CHAPTER XXIV: BODY AND SOUL
Asami and Korra crumpled to the ground at Jinora's feet. Asami and Korra.
How did Korra get here? Jinora thought. Korra had materialized next to Asami right before they both started squirming in pain. Korra was covered in blood, just like Asami had been earlier. Before she could bend down to help either one of them, Jinora was thrust backward by a wall of light. An immense radiance began to shine from both women while bloodcurdling screams echoed out of Korra.
Korra wasn't the one screaming in pain, but the sound came from her open mouth. Both Korra and Asami had their eyes shut. The screaming continued as Jinora watched the white light burn the blood off Korra, leaving it pooled next to her in a boiling puddle. When all the blood was off, Korra quit screeching, but the blinding light hadn't gone away.
Do not be afraid, child, a voice said in Jinora's ear. She turned to see who had spoken, but no one was there. It wasn't a frightening voice like Giji's or Rinsho's, but instead a soothing one, though Jinora found it hard to not be afraid.
Korra and Asami were hoisted up like lifeless puppets. They turned to face each other, though both still had their eyes shut, and they clasped each other's hands. The light intensified for a few moments as they continued facing each other. Jinora was still on the ground, watching with wonder and anxiety. What's happening to them? Should I do something?
"Korra!" Jinora tried shouting, though she didn't expect either girl to answer her. A violent wind began to swirl around them, a whirlwind of the elements. Lines of fire and water wrapped around the two of them while small rocks and sand orbited them like rings. This elemental chrysalis had begun to harden when Jinora noticed the pool of blood rising. "Korra, Asami!" she tried again, but to no avail.
The discarded pool of blood had taken a life of its own, rising in a thin trickle like a serpent. Jinora yelled just as it turned to Korra and Asami and struck their elemental casing. The chrysalis faltered for a moment, and the blood grew bolder. It split itself into two crimson snakes, and each one began attacking the elemental barrier. With each successive hit the barrier grew weaker, until finally Jinora heard two different voices cry out. They weren't the soothing voice from a moment ago.
-They are OURS!
-You won't take them!
The twin threads of blood thickened until they were as wide around as Jinora's whole body. Korra and Asami's barrier began to buckle. Every strike caused the blood snakes to increase in size, siphoning power from the barrier until they grew to the size of small dragons, still continuing their assault.
-She deserves to die!
-What right has she to live?!
Oh no, Jinora thought as she realized who these other voices belonged to. Now she knew she had to do something. But what?
The sanguine dragons roared with hatred while they continued pounding on Asami and Korra's elemental shield. They completely ignored Jinora, who was now standing back out of the way. Korra and Asami both shuddered after every blow they received. Any longer, and they'll break through the barrier, Jinora thought. Jinora looked to the Spirit Portal. It was only a few feet away. We were so close. But an idea occurred to her just then.
Jinora positioned herself so that Korra and Asami were between her and the Portal. I hope this works, she pleaded. She spread her feet out in a power stance and summoned as much wind as she could, waiting for the right moment. The blood dragons Giji and Rinsho were still assaulting the elemental shield, and they had all but shattered the spiritual barrier. Just a little more…
Finally, they broke through. The cocoon of elements dissipated for a moment, and both dragons reared their heads for a final strike. Jinora worked fast as she condensed her gathered wind into an air-boulder and hurled it at the two women. Her air-blast carried Asami and Korra out of the dragons' reach and shoved them into the Spirit Portal, but they didn't disappear, not right away.
Both women were suspended in the light of the Spirit Portal, momentarily frozen in place. Hands still clasped and eyes still closed, neither Korra nor Asami moved for several moments. Then the Portal exploded.
