Kole:
I looked out the window at some wolf-antelopes grazing on a hill side. They looked up at the monorail tracks above them as a car we were in slid past, pushed by two earthbenders. Inside the car, Odette, Alana, Elise, Fang, and I were awaiting our arrival at Eralith. I looked out the window and spotted the inner wall of the capital drawing closer.
"Look, the inner wall. I can't believe we finally made it to Eralith in one piece," I breathed in relief.
"Hey don't jinx it! We could still be attacked by some giant, exploding Fire Nation spoon. Or find out the city's been submerged in an ocean full of killer shrimp," Alana said, her eyes bugging out.
I shook my head as Elise snickered.
"You been hitting the cactus juice again?" she asked.
Alana glared at her. "I'm just sayin', weird stuff happens to us."
A very strange man with a glossy stare and a large yellow plant in his mouth suddenly took a seat between Elise and Alana, startling them. He stared ahead blankly and chewed the plant.
How bout that?
Odette looked out the window then closed her eyes sadly.
I knew what was wrong immediately. "Don't worry Odette, we'll find Fanindra."
She looked to me, her grey eyes wide with worry. "It's such a big city."
Alana smiled at her gently. "She's a giant dragon. Where could someone possibly hide her? Oh…"
The car passed through the inner wall and entered the vast, enormous city. Eralith stretched almost as far as the eye could see, and was riddled with many roads and buildings. Their car finally came to a stop at the monorail station. All of us disembarked and were greeted by another spectacular view of Eralith.
Elise sighed sadly. "Back in the city. Great."
Alana was surprised. "What's the problem? It's amazing!"
Elise shrugged. "Just a bunch of walls and rules. You wait; you'll get sick of it in a couple of days."
Odette looked at the dragon whistle resting in her palm. She brought it to her lips and blew it as she looked across the city.
"I'm comin' for you buddy. She's here. I can feel it," she said, perking up a bit.
Behind our group, the monorail cars departed. On the other side of the track was a woman with long dark hair that billowed in the wind. She approached them with an unnatural smile on her face.
"Hello, my name is Nyra. I have been given the great honor of showing the Avatar around Eralith. And you must be Alana, Kole, and Elise. Welcome to our wonderful city. Shall we get started?"
Alana nodded. "Yes. We have information about the Fire Nation army that we need to deliver to the Earth King immediately."
Nyra ignored her. "Great, let's begin our tour. And then I'll show you to your new home here. I think you'll like it."
Nyra turned around and attempted to lead Odette and us away.
Alana wouldn't have that. "Augh! Maybe you missed what I said. We need to talk to the King about the war, it's important."
Nyra smiled. "You're in Eralith now. Everyone is safe here."
Everyone had a confused look on their face in reaction to Nyra's odd statement.
Odette:
An ostrich horse was pulling a carriage containing Nyra, my friends, and I through the streets of Eralith. Many shops and refugees lined the streets, poor yet surprisingly happy.
Nyra explained the different sights as we went. "This is the lower ring."
Kole turned to her. "What's that wall for?"
Nyra looked to where he was pointing. "Oh, Eralith has many walls. There are the ones outside protecting us, and the one's inside that help maintain order. This is where our newest arrivals live, as well as our craftsman and artisans, people that work with their hands. It's so quaint and lively."
I had a second opinion on that as I spotted two shady men conversing in an alley. One of them was holding a large sword that glistened in the light. Both glared at the carriage as it passed.
"You do want to watch your step though," Nyra said, catching my look.
Kole frowned. "Why do they have all these poor people blocked off in one part of the city?"
"This is why I never came here before. I always heard it was so different from the way the monks taught us to live," I said bitterly. I had a feeling Elise was going to be right about this place.
Ren:
In the lower ring, Uncle and I walked down the street. Uncle caught up to me from behind, holding a large vase with several orange flowers placed in it. I stared coldly at the flora, wondering why he was lugging the stupid thing around.
Uncle caught my look and smiled. "I just want our new place to look nice in case someone brings home a lady friend."
He gave me a small nudge with his elbow and I groaned. If he was thinking of Detra, vomit. If he was thinking of Odette…maybe. No! No not maybe. I seriously needed to stop doing that or else I was going to kill myself. If I saw Odette, I had to capture her, weather I loved her or not…which regrettably, I did. It was the only way I would be able to get out of this hellhole.
"This city is a prison. I don't want to make a life here," I growled.
Uncle smiled at me. "Life happens wherever you are, whether you make it or not. Now come on, I found us some new jobs, and we start this afternoon."
