Book 4: INFERNO

CHAPTER 11:

THE DRAGONS

Kan was out on a mission, to wipe all the benders off the map. The fire burned new and the sky turned its familiar black. The Junsei marched day and night without rest in Kan's determination. Tirca stood in the middle of the squad, her thoughts drifting off of betrayal and deception. She began to think about Hitori. She thought of her new position even though Kan had never trusted her. She thought of the people they killed, people who shared similar dreams as they did. She thought of this power inside her, spreading destruction everywhere.

"It's a curse." Tirca whispered as she lifted her hands to examine them.

"Tell me about it." A Junsei marching near her replied without looking over to her.

Tirca looked him over. She wasn't as alone as she thought. "All we do is kill and destroy people."

"Even if we don't want to." A woman whispered as well.

"But, we have this power and…we can't get rid of it." Tirca said as she examined her hands over. "But…maybe we could change it."

"What do you mean?" the man asked Tirca.

"Well, maybe Energybending isn't the only form of energy. There must be a form of energy that isn't all destruction and death." Tirca reasoned.

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it. Lord Kan has us tight in his grip." Another man added from behind Tirca.

"But maybe he might bend to his second-in-command." Tirca said to herself.

"You want to do what?" Kan asked inside his tent as the black fog swirled around outside.

"I want to take a large portion of the troops up towards the mountains to see if we can't reach the south and head west, cutting off any resistance from the south parts of the continent." Tirca explained, her mind lying directly to Kan.

"And how did you come about this devious little plan?" Kan drilled her.

"It was in my natural instincts, Lord Kan." Tirca replied. Kan raised an eyebrow to this. "I know that we have yet to take the southeast or most of the west and many islands down there will be sending troops. We can cut off the southern islands and the south east to make it easier for the Dark Lord's armies to capture the west."

"Do not forget that the new city Omashu is being constructed down there." Kan said in a cold voice. "It would be unwise to make such a move."

"All the same, I will need a good portion of Junsei to take with me on this campaign. Maybe we could get some aid from the eastern battalion."

Kan lowered his head in thought and sighed. "Fine. Take the Junsei you require and move to capture the south east."

"Thank you, Dark Lord." Tirca bowed and exited. Kan touched his fingertips together, pondering what this plan was really up to.

Tirca and the rest of her large Junsei clan marched on, climbing over the mountains as Tirca had told Kan she would. "So, now where do we go?" one of the men asked as he checked behind him to make sure Kan wasn't following.

"Well, do you want me to lead?" Tirca asked.

"Yes please." A woman said. Tirca stuck her right hand in the air and made a quick circle with it and clicked her elbow into her side. She vanished and reappeared in a rocky area somewhere near the West. The rest of the Junsei followed her energy track.

"I wouldn't mind getting rid of that ability." One of the men said as he staggered to his feet. "Traveling through energy streams is no fun."

Well, who knows what we'll find." Tirca warned them as she walked over a large rock pile. "All I know is the farther away from Lord Kan the better."

"You know that when he doesn't get a report he'll come looking." A Junsei said as they climbed up the large rocks after Tirca.

Tirca stopped climbing. "I know. But I can't stand in that army, knowing how unstable he is." Tirca said as she turned back to the Junsei. "He killed Hitori and gives her title to me of all people. He said he would never trust me, that I was a failure. He's emotionally and mentally unstable."

"Well, we know." A man said. "But, we're Benders. At lest with him we had a home. At least we had something to do with this curse we had."

"Do you mean to say that you liked watching little girls lose their parents just because of their abilities?" Tirca shouted as she slipped down the rocks to the man. "You enjoyed seeing millions die just because one guy can't except his part in the world? I know that most of you were forced into service and most, like me, are here because there was nowhere else to go. But breaking free from his grasp is what will keep us alive, will keep this world going. I don't know what we can do with these powers, but if there are already three nations than there should be a fourth."

Tirca wiped the hair out of her face and turned around, climbing back up the rocks. "Come if you want to!"

There was almost no question, every rouge Junsei was now following Tirca blindly.

The man was on his knees, grasping the Dark Lord's cape. "Please." He sobbed. "They have done nothing wrong."

"They are non-benders aren't they?" Kan asked coldly. His guard was stationed behind him in the small house. A woman and her two children sat huddled in a corner, the dark presence of Kan terrifying them.

"Yes." The man cried as he shook violently.

"And are you not a Bender?" Kan asked sternly. The man could only nod his head in response.

"Then make your choice." Kan said sharply. "Join me or stay and die with them." The man looked up at Kan, clear signs of confliction on his face. Kan gave a cough. "Kill them." Kan murmured to on of his guards. The guard stood ready to strike.

"No!" the man said as he let go of Kan and clung to the guard's knees. "I'll do anything. Just don't hurt them." Kan gave an evil grin to the man. He paced over to the wife.

"Now, why should I spare them?" Kan asked. He bent down, his hands grasping at the woman's throat. "They are vermin!" He pulled, a green flash striking. He then grabbed the son's chest. "Lying and deceitful!" He yanked again, another green light flashed. The man was sobbing as Kan now held his little girl in his hands. He placed a hand to the girl's throat. "And no better than dirt." Kan yanked again, a green flash issuing a last time.

The man broke down at the feet of Kan. Kan stooped low and lifted the man's face upwards. "I'll join you." The man said in desperation as he saw the inevitable come. Kan gave another smile.