The twin blood dragons Giji and Rinsho melted like butteras all the light from the Portal swept over them. Energy crackled in the air around Jinora like lightning, and she yelped as she felt an uncomfortable spiritual yank, much like she'd felt upon entering the Spirit World. Jinora herself was flung backward by the explosion, though she didn't suffer like the living blood. She flew thirty meters before landing hard on her back, but the urgency in her gut ignited her reflexes, so she sprung up to her feet. When Jinora looked up, the Southern Spirit Portal was in shambles.
Where there was once a single beam of spiritual energy, there was now a cascade of light pouring around Korra and Asami. Arcs of energy and light spread out in all directions like a raging wildfire, and Jinora had to shield her eyes to see past the blinding radiance.
Both Korra and Asami disappeared into what was left of the Portal. Right before they vanished, Jinora stood and sprinted into the ruined Portal, but she also saw their eyes.
Korra and Asami's eyes were glowing.
Upon hearing a crackle of energy and an old woman's cry for help, the lone White Lotus guard rushed into the healing-room.
He had chosen to stay behind and guard Katara while his captain and three lieutenants had gone with Master Tenzin to retrieve Master Jinora from the Spirit Portal. He hated the frigid temperatures of the Southern Water Tribe, as he vastly preferred Air Temple Island, where he was normally stationed. His unit, including the captain and three lieutenants, had been transferred down here to accompany Master Tenzin and his family, and so far he'd hated every minute of it. He'd been standing guard outside Katara's healing-room, but a sudden burst of noise demanded his attention.
Katara had collapsed onto the floor, terror evident in her wrinkled visage, and an abnormal whiteness was emanating from the healing-pool. He could not see the Avatar or Miss Sato at all, as a pearl-white dome had formed to cover the pool. The dome shone like the sun, much too bright for him to look at directly, and its radiance filled the room. But the dome wasn't all white: He saw traces of flame and what looked like rock encircling the healing-pool.
Despite the bizarre circumstances, the young guard acted quickly as he leaped to the old woman's side. "Are you alright, ma'am?" He had to yell over the sound coming from the pool. It sounded like…a White Lotus guard bent down to help Katara up, gently lifting her from the floor to a sitting position and dragging her away from the healing-pool. She didn't appear too hurt, but any fall in her age could spell trouble.
Katara merely nodded her head to affirm she was OK. She shielded her eyes with an arm as the young guard crouched in front of her in a defensive posture. He didn't know what this strange dome was going to do, but the rushing-water noise coming from it began to increase in volume. His only thoughts were centered on Katara's safety.
The Water Tribe elder finally spoke after a moment. "Korra..." she said, pointing a crooked and bony finger at the sun-like dome over the healing-pool. The swirling uproar coming from the dome became louder, but the intensity of its light decreased, and now the White Lotus guard could see inside it.
The Avatar and Miss Sato were floating horizontally in mid-air just above the surface of the healing-water. Or at least, that's how it seemed at first. The young guard squinted his eyes to see past the brilliant light, and he saw that his first guess had been correct: This shining dome was made of healing-water, fire, and tiny pebbles. But the two women weren't floating in the air: They were completely submerged in a dome of swirling elements.
Their eyes were closed and they each held the other's hand. Being submerged didn't seem to affect them, for the guard saw no bubbles from their mouths to indicate breathing. Acting on instinct, he stood and thrust his hands out at the dome to try to bend some of the water out of it. Nothing happened, except both women opened their eyes.
This slight movement sent shockwaves through the healing-room. Pieces of wood and tile were stripped away from the floors and walls as the two women's shining dome collapsed and filled the room with even more light, if that was possible. The White Lotus guard flung himself in front of Katara to shield her from the blast and debris, but this wasn't necessary. He opened his eyes a moment later and gasped. The shrapnel of doors, wall-paneling, and tile were floating all around him, suspended in mid-air by spirits-know-what. The deafening noise from a moment ago was gone, and the only sounds came from Katara and the guard as they heaved. Katara leaned around him and gasped.