I groaned as we continued walking.
Detra:
I stared hard at the two fire benders, feeling my blood boil knowing that they had succeeded into making it into Eralith so easily.
"Look at them, firebenders living right under everyone's nose," I growled in disgust. Smellerbee and Longshot walked up to me from an alley.
Smellerbee sighed, annoyed. "Detra, you saw a man with a hot cup of tea. It doesn't prove he's a firebender. And what if he is, are we supposed to attack them? I thought we were starting over here, changing our ways."
I rolled my eyes. "We are, when I get the evidence I need, I'll report them to the police and let them handle it. Ok?"
They gave me suspicious looks that I ignored.
Odette:
Nyra continued to take my friends and I on the tour of Eralith. At the moment, our carriage was crossing over a bridge. We were now in a much cleaner and nicer looking part of the city.
"This is the middle ring of Eralith, home to the financial district, shops and restaurants and the university," she said, her weird grin still on her face.
"Yeah, we met a Professor from Eralith University. He took us to an ancient underground library where we discovered information about the war that is absolutely crucial for the King to hear!" Alana said, trying for the hundredth time to get her to take us to the Earth King. Alana said this all in one breath, and leaned in close to Nyra to emphasize her point. Nyra simply grinned cheerfully.
"Isn't history fascinating? Look, here's one of the oldest buildings in the middle ring, Town Hall."
The carriage stopped and Nyra exited. Alana stared after her, bewildered.
She turned to us, shocked. "Is that woman deaf She only seems to hear every other word I say."
"It's called 'being handled'. Get used to it."
Elise crossed her arms and Kole and I looked at Alana hopelessly.
Ren:
Our new job was located in a small tea shop in the lower ring. Detra was leaning against the shop's wall near the window, stalking me. She turned around and peeked inside, watching as Uncle and I spoke with the tea shop owner. I did my best to keep cool and act like she was not there.
"Well, you certainly look like official tea servers. How do you feel?" the shop owner asked, turning to me.
"Ridiculous," I growled.
Uncle and I were both wearing aprons. Uncle desperately attempted to tie the string behind his back, but his effort was in vain.
"Uh, Does this possibly come in a larger size?" he asked.
Oh would the embarrassment never end?
"I have extra string in the back. Have some tea while you wait," the shop owner said.
He poured two cups of tea and handed them to us before heading to the back of the shop. Uncle took a sip from his cup, but quickly pulled it away, his face contorted in disgust.
"Eeow! This tea is nothing more than hot leaf juice!"
I paused then looked at him questioningly. "Uncle, that's what all tea is."
Uncle was outraged. "How can a member of my own family say something so horrible? We'll have to make some major changes around here."
He grabbed the teapot and headed over to the window Detra was spying through. I looked over slightly and saw her gasp and pull away just in time as Uncle dumped the tea out the window.
That was going to be a problem real fast.
Odette:
Our endless tour had come to the Upper Ring, a beautiful area full of rolling hills and tall pagodas that sat atop them.
Nyra spoke as we looked around in awe. "The Upper Ring is home to our most important citizens. Your house is not too far from here."
The carriage passed by another wall with a tall gate. Behind it the roof of an enormous building could be seen. Three men standing in the gateway, wearing dark robes and wide brimmed hats, turned their eyes towards us.
"What's inside that wall?" Kole asked.
Alana leaned over. "And who are the mean looking guys in robes?"
Nyra smiled. "Inside is the Royal Palace. Those men are agents of the Dai Li, the cultural authority of Eralith. They are the guardians of all our traditions."
I was getting fed up with all this stupid information. "Can we see the King now?"
Nyra shut me down immediately. "Oh, no! One doesn't just pop in on the Earth King."
I nodded my head sadly. I didn't look up again until we pulled up to a small but very lovely house.
"Here we are. Your new home." A messenger ran up to Nyra and handed her a scroll. She quickly read it and then looked up at us. "More good news, your request for an audience with the Earth King is being processed, and should be put through in about a month. Much more quickly than usual."
Alana was stunned. "A month!"
"Six to eight weeks, actually." Nyra grinned at us while we all stared at her dumbfounded.
Kole:
The living room was…ridiculous. There were lit lamps hanging from the ceiling, cushy pillows, plush carpet, glossy wooden floors, and a bunch more. Elise and I were sitting on square mats in the middle of the room. Behind us were some steps leading to a slightly elevated portion of the room.
Nyra was walking around with her creepy smile glued to her face. "Isn't it nice? I think you will really enjoy it here."