"I'm glad you realize your position." Kan said as he placed a thumb into the man's temple and a red light flashed on the man's head. The man fell limp and his guards dragged the ma away and out of the house. Kan left, a small spring in his step.

"My Lord." A Junsei aide said as they exited the house.

"What is it?" Kan demanded in his same threatening manner.

"The Junsei you sent out with second-in-command Tirca were not reported to meet the checkpoint they had determined. They have gone AWOL." Kan stopped in his tracks and turned to his guards.

"Leave him." Kan said as his eyes flashed angrily. He reached out an arm and without even looking yanked the aide's soul out, a flash of yellow as the body collapsed. "We have some traitors to find."

Tirca scrambled down into the large stone valley before them. "We've been traveling for some time now. Shouldn't we rest?" the woman asked.

"Not unless you want Lord Kan after you." Tirca said as she looked back to the Junsei, exhausted from the climb. "Look, just a bit further and then we can start to figure out what to do with ourselves."

There was a low roar from somewhere beyond the valley. Tirca spun around as a few other Junsei readied themselves.

"What was that?" a man asked.

"I'm not sure. A predator." Another man answered.

"If it is we can take them." A woman said confidently. There was another low roar and the earth gave a small shake. Tirca's eyes widened along with all the others as a giant, long red dragon slithered past an outcropping of rocks, a vivid look on its face. They stood there motionless, one looking back at the other. Tirca was the first to bow down, exposing her neck to the mighty beast.

The others, with some reluctance at showing a weakness in front of such a big beast, bowed as well. The dragon looked them over, examining them over. There was another low roar. A large blue dragon slithered in behind the Junsei. Tirca began to sweat, wondering if this was a good idea. She looked up to see the dragons staring intently at her.

"Hello, mighty dragons." Tirca said as she got up. The blue dragon moved behind her, cutting her off. The dragons crouched down and opened their mouths wide, blasting Tirca away with two powerful jets of fire.

The whirlwind of fire swirled around her, showing her flames and colors she had never seen before. But Tirca felt something else. She felt the energy inside of her chest relax. She felt a warm and pleasant feeling running through her, extending from the knot of energy in her heart. "I understand." Tirca said to herself as she lifted a hand to her heart.

The dragons recalled their flames and stood up to their full height. The Junsei had a look of horror on their faces and a couple rushed forward to her.

"Are you all right?" one said as he got up to you. "Any burns."

"No. I feel…wonderful." Tirca answered. "I feel…like the energy inside of me is…at peace with fire."

"What?" another Junsei asked. Tirca had a growing smile upon her face as she gave a quick laugh.

"That's it." Tirca said as she connected it in her head. "Fire. The solution to this curse. Fire is the energy inside, released in a vivid form that is both destruction and offensive…but also the life that we have been destroying."

"What are you saying?" a Junsei asked Tirca as she looked back, other Junsei rushing forward.

"Firebending." Tirca exclaimed. "It draws on the same form for energybending but it is stylized. We can control it and bend it without having to change who we are. We can learn from the dragons to become Firebenders."

"You little traitor."

Tirca looked past the Junsei who were dashing to the side as Kan stood there, his red cape billowing in the air. Tirca moved forward, directly opposite of Kan and the rest of his army. "Nice little lie you told. Too bad you didn't know I sent a scouting party ahead to your checkpoint to make sure you arrived."

"It wasn't a lie. I was going to lead the Junsei away. But not to betray you." Tirca explained. "We left to find a better solution to this power we have. Not all of us wanted this destructive power. We want an ability that doesn't just destroy and is so powerful. We want something that can be used offensively that we can have better control over. We want to become Firebenders."

"You know, having a definitive element might be nice." A Junsei on Kan's side agreed.

"Traitor!" Kan shouted as he turned on the man. A red flash crossed the man's forehead and he fell to the ground.

"Kan, think about it." Tirca pleaded. "We can learn from the dragon's. They feel the same things we do. We can become more apt at using this curse."

Kan was breathing heavy as he saw a wind of response not only in the other Junsei but in his own as well. "How could a common beast feel something that we do?" Kan turned to look at the dragons.

"Kan, you aren't alone." Tirca told him. "Just because they aren't human doesn't mean they don't know how to control these feelings we have. Just think about it."

"There is nothing to think about!" Kan shouted. He walked forward, aiming for the dragons. "I am more powerful as an Energybender than any filthy animal." Kan grabbed a large rock and threw it at the dragons.

They dodged and shot a massive plume of fire at Kan. Kan blocked it with a shield of fire and shot another flame back at them. The red dragon swallowed the attack in its mouth as the blue dragon flapped its wings, sending Kan tumbling backwards.

He flung his cape off of him, glaring down at the Junsei. "Fine then. Go and play with your weak element. Go and be like everyone else! Throw our plan into ruin! I'll take out this world myself." Kan jumped over the small rock cliff nearby and skidded across the earth. He took off running, painful memories resurfacing.

The Junsei army looked back at Tirca. "Well…" a man said as he rubbed his head awkwardly. "How are we going to live now?"

"Just as Lord Kan said." Tirca told him. "Like all the other nations. Bending one specific element."

"But, what will we call ourselves?" a woman asked as she stepped forward.

Tirca lowered her head to think about it for a moment. "Well, this energy inside, this flame, feels like a mini sun and, we will be bending fire." Tirca got the idea in her head instantly. "We will be the Sun Warriors."