The White Lotus guard inched his head over his shoulder, expecting to see two dead girls amid the wreckage of the room. Instead, both the Avatar and Miss Sato were standing in the empty healing-pool, hands clasped and eyes open. Their hair floated around them as if they were still underwater, the individual strands held aloft by the power radiating from them. Their eyes were glowing.
"Oh no."
Tenzin and the four White Lotus guardsmen had arrived at the Southern Spirit Portal just in time. The weather had settled a bit, so their trip by air-bison had taken only a little over an hour. The captain of the White Lotus had insisted on taking two air-bison for safety in the event that the weather didn't hold, so they'd saddled Oogi and Pepper for the journey. Tenzin's original plan had been to enter the Portal himself and begin searching for Jinora and Asami. He and Jinora both would serve as physical anchors to bring Asami's wayward spirit back into the world, assuming that his daughter had found Asami.
But before they'd even landed among the trees surrounding the South Pole, the Southern Spirit Portal shattered into multiple rays of light. The normal blue light of the Portal forked out, changing colors as it shot in all directions, arcs of red tracing to the west, streams of green shooting into the east. Both Oogi and Pepper roared with surprise, as did their passengers, and the air-bison made a quick landing as Tenzin leaped from Oogi.
"Jinora! Jinora!" He didn't know what had caused the Portal to fail so horribly, but if Jinora got stuck inside…he didn't want to consider that. Multitudes of spirits raced out of the fractured Portal, large bird-like spirits mingling with the tiniest shades as they all fled the disaster. The Spirit Portal shuddered a final time, and a small figure emerged.
"Dad!"
"Jinora!" Tenzin ran to fold Jinora in a tight embrace. For a moment, he was still too choked up to speak. "Thank the spirits you're alright," Tenzin said. He noticed his eldest daughter was crying, and he held Jinora at arms-length by her shoulders to inspect her. "Jinora, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" He looked back at the Portal, or what was left of it. It was now a gently pulsing ray of blue again, though it still seemed very unstable. "What happened?!"
"Korra…Asami, I just—they were…" Jinora said, flustered, wiping tears from her face as she looked all around. "Asami and Korra, they—I pushed them out," she said, looking up into her father's worried eyes. "We have to get back to the healing-room!"
"What happened, Jinora?" Tenzin asked again. He tightened his grip on her shoulders for a second as he tried to keep his voice calm. "Did you find Asami?"
Jinora nodded furiously. "Yes, weren't you listening?! I found her, but she was covered in blood, they both were, Asami and Korra. But then there was this light, and a voice, and their eyes, Dad!"
The captain of the White Lotus dismounted from Oogi and jogged to meet Tenzin and Jinora. He bowed to them both before speaking. "It's very good to see you're OK, Master Jinora." He turned to Tenzin and pointed at the ruined Portal. "So what just happened to that thing? Are we safe here?"
"We have to get back to the compound, Dad," Jinora said. "We need to make sure their bodies are OK!" She broke free from Tenzin's grip and began to trudge through the snow toward Pepper, who had been ridden by the three White Lotus lieutenants.
Tenzin didn't waste any time. He floated himself back onto Oogi and waited for the White Lotus captain to climb up. "Jinora, I need you to tell me exactly what happened in there."
Jinora had already mounted Pepper and taken the reins from one of the White Lotus lieutenants. "There's no time, Dad!" she said. Without another word to her father, and without telling the three White Lotus guards to hang on, Jinora issued a brisk "Pepper, yip-yip!" and lifted into the air.
"Jinora, wait!" Tenzin called after her. He gave Oogi's reins a quick snap and looked behind him. "Hold tight, Captain." Oogi obeyed and rose into the night sky to chase after the Jinora-driven Pepper. Behind them, the Spirit Portal lay in shambles.
For several long moments, neither Katara nor the White Lotus guard spoke. They sat there and stared at the newly awakened Avatar and Asami Sato, and they stared back at them in silence. The guard didn't feel as if the women were staring at him, but rather through him, which unsettled him greatly. The healing-pool had been emptied during the brief explosion, splashes of water everywhere, and both women were still standing in the middle of the drained pool, eyes glowing with unnatural light.