"I think we'd enjoy it more if we weren't staying so long. Can't we see the King any sooner?" Alana pressed, irritated.
Nyra shook her head. "The Earth King is very busy running the finest city in the world, but he will see you as soon as time permits."
"If we are going to be here for a month, we should spend our time looking for Fanindra," Odette said, brushing her hair out of her face.
Fang perked up at the mention of Fanindra.
Nyra bowed. "I'll be happy to escort you anywhere you would like to go."
"We don't need a babysitter. "Elise stood up and began heading for the door.
"Oh, I won't get in the way," she said as she took a small step into Elise's path. "And to leave you alone would make me a bad host. Where shall we start?"
Odette:
Nyra decided the best place to start would be at the pet store. Go figure.
As we were speaking to the nervous shop owner, I watched at Fang jumped onto the bowl of birdseed that was hanging by a pole and began eating the seeds. He was quickly scared off by a cat owl as it screeched its annoyance out at him. I shook my head before tuning back into what the owner was saying.
"I'm sorry, but I haven't heard anything about a dragon. I didn't even know there are any," he said and I nodded. I'd had low hopes for this place to begin with.
"If someone wanted to sell a stolen animal without anyone knowing, where would they go?" I pressed.
"Where's the black market? Who runs it? Come on, you know!" Alana pointed an accusing finger at the owner, agitated.
The pet shop owner was nervous and perspiring. "Uh…"
He looked at Nyra standing behind Alana and I and I watched her out of the corner of my eyes and saw her smile at him and slowly shake her head.
"That would be illegal. You'll have to leave now. Your wolf is harassing my sparrowkeets," he said hurriedly.
I looked over and saw Fang at another birdseed bowl surrounded by squawking sparrowkeets. He covered his head and quickly gobbled a several small mouthfuls of birdseed.
The next place we looked in was the courtyard of Eralith University. There were a few students walking around and a tall statue in the middle. We started speaking to a lone student sitting at the foot of the statue's pedestal. He was a nerdy looking boy, with bucked teeth, round thick glasses, flat nose, and neat hair. When I walked up to him, his eyes grew twice as large behind his glasses and he smiled shyly at me.
"Hi," I said as I walked up and knelt down slightly. "My name is Odette and I was just wondering if you happened to know where any sandbenders might be?"
"Hmm, I've never seen any sandbenders or nomads around here. You should ask Professor Zei, he teaches the class on dessert cultures," he said, his voice high pitched as if he had not yet hit puberty.
Alana stepped forward, snapping him out of the googly-eyed looks he was giving me. "Right. And which of your professors could we ask about the war with the Fire Nation?"
The student, unsure of what to do, glanced at Nyra, who was still smiling and standing behind the rest of us. I didn't have to look to know she was shaking her head at the student. Alana caught this out of the corner of her eye and turned to look at Nyra, but she stopped before she could tell what she is doing.
The student looked back to me, nervous. "Uh, I don't know. I'm not a political science student. I have to get to class. Ugh!"
The student hurried to get away, but tripped and dropped the scrolls he was carrying. He gasped and grumbled as he picked them back up and continued on. Nyra waved goodbye as he went and I narrowed my eyes. She needed to go.
We gave up - well Nyra gave up - and we returned to the house. Once there, we stood on the steps while Nyra sat inside the carriage and talked to us through window.
"Well, I'm sorry no one has seen your dragon. Why don't you go get some rest? Someone will be over with dinner later," she said.
We all watched her in annoyance as the carriage drove off. I shook my head and turned to go back when I suddenly noticed something across the street that caught my eye. A man in the house across from us was peeking through a window at us.
Alana noticed too and leaned over to whisper. "Hey, come with me."
Everyone followed her across the street. She knocked on the front door and the same man appeared and opened the door a crack, smiling at us.
"You're the Avatar. I heard you were in town. I'm Nicholas," he said, smiling still.
What was with all the smiles in this place?
Alana nodded slightly and cut right to the chase. "So Nicholas, what's goin' on with this city? Why is everyone here so scared to talk about the war?"
Nicholas shifted his eyes left and right. "War? Scared? What do you mean?"
Elise smirked and leaned against the doorframe. "I can feel you shaking."
"Look, I'm just a minor government official. I've waited three years to get this house. I don't want to get into trouble," he replied, looking left and right to make sure no one was watching.
Kole frowned. "Get in trouble with who?"
Nicholas put a finger to his lips. "Shh, listen, you can't mention the war here, and whatever you do, stay away from the Dai Li."
Nicholas slid the door shut and everyone stared at each other, confused.
