Book 2: ICE

CHAPTER 10:

THE WHISPERS

Mizu walked across the wide plains, seeming to move faster than a normal pace. The sun was starting to set and the line between the spirit world and the real world was beginning to solidify. "I have to find Ran-fo and Bakiko soon." Mizu said to herself as she broke into a jog towards the rock. She seemed to spring up to the top of the rock, her body still lying on the red gem, but a number of wildlife crawling over her. She gave a shriek and stepped back for a moment. She heaved a sigh and tried to rejoin her body.

"How am I supposed to get back?" Mizu asked as she paced across the red gem, the sun now dipping behind the trees.

"You don't." a voice said from everywhere. Mizu looked around, trying to see the disembodied voice.

"Who said that?" Mizu asked as she took some nervous steps off the gem.

"It is I, Dreamchaser."

"And what do you rule over, spirit?" Suddenly, a dark shape came into view, blurred at first but growing more definite as it slithered towards her. Mizu gasped as she threw her hands out.

No bending could help her as the fly's head came into view, the scorpion tail still attached to the snake's body. "Have you missed me?"

"I can't say that I have." Mizu stated as she looked him over. "Why were you not at the council with the other spirits?"

"Because, me and my cousin already have our positions on that pathetic spirit war." Dreamchaser said. "Of course, your little encounter could change his mind."

"Your cousin?" Mizu asked.

"Yes, the one with the arrow now lodged into his head." The spirit added.

Mizu's eyes grew as she realized what the spirit was saying. "You are the cousin of that creature?" Mizu asked.

"Yes, Koh is my cousin." Dreamchaser said with a hiss. "He asked me to meet you. You and him have some unfinished business."

Dreamchaser reared up and Mizu tried to run but the scorpion's tail caught her in the back again. She tried to let out a scream, but something was keeping her from making a sound. She had been hit where Dreamchaser had stung her the first time.

The sun set.

Mizu's eyes grew glassy and she felt as if she was thrown into a cold river. She shivered from the shock and then took her first breaths of air as the world grew into focus. She grasped for the air and fell onto the ground, curled into a newborn's curl. Dreamchaser slithered around her, hissing as he went.

Mizu got up and looked around. It was a gray place with large plumes of smoke covering the area. Balls of white light flew around the area, wisps of white smoke trailing after them. "What is this place?" Mizu asked as she looked around.

"These are the Whispers." Dreamchaser explained. "My domain. This is where all mortals go after their last breath."

"So, you are…" Mizu began as she noticed where she truly was.

"The grim reaper of the spirits." Dreamchaser stated proudly. "I know what you are thinking and you are mistaken."

"What was I thinking?"

"That you are dead."

"I'm not?"

"No. When I stung you, I granted you access to this world for free, so long as I stay near you, my tail still in your back, you may remain here with the breath of life still in your lings."

Mizu began to feel around her back. The stinger was still implanted in her back though she felt no pain where it was imbedded. She also noticed that she was no longer glowing blue. She now had her tan skin again and her body had been returned to her. She felt her side and noticed the arrow wound had been healed. "But, why am I here?"

Dreamchaser motioned forward and Mizu noticed the balls of white smoke were beginning to speed up and form a circle around her. Dreamchaser bent his head into the unidentifiable ground and began to drag his feelers in a wide circle around Mizu. The ring glowed a bright blue and the spirits stopped their dance around Mizu. A white ball of smoke began to drift forward. Mizu gave a small glance towards Dreamchaser, who nodded. Mizu gulped and took some steps towards the growing ball of light.

"Mom? Dad?" Mizu asked. The ball stopped. It shuddered and launched forward into the circle. It blasted apart in a burst of light, the white smoke evaporating away to reveal the soul inside. Mizu backed up and tried to block as Zhong attacked.

"This is a good turn out." Jip said as she surveyed the area. They had now added four new members to their ever growing tribe.

"Yeah, we can work with this." Kan said as he smiled proudly at the camp that was being set up. They had passed the great divide and were on their way towards the north. The tribe of 24 benders had now become a city of its own. Aer had already recruited two of the new members to the Air Nomad class.

"You need to feel it in here." Aer explained to the two as she held out her palms. "You take a deep breath and extend in a circle." Aer showed them how by causing a large wave of air to almost send a group of trees over. The girl looked her over.

"You are really good."

"I know." Aer said with a shrug. The tribal leader, Baas, wandered up to Kan.

"We found some hog monkeys in that clearing over there." Baas said. "We assume there should be more animals nearby."

"Good, get some hunters together and get some food for the night." Kan said as he nodded and let the chief gather his men and go to get provisions. Their city was coming together. All that was needed were the three lost members.

"I wonder where they are too." Kizu said. "They left a couple of days ago and we don't even know where they are."