Katara spoke first, still crouched on the floor. "Korra?" Neither girl moved. They were like glowing statues as they stood there, wordless and emotionless.
Then the Avatar tilted her head back and opened her mouth. She groaned, as if in some mild pain, and the guard noticed a silver sheen had begun to cover her body. He thought she was sweating at first, but the tiny beads of liquid were too shiny, too reflective, to be sweat. Spirits help me, what's going on, he thought.
"Master Katara," the guard said in a low voice. "Please, let's get you to safety."
The elderly woman studied him for an instant, a sad smile on her wrinkled face. "I believe we are safe, for now. Relax, young man, sit down." She patted the destroyed floor next to her. "We can only wait."
Still anxious, the guard sat next to her as they watched the two girls. "What in the world just happened to them? What's happening to the Avatar," he asked Katara.
She didn't answer for a long while. Her old, wise eyes examined the two glowing women, as if she'd find the answer on their faces. "Jinora succeeded," she said.
The Avatar was thoroughly drenched in the silver liquid, as more and more of it seeped out from her pores. She moaned louder from the effort; Miss Sato remained passive, eyes still glowing and still clasping the Avatar's hand. Lines of silver traced down the Avatar's legs as they dripped to the floor. The guard had never seen anything like it. The Avatar and Asami Sato had yet to cease glowing. The guard mused that they might stay this way forever, as living monuments. Several silent minutes went by before Katara spoke again.
"What is your name?"
The White Lotus guard had been inspecting the wreckage of the room. Debris still floated all around them like stars in the night sky. "Pardon?" he said.
"What is your name?" Katara asked him again. He turned to look at her quizzically. The old woman gave him another sad smile.
"Darmin, ma'am," he said.
"Well, Darmin," Katara sighed. "I forgive you." She clasped one of his hands in her own and squeezed. "I want you to know that it isn't your fault."
"I, um…what do you mean?"
Katara bent her chin down to her chest for a moment. "You have a good heart, I can tell." She released his hand and stood up slowly, groaning from the effort. She looked down at him. "When was the last time you saw a healer, Darmin?"
Darmin's face scrunched up as he thought. When was the last time I saw a healer? He was a waterbender himself, and could, in fact, heal a few minor wounds like bruises or small cuts. Besides, the Republic City healers charged an arm and a leg for walk-ins, not to mention the recent fiasco with Sahno Tenora.
He looked back up at Katara. "Before I was transferred here," he said. "Back in Republic City, I went with my some of my comrades."
The old Water Tribe woman frowned. She now spoke with urgency. "There were others? How long ago?"
"It's been a long while…I think a month ago, maybe two. I don't see healers very often, ma'am. But why do you want to know?"
Katara pointed to Avatar Korra, who had resumed a passive stance. All the silver fluid that had come out of her was pooled at her feet, and there was a lot of it. What is that stuff?
"Please know, Darmin," Katara said in a hushed tone. "I'm doing this for your own good. I hope you don't suffer."
Darmin also stood, and was about to ask why he would suffer when the transformation began. His muscles convulsed, causing all his limbs to stiffen as he fell onto his back. Katara whirled her arms around and lifted two streams of water from the ground and shot them at Darmin, freezing his arms in place. Two more bolts of water later and his legs were frozen to the ground as well. What's happening to me?!
Every fiber of his being was on fire. His arms and legs ached, not from Katara's waterbending, but from within, from the immense squeezing pressure he felt in his muscles. He thought his jugular vein was going to burst in his neck. His vision began to cloud, slowly blinding him, and he screamed for help. A moment later, Darmin couldn't see. He felt his body relax, and he almost thought his strange seizure was over. But it was just beginning. He listened in terror as he felt his own mouth speak, but the words and voice were not his, as if he was a puppet being controlled by someone else's hand.
