Book 1 The Avatar
Chapter 3-The Dragon Slayer
Like all pets the novelty soon wore off. It had been a week since she had been marked and three days since she had seen the twins. She missed them despite the fact they had only spent a short time together. Just like Jenna said, Ignis had grown at an incredible rate. She had shared with her all of her knowledge of dragons and as she said as soon as a dragon marks you as its master it begins to grown so that within a week it is just big enough for its master to ride and throughout the ready of its lifetime grows with its master. Kimiko didn't believe her at first but the night that they had landed here at Fork Tongue Island he grew to almost double his size by morning. Jaya wanted to stay til Ignis was fully grown so she could laugh at Kimiko learning to fly him.
"He's only just mastered that himself "whispered Kimiko to herself looking at Ignis fondly as he snaffled up a rabbit. It suddenly occurred to Kimi that he was being very loud.
"Shhh" she hissed at him and when he gave no sign of hearing. "SHHHH" she hissed louder. He turned to her with a look of annoyance as the rabbit took its chance and made a bid for freedom. Ignis turned back letting breathing fire from his nostrils in a huff of annoyance. Ignis took a whack at a nearby tree, several birds abandoned their perch and spared into the sky. Ignis followed and woofed down three whilst still in flight.
"Talk about a low profile" Kimiko remembered when the twins were still with her a young boy stumbled upon their make shift camp. He took one look at Ignis and ran. She wished again that the twins were still with her but Jenna had been right, the supplies were running too low for the upkeep of three and so they went to the Southern Airtemple for supplies and left all to Kimiko. They had suggested she ventured towards the Eastern Airtemple to gain advice from Sister Lillia and supplies for her journey across to the other side of the world but that could wait til Ignis could fly, she certainly wasn't walking up a mountain. It was a quiet day, beautifully peaceful, in the woods by a burbling stream. Kimiko sighed; tomorrow she would start flying lessons.
1 week ago
"Where are they going?" Narla shouted to Samir above the gust of the wind.
"They've heard the whistle of their master" he shouted back as he sent Ketu into a dive breaking through the clouds. The other Bison had already put a distance between them but there destination was now clear, a ship in the distance. It didn't seem like any time at all before the two bison had come near the ship. In the distance Gopan and Narla could she flashes of blue light like blanket lighting on the horizon.
"It's her! She's there! Kimiko!" Narla shouted desperately. "Why can't this thing go any faster" Ketu gave a moan.
"He's not as young as those bison if you must know" Samir said annoyed. They had gotten closer now but the two bison suddenly made an assent up wards and were lost to the cloud bank.
Kimiko when down to the stream for a wash, splashing the cold water on her face was refreshing and the water so clean it ran clear and you could see the pebbles at the bottom with the twisted rays of light dancing on the bottom. She wished Narla was with her, she would have loved it here. She looked up. She had heard something. She dived behind a rock just as a group came to the other side of the stream.
"Are you sure it's this way, I don't want to go this way if we have to go back again" it was a man.
"Quit your moaning you should like a girl" Kimiko stayed still. Plastered to the rock she breathed quietly hoping they had thought it the wrong way.
"Please" it was a woman's voice choked with trying to keep back tears "How will this help? This can't fix anything!"
"Shut up" there was a sickening smack as flesh met flesh with tremendous force. Kimiko shivered. She sat frozen for a minute then she took a deep breath and with one fluid movement peered from behind the rock. A young woman, who had had all her hair cut off, had been tied up and slung in a box. Her face was shiny with sweat as she struggled making the odd cry of desperation. Kimiko knew she had to do something; she just had to wait til the right opportunity. She wasn't ready to take on 5 men and a boy with no idea of bending capabilities. Just as she thought this she noticed movement on the other side of the stream. In the trees beyond the far bank, those yellow eyes she had become so familiar with. And like a puppy returning to its master Ignis came over to her. Before he had crossed the river the girl let out a scream. Sensing this was her opportunity Kimiko leapt from her hiding place but the men made a dash through the water and into the woods behind her without giving her a glance. The girls kept on screaming hysterically.
"Give it a rest will you, can't you see you're upsetting him." The girl went immediately silent but her eyes were wide and panicked. Kim ran over to Ignis but before she got there a man ran out of the woods.
