Chapter 6
I kicked the wall. I left a sizable dent in the wall, but also one in my foot. I rubbed my foot in pain. How could my father be so irrational? If he just went onto the wall and looked… I had seen the ships from the wall first, after all… I just hadn't known what they were until I went down the passageway.
The passageway! I had forgotten to close it up behind me! Now my father would see the open grate and I would be confined in my room forever, not just "until further notice." I thought of Aang, Katara and Sokka. I hadn't seen them since last week, at the feast, and probably wouldn't ever see them again.
I continued thinking about the ships. It was true that normally soot would rain down if the ships were close enough to be seen from the wall. But there had been no soot… I looked out my window. Soot was pouring from the sky like snowflakes. My father would have to believe me now.
My window was pretty much a big hole in the wall, with a clear sheen of ice stretched across it to keep the cold out. I sat by it now, looking across the city, which was now being covered in a blanket of soot. Suddenly, I saw I giant fluffy thing floating towards my window. I squinted my eyes and realized it was Appa, with both Sokka and Yue on his back. What was Yue doing with that guy?
I sliced through my window with some waterbending. Normally I wasn't the best at ice bending, but my window was thin enough that I could break it without a second thought. The whole thing shattered and I shouted out to Yue and Sokka.
They didn't hear me right away, so I took a breath and shouted louder. All three heads turned in my direction, and Sokka urged Appa all the way to my window.
"Get on quick!" said Yue, and, I, forgetting about my bedroom confinement, obliged and climbed out of my window and onto the rough saddle strapped to the bison's back.
"What's going on?" I asked them. "Why are you riding Appa? Where are you going?"
The soot got into my mouth with every word, and I couldn't breathe until I had coughed up a small black clump.
"The fire navy is attacking!" said Sokka, equally choking. "We're going to find Arnook and let him know what's going on!"
"He already knows," I said. "I saw the ships this morning. I bet they'll attack by evening."
Yue raised her eyebrows.
"Why were you in your room? I would expect you to be outside the palace, waiting for the battle meeting to start."
I shook my head.
"Father confined me to my room for leaving the city walls. I guess he also didn't want me getting hurt."
Just then, Appa landed on the ground with a thump outside the palace. Sokka raced in to find Arnook while Yue and I stood outside.
"So, you two, huh?" I asked, curious as to why they had been riding the bison in the first place. I also wanted to know where she had disappeared off to the other night. Yue shook her head vigorously.
"Kya, don't be silly, you know I'm engaged to Hahn and nobody else."
I shrugged.
"Just asking," I said. "Yue, you and I need to get somewhere out of the way. It's nearly dusk."
"You should go back to your room," said Yue. "I'll go out on the balcony, keep watch and let you know if something goes on."
I looked at her.
"Yue, I'm not going to let us get seperated right now! If you go onto the balcony, I go onto the balcony. I don't want you getting hurt."
Yue laughed.
"Kya, you forgot I'm a waterbender, too! If something goes on, I can protect myself."
Before I could answer to that, the warning gongs began to play.
"All right," I said. "Let's go."