"The solstice ended yesterday." Kan said as he hung his head. "What if they didn't make it back?"

"Don't think like that." Jip said as she wandered over and gave Kan a hug which was quickly shoved away. "Knowing Bakiko, he would have made sure they had left the spirit world in time."

"But how do you know that?" Kizu said as he gave Jip a glance over. "Didn't you hear that the army had moved into position near the Shi Wong rock? Who knows if they even made it into the spirit world?"

"I say we just stay positive." Jip said as she folded her arms and gave Kizu a glance.

"I agree with the girl on this one." Hitori said as she began handing out tea to the three debaters. "I doubt they're in any danger."

Mizu ducked under Zhong's blade and dodged his sharp kick. Zhong stopped for a moment, bending over to catch his breath for a moment. "I'm not in the shape I used to be in." Zhong complained as he wiped his brow.

"I didn't think you had any shape at all." Mizu quipped.

"At least I don't go crying for mommy and daddy." Zhong said as he gave Mizu a look that would kill.

"Enough, Zhong!" Dreamchaser said with a booming voice. "Must I remind you that your own downfall came from your parents?"

Zhong turned his back to the spirit, wandering into the farthest part of the circle. "That wasn't my fault." Zhong said. "They didn't deserve to die. They were good people. I am a good person! I don't deserve to live like this."

"You aren't even living." Mizu said. Zhong made to attack her but Dreamchaser pulled Mizu away.

"You went mad Zhong." The spirit examined. "You went mad, believing these benders to be the scapegoat for your parents' killer. Until you became one of them. Those emotions you had kept under that tough exterior broke you down and turned you into the thing you most hated." Dreamcahser said ominously.

"I had no control over that!" Zhong exclaimed as he rushed towards the Spirit. "I didn't want that power. It was thrust upon me the moment I left the Master's lair. I didn't plan on it happening to me. It was those brats that…"

"Not another word!" Dreamchaser shouted as he banished Zhong out of the circle, turning into a ball of white smoke as soon as he passed beyond the blue line.

"And he thought it was alright to chase us around." Mizu said with a smile. "He had it coming."

"Yes, but doesn't his argument sound familiar?" Dreamchaser added with a small nod to Mizu.

"What do you mean?"

"You said the same thing to the spirits. You said that all of these bad events happened because you gained an ability you didn't control in the first place. Zhong was very much like you. He just wanted peace as badly as you did." The spirit explained. Mizu hung her head.

"So that's why you showed him to me?" Mizu asked with a look up to the spirit. Dreamchaser remained mute to the subject, instead turning to face the next white smoke ball that appeared.

Long-hin appeared in very much the same way that Zhong had, in a blast of white smoke. "Hey, Mizu." Long-hin said. He looked in better health then when Mizu had seen him.

"Long-hin?" Mizu asked as she looked him over. "Is it really you?" Mizu asked.

"Well, I don't know anyone else that looked this good." Long-hin said as he examined himself over. "I have no clue what's been going on, how are you?"

"Well, I'm trying to find out about my past at the present." Mizu explained.

"Yes, that would be difficult." Long-hin said as he turned his head slightly. "How's Aer?"

Mizu stepped back for a moment. "I think she's doing fine. She and Kan seem to be on shaky ground." Long-hin had a wide smile across his face when she said that.

"Yeah. I miss her the most." Long-hin looked down and shook his head.

"If you loved her so much, then why did you let Kan move in on her for three years?" Mizu asked. "You seemed all chummy with Kan and then…"

"I didn't think Aer would actually fall for him." Long-hin explained. "I thought that she would get over him and then I would be right there to take her back. I even gave her back the crystal I gave her when I found out she really loved him. But I couldn't just let her go. I was a complete fool. I should have been more caring with Aer. I should have supported her whatever she did, whatever happened. But I didn't. And as mad as I could get at her,…I could never stop loving her."

"But you left her." Mizu shouted. "You left her and us behind. Why would you do that? If you truly loved her you would have left Kan and just saved her, yourself."

"But that's just it. She chose Kan, not me." Long-hin sighed. "And as much as I hoped and prayed that I would be hers, I cannot deny her happiness. I did what had to be done for Kan to live. When you love someone so much, you do everything to make them happy."

Long-hin vanished in a blast of white smoke and faded in with the other balls of smoke that seemed to grow. Mizu wiped the tear from her eye and looked to Dreamchaser.

"Thank you for letting me see him again." Mizu whispered to him.

"You're welcome." Dreamchaser explained. "But there is something else to his story that resonates with yours."

It was then that the spirits began to move in a fast circle around them, becoming white blurs. A dark shape had appeared among the balls of white smoke. It began to snake forward and twist around the circle.