"Bailin!" the girl shouted. The man drew a sword and ran at Ignis who made a run for Kimiko. In a desperate attempt to get behind her he knocked the girls box over and she gave a cry of pain. The man charged at Ignis. Kimiko Darted forward and the man's eyes were so set on Ignis he didn't see Kimiko until she hurled herself at him. She fell on top of him and took advance of his moment of shock ripping the sword from his grasping fingers. She drew her arm back and threw it. She kicked him off her and she stood up in triumph. Yet to her annoyance he was scrambling toward his sword.
"STOP!" Kimiko shouted sending a bolt of lighting up towards the heavens.
Narla sighed.
"You've sighed about twenty times in the last two minutes and you keep getting louder" Gopan glared at her.
"We've been stuck here for days and Kimiko doesn't even know I'm here. We haven't got any news but I'm reluctant to leave in case someone does get in contact."
Gopan sighed. Narla glared at him.
Samir joined them on the balcony,
"I have news" he smiled then looked between them "Oh…not interrupting another one of your non-lovers tiffs am I?"
"We're not…grr, come on then what's the news" Narla asked.
"I think you should hear it from the source. Come inside"
"You don't look like Kimi's sister!" Jaya said launching herself from the other side of the room to within inches of Narla's face.
"And a very hansom companion" Jenna laughed.
"Well" said Narla stepping back into Gopan "You have news about my sister?"
"Let's all sit down" Samir suggested sitting in the seat closest to him.
"…so then we all stayed at fork tongue island for a few days until I thought it was best to give Kimiko the rest of the supplies and come here for food and rest. I think she was going to stay there until her dragon is grown to her size and then she'll learn to ride it before heading to the Eastern Airtemple to get supplies for her long journey. Perhaps she's still there at fork Tongue Island or the Airtemple." Jenna concluded.
"What are we waited for?" Narla cried. "Let's go and find my sister"
"No" Gopan said looking down at the floor.
"What? We know where she is! We have to go!"
"No Narla think about it! Kimiko's delayed. We're ready to go and she's not. If we start heading north now our paths will cross at some point and if not we'll get to the North Pole before her."
"This isn't a race-"
"No but it's a chase, one we'll never finish unless we play smart. If she's got a dragon do you think we'll ever catch her on foot? We need to go north."
"Wow" Narla looked at him with new found amazement "I knew you were easy on the eye, didn't know you could think two" The twins giggled. Gopan flushed.
Gopan looked at Narla "You said it yourself, what are you waiting for?"
Kimiko stood, her chest heaving as she breathed heavily with three pairs of eyes fixed on her.
"Nobody moves" she shouted as she side stepped towards the girl no once breaking eye contact with the man who had held the blade. Kimiko crouched behind the box and created a blade of blue flame. She saw a flash in the man's eyes and every muscle seemed to tense up. Kimiko cut the bonds on her legs and arms. She put her hands under her arms and dragged her out the of the upturned box.
"What are you doing?" the man cried out half panicked, half uncertain.
"What does it look like? I'm getting her out of this box a group of men left her here!"
"I was going to be sacrificed" the girl whispered.
"What? What's going on here?" Kimiko shouted in frustration.
Ignis moved behind her trying to tuck his head under her arm. She held him in comfort. The girl made a gasp with her short intake of breath and the man seemed to tense again.
"I'm Kimiko and this is Ignis. Will someone please tell me what's going on here?"
"I'm Bailin can I come to join you?" the man said studying her very carefully.
"Of course, just don't bring your weapon" The man nodded and in a moment was knelt beside the woman and cradled her in his arms. She burrowed into his chest but her cries were all too audible. Ignis snuggled closer to Kimiko obviously distressed by the noise.
"Who are you?" Bailin stared at her.
"I already told you I'm-"
"No I know, you're Kimiko but you're water tribe and have a dragon?" The woman had seemed to have calmed down and turned to look at Kimiko who suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Ignis nudged her and the couple shuddered.
"I don't understand why you're all so scared of Ignis. He isn't going to hurt you. He only eats rabbits and birds, sometimes the odd lizard" Ignis looked up at her with his yellow eyes aware he was being spoken about. The woman finally spoke her voice was uneven and wobbly.
"They were sacrificing me to appease the beast" she breathed, then swallowed "I'm Electi" she stood up and approached Ignis with her arm stretched out. Bailin started after her but then simply froze in amazement as she crossed the short distance. Ignis eyed her warily and when she came within inches from touching his face he moved behind Kimiko and peered over her shoulder. The girl breached with a sound of relief and wonder.
"He's just as frightened of me as I am of him" she whispered.
"It's probably all that screaming you were doing."