Detra:
I was at a complex of apartments. It was night time now, and from a balcony in the shadows, hiding behind a clothesline, I spied on Lee and Mushi in the apartment across from me. I could see them through the windows on both sides of the room, and I shifted my gaze to either side as they talked. Mushi was standing by a counter with a teapot and Lee was lying on a cot.
"Would you like a pot of tea?" the old man asked.
Lee groaned bitterly. "We've been working in a tea shop all day. I'm sick of tea!"
"Sick of tea? That's like being sick of breathing!" Mushi rummaged through the cupboard beneath the counter. "Have you seen our spark rocks to heat up the water?"
"They're not there," I murmured to myself, smug. I opened one of my palms to reveal two emerald green spark rocks. "You'll have to firebend, old man. Where are you going?"
I narrowed my eyes as Mushi walked away for a moment. He soon returned with a pair of spark rocks.
"I borrowed our neighbors, such kind people."
Mushi struck the spark rocks together near the small pile of twigs beneath the teapot. They quickly ignited and a small flame was created. I clenched my teeth in annoyance and ducked behind the clothesline and left.
Kole:
Morning had come, and a blue jay was singing in the trees. I walked out from the front door, stretching and yawning. I grabbed a roll of papers sticking out of a mail slot attached to the wall. I read it briefly and gasped with excitement before running back inside. The others were all lounging around the upper part of the living room.
"I've got it! I know how we're gonna see the Earth King!" I said excitedly, hoping to cheer Odette up.
"How are we supposed to do that? 'One doesn't just pop in on the Earth King,'" Elise said, mimicking Nyra.
I smiled. "The King is having a party at the palace tonight for his pet bear."
Odette sat up. "You mean Platypus-Bear?"
"No, it just says 'Bear,'" I said.
Alana wasn't understanding. "Certainly you mean his pet Skunk-Bear."
"Or his Armadillo-Bear," Elise seconded.
Odette coked her head to the side. "Gopher-Bear?"
"Just…'Bear'."
Elise spoke after a silent moment. "This place is weird."
After a moment of silence we all seemed to agree with this last statement.
"The palace will be packed. We can sneak in with the crowd," I said, getting back on topic.
Elise laid down, smirking. "Won't work."
"Why not?"
"Well, no offense to you simple country folk, but a real society crowd would spot you from a mile away. You've got no manners," she said.
Elise grabbed a pastry from a bowl next to her and started eating it.
Odette placed her hands on her slender hips. "Excuse me? I've got no manners? You're not exactly lady fancy fingers."
Elise burped, proving my point.
"I learned proper society behavior and chose to leave it." She threw the half eaten pastry off to the side. "You never learned anything. And frankly, it's a little too late."
She picked her nose and flicked the snot off her finger.
"Ah-Ha, but you learned it. You could teach us," Alana said.
"Yeah, how hard could manners be," I said and grabbed a nearby curtain and draped it around myself like a noble's robe. I began talking in a very sophisticated manner. "Good evening, Ms. Alana Watertribe. Ms. Odette Avatar. Lord Fang of the Fang Dynasty, your Fang-ness."
Fang peeked out from a carpet he was hiding under and nodded his head. Alana was now wearing a curtain like me.
Alana mimicked a typical high class snob. "Kole, how you do? Go on."
I bowed to Alana and Alana bowed back. I tried to out do Alana's bow with a deeper bow and Alana returned this bow with an even deeper bow. Both of us tried to bow at the same time, but we knocked each other's foreheads' together and fell backward.
"Ow!" I snapped, rubbing the red spot on my forehead.
"Odette might be able to pull it off, but you two would be lucky to pass as busboys," Elsie said, gesturing to my sister and I.
Alana frowned. "But I feel so fancy."
Something small landed on Alana's head and she frowned sadly.
Odette:
It had reached dusk now and the lights inside had been lit. When Elise and I walked out of the room, the two siblings were playing some sort of game with their hands. Kole's was balled into a fist and Alana was wiggling her fingers.
"Earth!"
"Fire! Augh! Ooh!"
Alana grumbled at having lost the game. Kole raised his hands in triumph before he flicked Alana's forehead. Elise and I walked out, wearing exquisite Earth Kingdom dresses and holding fans. Our hair was tied around head dresses decorated with flowers, and both of us were wearing makeup - something I hated because it made me feel like a clown. Elise and I stared at the siblings calmly before giving in to a fit of giggles. Kole blushed and stared dreamily at the site of us, mostly me.
"Wow, you look beautiful," he said, eyeing me up and down.