"Mizu, when I first encountered you in the spirit world, there were three of you attempting to get through when a barrage of arrows attacked." The spirit told her as the black shape began to get closer. She began to back up as she saw the familiar centipede like legs silhouetted against the white wall. "One arrow in particular found your chest after your spirit had already entered the realm." Dreamchaser explained.

"I know that, spirit." Mizu said as she looked up at his fly head. "But what does this have to do with him?" Mizu asked as she turned to see Koh.

Bakiko threw his arms around Mizu as he laughed.

"I wondered where you had gotten to." Bakiko said as he looked her over. "Where's Ran-fo?"

"I don't know." Mizu said. "I lost him somewhere in the spirit world."

"You what!"

"Well, where did you go?" Mizu asked as she tried to change the subject.

"I don't know." Bakiko said as he tilted his head. "I saw the archers prepare to fire and then there were blue flashes and it all went dark. Then something stung my back and everything went cold. And then I woke up here."

"Well, not much happened to you then." Mizu said as she had a brief flashback to the council. "I wonder if we can still leave now that the sun has set."

"I wonder that too." Bakiko said as he looked around at the spirits. "What's up with those things? Hey aren't deadly are they?"

"Well, that one already tried to attack me." Mizu said as she pointed to the one she believed to be Zhong.

"Well, I'll stay away from that one then." Bakiko said as he looked at it with a nervous laugh. "I'm off to find Ran-fo then. I'll meet up with you later." Bakiko hugged her again and took off into the endless void trying to find his brother. He exited the circle with a final wave to Mizu.

He turned into a white smoke ball and fell in line with the others.

Mizu stood in shock and turned to Dreamchaser. He read her mind.

"Bakiko was killed in the onslaught." Dreamchaser told her. "His spirit water had touched earth and then been used as a weapon against the soldiers. It had lost all special properties. His water would not allow him to enter the spirit world, causing him to die a painful death instead."

"I don't understand. What about Ran-fo? His brother!" Mizu pleaded.

"I believe that is what my cousin went to do." The spirit said as he motioned behind Mizu. She turned to see the eyelid behind her, a white mask as his new face.

"Please, spare me." Mizu said as the moment overwhelmed her. "Just let this stop. Let this pain leave me. I want to know who I am. I am ready! Let my plight end. Let me see the dawn at last!" Mizu rushed forward, not caring what Koh did to her.

The stinger slipped out of her back, her umbilical chord cut. Koh smiled.

"I will tell you." Koh said. Dreamchaser slithered away, blending into the spirits around them. Koh cleared his throat and looked Mizu over. "How much you have changed since you were a baby."

"Please, tell me." Mizu said. She sunk to her knees and bowed before the spirit. "I am ready."

"It began before you were born." Koh began. "Fate had foretold to us spirits that we would one day have five mortals rise above us with great power. I deduced along with a few others spirits that you were to be one of the five. I at once set off to your parents and gave them the grave news. I told them the spirits were restless over fate's cryptic message and that their daughter, you, would one day become a great source of trouble.

I left, and your life fell apart. They did not want the spirits hate thrust upon them or to have a daughter that powerful. They left on a ship and dropped you on an iceberg and pushed you out to sea, hoping that you would die. Of course, fate had another plan. It delivered you to the North Pole oasis and Tui and La took care of you. Eventually, the spirits grew to love you, noticing that you were being taught to respect the spirits. We all assumed we had interpreted the prophecy wrong with you and favored you above all."

"Wait, are you saying my parents left e to die?" Mizu asked in shock.

"Yes. Unlike Long-hin, they would not do anything out of love for something they thought would cause them so much strife."

"And you've been tracking me since I turned my back to the spirits."

"Yes. A spirit had to take care of you somehow." Koh explained. "I attacked you on that ship to try and keep you on your feet. You had to learn to strengthen yourself in this gift. I'm sorry if I frightened you."

"It is alright." Mizu said as she leaned back, the weight falling onto her. She fell forward, her head falling into her hands. "But, where are my parents now?" Koh gestured towards the spirits. Mizu got up and looked out at the white lights.

"Mom! Dad!" she shouted. Nothing happened. "Where are they?"

"It is hard to respond when you were not in a place at all." Mizu's mouth fell.

"So they are still alive?" Mizu said with delight. "Where are they?"

"Only one spirit knows that. I will not tell you where they live on earth now."

"But they are alive?" Koh bowed his head. Mizu sighed and fell to the ground again, her head falling into her hands again.

"Now, Mizu. It is time to fulfill the prophecy." Koh said as he curled around her. When Mizu lifted her head, she saw Ran-fo lying on his back near the small pool. The grass did not look in good condition with the ice and rock strewn across it.

She was once again at the North Pole.

She was home.