleek and green body up, and it was very tall, until they came to a rusted mask, pitted and brown.

Moana gasped. “It’s Toa Lewa!”

“And he doesn’t look friendly!” said Pirihi, to which Lewa looked down at them.

His eyes were not the lime green of the people of Le-Koro, instead a dark murky yellow. His face was not round and happy, like his peoples, but constricted and snarling. He moved his long, sharp hatchet, and pointed it at them.

Then came a feriocious buzzing. From above, a bulk of claws and legs decended, it’s many wings barely supporting it.

“It’s the Queen of the nest,” said Matau gravely, “She has come to watch our defeat.”

The Queen was horrible, bumby, mutated. It was like several Nui-Rama squashed together. It’s face had two mandibles on it, gnashing at the air. In the Queen’s claws, bright and green was Lewa’s Kanohi – the Kanohi Miru, the mask of Levitation.

“Lekopo! When you had Kohuke’s claws in your mouth you looked like the Queen! The crabs must have thought you had come down the Holes!”

“I knownow already, leader, but our victory dankbelow may have been in vain now!”

Then there was rumbling. A pounding sound hit the air.

Boom. Boom. BOOM. BOOM.

And it got louder, and louder, and in front of the Chosen and Matau, the earth cracked and dust spewed out of the ground. As it cleared, they saw a shape unfold itself, and snort.

“Toa Onua – Spirit of Earth!” cried Matau.

Onua looked round at them, his hunched stature seeming powerful and strong. He gave a wink with his dark green eyes, and turned to Lewa.

And spoke.

“Brother Lewa, me and my siblings were worried about you. I see you have already got into mischief.”

Lewa’s eyes narrowed. When he spoke, his voice sounded rough and forced.

“I am not your brother, creature. You are a threat to this hive – and I will dispose of you!” and he leapt into the air.

Onua stepped back, and changed his mask to the Kanohi Hau – the mask of shielding. A faint green bubble appeared around Onua. Lewa brought his axe down against it, but was thrown away into a wall. Moana looked at Lewa with sympathy.

Lewa got back up, and came at Onua with vicious blows from his axe, knocking Onua around inside his bubble, which faded with each blow. Lewa gathered his strength, brought the hatchet round his head and chopped down on the bubble, which exploded, throwing Onua along the floor into a roof support.

Lewa rounded on his prey. Onua woozily sat up, and saw Lewa coming towards him. He switched his mask again – this time to the Kanohi Matatu – the Mask of Telekinesis. The air around Onua glowed green, and some of the rocks lying around Onua magically lifted into the air. A glow bug crawled onto Onua’s shoulder from inside the roof support, and that too was lifted. Onua moved his head forward, and the rocks flew towards Lewa. With precise swipes he batted away the rocks with his axe. But he was caught by surprise by the light from the glow worm.

It connected with his face with a loud metallic clunk, and the glow worm and the Infected mask flew in different directions.

Matau stood up, and shouted:

“HIS MASK! Get his mask!”, whilst pointing to the Queen clutching Lewa’s Kanohi.

Onua looked over, then extended his telekinesis field. The Queen’s hands were forced open, and the mask dropped out towards Lewa.

It landed lightly in his hand, and then he put it on.

With a green flash his lime eyes were back again.

Lewa shook his head, and looked at Onua. He had known of the Tohunga who had been enslaved by the Makuta in here, but he had been unable to do anything about it. He had seen what he was doing... But he couldn't control his body. But now he could. And he would make up for it.

He shook his head, balled his firsts and jumped up with amazing speed towards the Queen. The Queen, realising it’s peril, began to fly high into the hive roof.

“Lewa!” cried Matau, running forward and pulling at his mask.

Lewa looked down, and Matau drew from his face a rounded mask, and threw it to him. Onua boosted it up with his Matatu, and Lewa caught it. He put it on, looked at the Queen… and took control of it. Slowly, it began to descend down towards Lewa, who was hovering using his mask powers. He jumped onto it, and then the Tohunga on the ground started to cheer. The Queen barked some orders, and all the surrounding Nui-Rama returned to the walls.

Then there was a bang and Kikia popped out of the ground, with Kaiwera, Lekopo and Kohuke in tow. They landed, and looked around in shock.

“Whoa… did we miss something?” said Kikia.

“A bit,” said Moana, walking over to them, but not much. “Hey!” she said, seeing Kohuke, “Is he OK?”

“I don’t know. I think we need to get him out of here. Lekopo is fine – but he fainted from claustrophobia, we think. Turaga Matau! It is good that we have found you. Can you take us back to Le-Koro?”

“No Chosen of Fire. There is something of grave importance you must do first.”

Matau turned to Onua, spoke briefly, and then Onua set off digging through the ground out of the hive. He whistled to Lewa, who came down to greet Matau. He had a hurried conversation with him, and after which Lewa began to load the Le-Koronans onto the Queen’s bumpy back.

Now Matau turned back to Kaiwera.

“I do not like to keep you in the dankdark Chosen of Fire, so I will quicktell you. If one of the Chosen comes into contact with his or her respective Toa, they will fastsuddenly remember all of what happened in the muchbefore time – as you already have through your scaredreams.”

Kaiwera’s eyes widened, how did Matau know?

“It has been written in the scriptures since they were madeforged Chosen of Fire. “The one of Fire shall have dreams of the past before the others…” And so it is that when the Chosen firstsee their Toa they will have the dittosame dreams as you. Do not share this with your comrades, but you must not intromeet the Toa until the time is goodright. For the Turaga are worried that should the Toa remember what happened in the before time, they will abandon their searchquest for the Kanohi masks of Power and seek out the Dark Ones… Raining doom on us all. They must collectgather their Kanohi before we can introduce you to one another. Now you must go Chosen of fire, travel to Ga-Koro. Do not make haste, and take the long way, over the highmountains. Avoid the villages, and be in Ga-Koro by twenty darknights from now.

“I am sorry you cannot come back with us, Chosen, but it is evernecessary. All shall be revealed in good time. Have faithtrust in me.”

As Matau finished, Onua returned, with two long green sticks in his claw. One was Matau’s Kaukau staff, which he took from Onua and whirred round. The staff had a small chainsaw at one end, which Matau used to cut through jungle undergrowth. The other was… Lewa’s Hatchet.

Kaiwera took the hatchet from Onua, who looked at him as if pondering something, and then looked over at the prone forms of Kohuke and Lekopo.

Matau stepped in front of Onua.

“That is for the green one of your party. Go now, Chosen, take the tunnel Onua dug. Fare well, for you are evernearing the end of your quest!”