Alana's hand inched towards his head and delivered a flick to his forehead. I was about to say something when Elise placed her fan in front of my mouth.
"Don't talk to the commoners, Odette. First rule of society," she said and I nodded.
"We'll get in the party, and then find a way to let you in through the side gate," I said.
Kole and Alana watched as we left the house.
Detra:
I was outside the tea shop the next day. An officer walked in through the door then a guard.
I was spying on the shop from an alley, keeping to the shadows, waiting for the right moment.
"Detra, we need to talk," Smellerbee's voice suddenly spoke behind me. I turned in surprise and saw Longshot and her standing right behind me, staring at me with serious expressions.
"What? Oh great, it's you guys. Where have you been? I could use some help with surveillance here," I said, slightly annoyed with their flightiness.
"We've been talking, and we think you're becoming obsessed with this. It's not healthy," she said to me.
I was surprised. "Oh, really? You both think this?"
Longshot silently placed a hand on Smellerbee's shoulder, indicating his agreement.
Smellerbee sighed. "We came here to make a fresh start, but you won't let this go. Even though there's no real proof!"
She gestured at the tea shop across the street.
I couldn't believe this, betrayed by my own brothers. "Well, maybe if you'd help me…"
"Detra, you've gotta stop this," Smellerbee snapped, narrowing her eyes.
"Maybe you've forgotten why we need to start over. Maybe you've forgotten about how the Fire Nation left us all homeless? How they wiped out all the people we loved. If you don't want to help me, I'll get the evidence on my own."
What was wrong with these two?
Longshot and Smellerbee looked down guiltily and I stalked off towards the tea shop. Who needed them anyway?
Ren:
I watched as Uncle poured a cup of tea for the officer that had walked in earlier.
"This is the best tea in the city!" the officer said.
Uncle smiled kindly. "The secret ingredient is love."
Uncle waved a hand through the steam coming from the teapot and walked towards the back of the shop where the owner and I were.
Tea shop owner smiled at him eagerly as we refilled our trays. "I think you're due for a raise."
Not a second later, Detra suddenly slammed the tea shop door open and stepped inside.
Oh great.
Detra fixed her eyes on me and I glared. "I'm tired of waiting. These two men are firebenders!"
She pointed an accusing finger at Uncle and I, a crazed look in her emerald eyes. Detra unsheathed her hook swords and prepared to fight. Uncle and I quickly exchanged a look, unsure of what to do.
Annoyed, I returned my gaze back to the girl. Everyone's attention was focused on her.
"I know they're firebenders! I saw the old man heating his tea!" she shouted, sounding like an insane person.
The officer gave her a weird look. "He works in a tea shop."
Detra was growing more frustrated. "He's a firebender, I'm telling you!"
"Drop your swords girl, nice and easy."
The two officers sitting at one of tables stood up and prepared to take care of Detra.
She ignored them and looked only to me, hate filling her features. I always knew she had been a psycho, she even rivaled Athera in some ways.
"You'll have to defend yourself. Then everyone will know. Go ahead, show them what you can do," Detra snarled at me.
She poised her hook swords and slowly walked towards Uncle and I. One of the officers prepared to draw the swords at his waist when I stepped in front of him and grabbed the hilt instead. I'd had enough of this.
"You want a show? I'll give you a show," I growled.
I unsheathed the officer's double broadswords and entered my fighting stance. I then pulled a table in front of me with my foot and kicked it at Detra. Detra sliced her hook swords into the table and jumped over it. As she landed, she swung both hook swords down at me. I deflected the attack and jumped backward on to another table. Detra swung one sword through the middle of the table, slicing it in half. I stepped to one half of the table and balanced on one foot. Detra followed up my attack by cutting through the legs on the half of the table I was standing on.
I quickly hopped on to the other half that was still standing and landed in a crane stance. Detra knocked this half to the ground, but I jumped into the air and swung both broadswords at Detra's feet as I landed. Detra somersaulted away and landed in a crouching position before charging forward at me again. I swung both of my swords at Detra, both pairs of weapons clashing together.
Odette:
Several high class citizens were lined up at the palace gates and being admitted inside by a guard. He was checking out the invitation of one group before letting them pass. Elise and I were next in line and approached the guard confidentially.
"Invitation please."
"I think this will do." Elise held up the official seal of the Amberhood family to the guard.
"No entry without an invitation. Step out of line please," he said.
"Look, the Perellas' and the Balakrishnans' are waiting in there for us. I'm going to have to tell them who didn't let me in," she snapped, annoyed.
The guard remained unyielding. "Step out of line please."