"I don't believe we've met, Master Katara. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Sahno Tenora."
Jinora had to squint her eyes to see past the wall of white snow before her. The weather had indeed turned on them a few minutes ago, snow falling heavily all around them, whipped into a small blizzard by the wind. They'd decreased their altitude to spare the air-bison a bit, but if they didn't reach the compound soon they would have to land and walk the rest of the way.
Through the nearly-blinding whiteness, Jinora spotted the dark circular shape of the White Lotus compound. Sure enough, as they flew nearer it came into view. Thank the spirits, she thought.
"There, I see it!" she shouted to the three lieutenants behind her. One of them, a firebender, stood up in the saddle and shot two short bursts of flame into the air to signal the other air-bison. Oogi, piloted by Tenzin, flew a little closer to Pepper as they prepared to land in a few minutes. The firebender sat back down next to Jinora.
"I should've said this earlier, but I'm glad you're alright, Master Jinora," he said, half-shouting to be heard past the driving snow.
Jinora didn't know this man's name, but she recognized him. He was normally stationed on Air Temple Island. Apart from his youth, he looked like any other White Lotus member in his uniform. He was young, especially for a White Lotus member, probably around eighteen or nineteen, much too old to be interested in her. But she could dream, right?
Jinora blushed a little and hoped the darkness and snow would hide it. "I'm fine, thank you," she said. "And you don't have to call me 'Master.' But what should I call you?" she trailed off, hoping he'd give her a name.
"Keo. Name's Keo."
"Well, Keo, thank you for—
Jinora was interrupted by Oogi's deep roar. Jinora looked behind her to see what was bothering the air-bison.
Tenzin was holding on to the edge of Oogi's saddle, about to fall off. The White Lotus captain, a metalbender, had a large dagger in his hand as he crawled toward him. What are they doing?! Tenzin twirled and floated himself back onto the saddle, and he and the captain began fighting on Oogi's back.
"Hey!" Jinora shouted. Keo and the two lieutenants stood up, but from here there wasn't much they could do. Why is the captain trying to hurt Dad? They were mere minutes from landing in the White Lotus compound.
"Keo, take the reins!" Jinora handed him the leather handle and leaped from the back of Pepper's saddle. She wished she'd been wearing her flight-suit, but she spun around in the air to create enough buoyancy to carry her to Oogi.
Jinora thrust a blast of wind at the captain just before landing. "Jinora, no!" Tenzin shouted, and she saw that he was clutching his stomach. His yellow tunic had been stained crimson. Oogi was much bigger than Pepper, but the saddle was still only ten feet long and about eight feet wide, which would make for some very close quarters fighting. Tenzin and Jinora stood near the back while the crazed captain crouched near Oogi's reins.
Jinora gasped when she looked at the captain. His veins were bulging in his neck, and his eyes were completely silver. He drew another long dagger from a sheath around his waist and brandished these at Jinora at Tenzin.
"You're outmatched, Captain," Tenzin yelled. "Please surrender, we're almost to the compound!"
The captain smirked. "I'm afraid your Captain isn't here right now," he yelled back. Jinora shivered: That wasn't the captain's normal voice. What has happened to him?
A stream of fire collided into the captain, and he dodged as a large icicle flew past him. Jinora could hear shouting coming from Pepper's saddle, and she could see Keo and the two lieutenants. Pepper was flying a good distance from Oogi: Air-bison are extraordinarily smart, and she could tell trouble was brewing on top of Oogi. Keo had hurled the fire at his captain, while another had thrown the ice-spear. Whatever had caused the captain's strange transformation had, thankfully, not affected his men. The White Lotus compound loomed underneath them.
Tenzin issued a quick gust of wind at the captain. The blast knocked him off his feet, and he landed just behind Oogi's large head. The air-bison grumbled with his deep bass roar and tried to shake the marauding captain off. Tenzin and Jinora advanced.