"I don't understand" Bailin looked from Ignis to Kimiko to Electi "Harrad said this must be it, the beast that terrorises the village at night after young Neild saw him here but this beast is harmless.
"At night? Ignis has never left in the night. I used him as a pillow" Electi and Bailin exchanged confused glances. "Maybe we should take Ignis to see this Harrad and find out what's going on"
Jaya put the last package on Zigsa. "We'll drop you off in the Earthkingdom at this peninsula" Jenna said pointing at the map as they sat on the saddle.
"Hold on tight" Jenna said she jumped slowly on the Zigsa head.
"Yip yip!" and with that they were soaring above the clouds.
"Take care of Torma for me" Jaya shouted to Samir as he got smaller and smaller until their vision was clouded by clouds.
By the time Kimiko and the others made it to village it was already evening and the place was deserted. Kimiko looked around uneasy.
"Where is everyone?" It was like walking through a ghost town.
"They're preparing for the monster to come but Harrad will still be out, he says he doesn't care if he dies no beast is going to scare him away from his job." They rounded a corner and Kimiko could see a man at the end of the street with a spinning wheel. As they drew closer she thought he was about 50 and even though he talked brave she could see that his body was tense and ready to react. He saw them long before they reached him.
"Harrad good evening-"
"You brought it here! Alive what were you thinking! It will kill us all!" Ignis made a spluttering noise of indifference. Harrad fell off his chair. Bailin gave him his hand and pulled him up. He dusted himself down.
"This is Kimiko" Bailin gestured "Ignis's master"
""Don't lie to me boy, I've been around far too long to be fooled like that. Only firebenders can have dragons. Bah, hmm I suppose it must be the creature and if you can take it away why am I complaining. It just I thought…" His eyes widened and all colour drained from his face, his eyes stared out beyond all of them.
"It's here" he declared. Kimiko turned around slowly. At the end of the street a dragon, twice the size of Ignis was prowling down the street, sniffing the air as it did so.
"No one move" hissed Bailin. The creature emitted an unearthly blue light. It seemed to hear him and looked directly at them. With a blast of blue light from its mouth it came at them. Kimiko was frozen in fear. Ignis pushed her out of the way and the beast, moving at incredible speed rammed into a building. It leaned it to smell Electi and blasted her with blue light. It wasn't fire, but it did have heat it was like pure directed energy. Bailin seeing Electi in trouble ran at the thing with his sword. The creature dismissed him with a waft of his hand, sending him flying. Then it dawned on Kimiko. To fight pure directed energy she needed to use pure directed energy. With one movement of her arm she sent a bolt of lightning towards the creature. It gave a yelp of pain as it hit its shoulder. Kimiko gasped. It had made no wound on the creature but it did seem shocked. It gave another cry of pain and then turned its eyes to meet her. It gave a hiss of pain and then turned and retreated into the forest. Kimiko collapsed all her muscles gave way and she fought to remain conscious. Ignis nudged her and she made an effort to get up. It was too much too soon and she blacked out.
Kimiko sat bolt upright.
"Finally, we were worrying about you" Electi smiled at her. Kimiko hadn't seen her smile yet, she had a lovely smile.
She looked between the faces trying to orient herself. She was in her make shift camp were the fire was burning in preparation for breakfast. She got up and sat by the fire. Ignis instantly joined at her side, his head of her lap, his yellow eyes looking up as if he was trying to ask her how she was. She rested her hand on his head. Bailin and Electi joined them by the fire.
"What was that thing? I know that one the dragon lose their masters they grow to incredible sizes and often find a partner but-"
"That was not dragon" Kimiko closed her eyes picturing it "That was a spirit"
The others gasped as they came to realise what a dire situation they're village was in.
"But only the avatar…" Bailin trailed off. He was not a man to admit defeat but he saw the evacuation of the village seemed the only viable option at this point in time.
"Listen I'm going to see the avatar-"
"Why?" Electi cut in.
"Because what Harrad said was right" Kimi stood up "Only firebenders can have dragons. With that she splayed her fingers out which caused the fire the burn in a blue flamed beam. She stopped and it dyed down again. They stared.
"I…it all makes sense now…we both saw you shoot the lightning bolt but nether of use thought it, could have believed it. I guess seeing can sometimes not be believing." Electi gabbled astounded
"I think you should come with me, it might be the only hope for your village." There was a moment of silence. Bailin nodded. "Tomorrow we ride to the Eastern Airtemple."