The guard pointed his finger to the side and Elise and I walked off, disappointed. The sound of a carriage grabbed my attention and I looked up to see a high ranking government official step out of the carriage. Two guards bowed to him.
I smiled as an idea came into my mind. Elise and I walked towards the official hurriedly.
"Sir I'm sorry to bother you, but my cousin lost our invitations." I leaned towards him, whispering. "She's blind. Do you think you could help us? Our family's inside and I'm sure they're very worried."
The man smiled and bowed his head. He had long black hair was braided into an elegant braid that fell down his back. His eyes were a dark green color and his face was middle aged and pale. "I am honored, please come with me."
The man walked towards the guard at the entrance with Elise and I following closely. The guard bowed to him and the three of us headed into the palace. As we were walking in, Elise and I stuck our tongues out at the guard while his back was turned.
"Nyah! Pssfft!" we both hissed
Inside the palace, many guests were conversing around a long dining table with an assortment of foods placed upon it. At one end of the table was the Earth King's bear eating a steak, his drool dripping of his chin. He was dressing in a yellow shirt and a green hat. Seated to either side of him were two guests.
"He's taking all the good stuff!" one of them whined.
"Quiet, you don't know what I had to do to get seats this near the bear!" the other snapped.
The bear swiped what remains of the steak into the first guest's face before pouncing onto the table and devouring a large plate of meat in front of him. He pulled his head away as the man, Elise, and I walked into the hall.
"It's beautiful, isn't it? By the way, I'm Long-Fang. I'm a cultural minister to the king," the man said kindly.
"I'm Maybella, and this is…Freeda." Elise frowned and tugged at a string hanging from my headdress, pulling my hair. "Ow!"
Long-Fang ignored us. "Now where is your family? I'd love to meet them."
I looked around uncertainly. "Um... I don't see 'em right now. But I'm sure we'll find them soon. Thanks for all your help."
Elise and I walked away from Long-Fang. A moment later, he mysteriously appeared in front of us again, causing us to stumble back in surprise.
"Don't worry, as your escort it would be dishonorable to abandon you ladies without finding your families first. We'll keep looking.
Long-Fang turned around and began leading Elise and I away. I had a sickening feelings that this night was not going to go well.
Kole:
Alana and I stood outside of the palace. Two guards were stationed at the gates, making it impossible for us to sneak in. I peeked around the pedestal of a statue of a lion I was hiding behind, Alana around the other side.
"Where are they?" I asked.
Odette looked so beautiful tonight. I mean, she always looked beautiful but tonight…she looked different, more like the princess that she was meant to be instead of the hero that she was.
Alana and I ducked back behind the pedestal. Fang was there with us.
"Look, I came up with a backup plan," Alana said and picked Fang up by the armpits. "We dress Fang like a ghost, OK? He runs by the guards creating a distraction, then we blast a hole in the wall…"
I stood up and peered over the pedestal.
"Or, we could go in with these guys. Elise said we might pass as busboys," I said, giving her a sarcastic look at her ridiculous idea.
I pointed over to a carriage parked in front of the gate. Alana peeked over the pedestal at a few busboys unloading supplies from the back of it and bringing them inside.
"OK, but remember that Fang ghost plan. I think it's a winner."
Alana and I sank back behind the pedestal.
Ren:
I burst through the door and tumbled into the street. Detra ran after me and did a few spins before striking at me with both swords. I managed to block the strike and both of us locked swords.
Detra sneered at me, pressing her face close to mine. "You must be getting tired of using those swords. Why don't you go ahead and firebend at me."
We both struggled to gain control and walked off to the side. Uncle was now standing in the doorway and watching, worried.
"Please dear, you're confused. You don't know what you're doing!" he yelled at my attacker.
I swung at Detra, but she caught my broadsword with the ends of her hook swords, spun around and deflected it to the side. I spun with it and tried to counter attack, but Detra hooked the ends of my swords together and began swinging them at me in large circular motions. I retreated back a few steps to avoid the bladed hilt.
"Bet you wish I'd help you out with a little fire blast right now."
As Detra swung at my feet, I stabbed one of my broadswords through the hilt, pinning it to the ground. Detra looked at it with annoyance before focusing back on me.
"You're the one who needs help," I snapped back, furious.
Both of us were down to one sword each. Detra let go of her pinned hook sword and retreated a step. She turned in a circle and tried to swipe at me, but I quickly advanced and swung my sword at Detra in a horizontal motion. Detra pulled her attack back just in time to bend backward and avoid my blade. My broadsword passed over Detra, cutting the wheat straw sticking out of her mouth in half.
Detra regained balance and jumped backward on to the edge of a well. By now several people were in the street watching the fight.
"You see that? The Fire Nation is trying to silence me. It'll never happen," she screeched. She hooked her sword onto a wooden beam above the well and swung forward at me, attacking me with a flying kick.
Odette:
I watched in amusement as I spotted Kole and Alana, who were dressed as busboys and were serving guests. Kole was pouring a drink and Alana was serving food on a plate. Both of them stood back to back. Fang's tail was sticking out from under Kole's big serving hat.
"Where are Elise and Odette?" I heard him ask.
Alana waved her hand. "Forget about them, just keep an eye out for the King."
Fang's tail raised up to Alana's face and began wagging back and forth.
"I don't know what he looks like," Kole said.
"You know, "royal", flowing robe, fancy jewelry." Alana grabbed Fang's tail forcibly, causing the hair on it to stand up on end.
"That could be anyone," I said as I approached them, pointing out that everyone was dressed in royal clothing.
Elise was now also standing right next to Kole.
"Another crab puff please," she asked in a snooty voice.
Kole turned to us with a big smile. "You found us."
"I'd know your little footsteps anywhere," she replied and he frowned.
Alana smiled and presented her tray to Elise, who grabbed a crab puff and began to nibble on it. Kole joined our group and blushed when he saw me.
Alana glared at me sarcastically. "Thanks for letting us in."
I winced. "Sorry, but the guy who escorted us in, won't let us out of his sight."
Alana peered behind me, trying to spot the escort. "What guy?"
I looked up and saw with surprise that Long-Fang was nowhere in sight…but Nyra was. Her normally cheerful demeanor was replaced with anxiety as she approached us.
"What are you doing here? You have to leave immediately, or we'll all be in terrible trouble," she said and tried to push Alana out of the way, but she blocked her with her tray.
"Not until we see the King."
Nyra glared at her. "You don't understand. You must go."
Nyra shoved Alana into me, causing me to spill the contents of the pitcher I was holding onto a guest.
"Aarrhhh! Oh!" she screamed, sopping wet.
"Sorry! No, don't shout," I said, wincing. I used my hands and foot to airbend a gust at the guest, my hat falling off. It dried her off, but also turned her hair, clothes and makeup into a mess.
I smiled sheepishly.
The guest was briefly shocked, but smiled in amazement. "The Avatar. Ooh, I didn't known the Avatar would be here."
All the guests' attention were now focused on me. Nyra's large, happy smile quickly turned sour and was replaced by a frown and a look of pure dread. I looked around at the guests as Fang hid under the hat on the floor and slinked away. I blushed and waved at the crowd, laughing nervously. Alana leaned in towards me.
Alana leaned over to whisper to me. "You keep their attention while I look for the King."
I nodded and put on a big happy smile. "Watch this everybody!"
I leaped out of my fancy clothes and on to the long dining table as Alana walked off into the crowd. I swung my arms over the guests' drinks, waterbending the liquid out of the cups. I then jumped onto a pitcher and balanced on top of it. I brought the liquid above my head and created a swirling multicolored ball. The crowd 'oohed' at the spectacle and the king's bear growled with delight at my antics.
Ren:
I growled as I swung my broadsword at Detra. She parried the attack and stepped to my side and the two of us ended up back to back. We attempted to strike at each other from behind, but neither of us could get past the other's defense. Two Dai Li were walking through the crowd and towards our sword fight.
"Drop your weapons!" the agents snapped angrily.
Detra and I stepped away and faced each other. I lowered my swords and Detra pointed at Uncle and I.
"Arrest them. They're Firebenders," she snapped, breathing hard with rage.
Uncle stepped forward. "This poor girl is confused. We're just simple refugees."
The tea shop owner pointed at Detra. "This young woman wrecked my tea shop, and assaulted my employees."
The officer we had served earlier seconded the statement. "It's true sir. We saw the whole thing. This crazy kid attacked the finest tea maker in the city."
Uncle blushed. "Oh ho ho. That's very sweet."
The two Dai Li walked up behind Detra, who looked at them angrily.
"Come with us girl," one of the guards said.
Detra swung her hook sword at the Dai Li guard, but he caught the sword with his hand covered in stones. The guard then disarmed Detra and both guards pulled the girl's arms behind her back, binding her wrists together using the stones on the palms of their gloves. They dragged Detra away toward a wagon designed for holding captured criminals.
"You don't understand! They're Fire Nation! You have to believe me!" Detra screamed, thrashing about madly, her crazed eyes fixed on me with a vengeance.
Uncle and I watched as Detra was put into the wagon. The crowd began to disperse. On her knees, Detra looked up as the doors slammed shut. The people left in the street watched the wagon roll away. I turned and saw Longshot and Smellerbee looking on, hidden within the crowd, and silently walk out of sight.
Odette:
Two lines of guards walked into the hall. Eight of them were carrying a curtained platform. The Earth King sat quietly on the platform, noble and poised. He had a young, pointed face and narrow eyes. A pair of round spectacles rested on his nose, and he dressed in traditional Earth Kingdom colors and patterns.
The crowd marveled in the presence of their host and ruler. Alana sneaked through the crowd and attempted to get a better view of the king. I focused on the line of guards as they placed the platform down and faced the guests. Alana looked over at me and pointed at the earth King.
"Odette, the Earth King," she mouthed.
Even though I had seen him, I was still entertaining the king's bear with some waterbending. Noticing that this was my opportunity, I bent an air scooter and whisked down the table.
"Greetings your majesty," I said as I flew down the length of the table.
Three guests pulled their food and drinks off the table before I could run over them with my air scooter. The platform was carried off while a line of guards walked up to the long dining table. I reached the other end of the dining table on my air scooter in no time, knocking over several dishes on my way. I dismounted the scooter and held my arms up in triumph. Long-Fang walked up to me from behind the line of guards and addressed me.
"Avatar, it is a great honor to meet you. I am Long-Fang, Grand Secretary of Eralith and head of the Dai Li," he said and I gave him a strange look. Apparently he didn't recognize me from before. "I'd like to talk to you. Your friends will be waiting for us in the library."
Long-Fang gestured for me to follow him and headed toward the library. I hesitated for a moment before hopping off the table and following.
Kole:
The library's large double doors closed shut. We all stood facing Long-Fang, who was sitting in front of a hearth that illuminated the area with a green flame.
Alana was not happy, as usual. "Why won't you let us talk to the King? We have information that could defeat the Fire Nation!"
Long-Fang looked at her coolly, his green eyes reflecting the emerald flames. "The Earth King has no time to get involved with political squabbles and the day to day minutia of military activities."
Odette looked at him pleadingly. "This could be the most important thing he has ever heard."
"What's most important to his royal majesty is maintaining the cultural heritage of Eralith. All his duties relate to issuing decrees on such matters. It's my job to oversee the rest of the city's resources, including the military."
I gaped. "So the King is just a figurehead."
Elise jumped up, furious. "He's your puppet!"
Long-Fang laughed at her in amusement. "Oh, no, no! His majesty is an icon, a god to his people. He can't sully his hands with the hourly change of an endless war."
"But we found out about a solar eclipse that will leave the Fire Nation defenseless. You could lead an invasion…"
Long-Fang stood up suddenly, cutting Alana off. "Enough, I don't want to hear your ridiculous plan!"
Alana started, a confused and hurt expression on her face.
"It is the strict policy of Eralith that the war not be mentioned within the walls. Constant news of an escalating war will throw the citizens of Eralith into a state of panic. Our economy would be ruined. Our peaceful way of life, our traditions would disappear. In silencing talk of conflict, Eralith remains a peaceful, orderly utopia. The last one on Earth."
Odette and the rest of us could only stare at Long-Fang with a mix of shock and horror at this revelation. It was a moment before anyone could speak.
"You can't keep the truth from all these people. They have to know," I said angrily.
Odette stepped forward and pointed a finger at Long-Fang.
"I'll tell them. I'll make sure everyone knows!" she snapped defiantly.
"Until now, you've been treated as our honored guest." He stepped forward and bent down to look Odette in the eye. Odette stared back at Long-Fang with loathing. "But from now on, you will be watched every moment by Dai Li agents. If you mention the war to anyone, you will be expelled from the city."
He turned around and walked over to the hearth with the green fire. "I understand you've been looking for your dragon. It would be quite a shame if you were not able to complete your quest." Odette appeared frightened for a moment, but her expression changed to that of silent anger. "Now Nyra will show you home."
Long-Fang sat back down as the library doors opened and Nyra walked in. Her hair was a different style than before and we all looked at her with surprise. This woman was not Nyra.
"Come with me, please," she said, perfectly at ease.
"What happened to Nyra?" I asked suspiciously.
She was clearly not the same Nyra that showed Odette and us around Eralith.
The woman in front of us smiled. "I'm Nyra. I'll be your host as long as you're in our wonderful city."
Nyra two smiled cheerfully at us in the same artificial way as her predecessor.