The possessed White Lotus captain looked up at them, the silver coating of his eyes making it hard to read his expression. With a quick motion, the captain plunged both of his daggers into Oogi's neck. The poor air-bison thundered with rage. Oogi shook from side to side, causing all three of his passengers to lose their footing. Jinora and Tenzin, light on their feet as ever, gripped the sides of the saddle as Oogi continued to buck in mid-air. The captain held tight as well. In a rage, Oogi descended rapidly toward the White Lotus compound under them, racing through the air like a furry meteorite.
They descended so fast that the snow around Jinora seemed to fall upwards. She felt her stomach lurch with the sudden change of direction, and she screamed for Oogi to stop. Instead, Oogi rotated like a drill, still trying to shake them all off. Jinora's eyes stung from the piercing snow, and with one last cry she let go off the saddle.
Jinora tumbled through air, but her instincts took over shortly. She extended her arms and legs in a spread-eagle position to increase the surface area of her body, and combined with her own airbending, was enough to slow her fall. She looked on in horror as Oogi—with her father and the captain still on board—sped toward the center of the White Lotus compound. Oogi was spinning like a top, but it wasn't enough to shake Tenzin or the captain, and the air-bison roared again. He landed hard, hard enough for Jinora to hear the thud of impact, and he bucked both men from his back before galloping away.
Jinora wasn't wearing her flight-suit, so her own landing was going to be hard no matter how much she tried. She angled her body and summoned an air-bubble underneath her, which was just enough to lessen her free-fall from deadly to dangerous, but not enough to insure a completely safe landing. She aimed for a large snowdrift and collided a moment later, the impact blinding her with snow and sending her tumbling across the ground. All the breath in her lungs was knocked clean out of her, and she was almost certain she'd broken one of her ankles. Jinora moaned into the snow her head was buried in.
She felt Pepper land softly a minute later. "Master Jinora!" Keo yelled, and she heard several sets of feet race toward her. Keo helped Jinora to her feet, and she yelped when she tried putting any weight on her left foot. Her ankle was definitely broken. Keo bent down a bit so she could wrap her arm around his shoulders.
"Rouse the others," Keo yelled to the two lieutenants. "I'll get Master Jinora to—arrgh!"
Jinora cried out again when the tip of a dagger protruded from Keo's chest. He let go of her to clutch his abdomen, and Jinora fell when her ankle buckled in pain. One of the White Lotus lieutenants thawed some nearby snow to use for bending while the other dragged Keo onto Katara's porch. The captain had recovered from his own free-fall, and Jinora looked up in time to see him holding his twin daggers, both of which were dripping with blood, both from Oogi and from Keo.
The second lieutenant, the waterbender, began shooting a multitude of ice shards at the captain as he approached. The captain stomped the ground, and a large wall of earth came to life to shield him from the icicles. The earthen wall parted in the middle into two large square boulders, and both sped toward the lieutenant at the captain's command. The lieutenant dodged one but not the other. Jinora heard a sickening thud as the wall of rock smashed into the lieutenant. The impact sent the man reeling, he slid across the snow-covered ground, and he didn't get back up. The third lieutenant returned, having laid Keo on the porch of Katara's house, and he sent jagged stones flying toward the captain. The two earthbenders dueled quickly amid the blizzard, each sending large stones at the other, but the outmatched lieutenant clearly didn't want to seriously injure his captain. The crazed White Lotus leader took advantage of this, as he sent his two daggers speeding through the air and into the man's chest. The earthbending lieutenant moaned as he fell to the ground.
"Dad…" Jinora yelled. She couldn't see where her father had gone. The cold was biting into her skin, her hands becoming numb from supporting herself on the snow. She couldn't stop shivering. The White Lotus captain approached Jinora, his head cocked to the side as if he didn't know who she was.
"Why are you doing this?!" Jinora yelled at him. She began to crawl toward Katara's cottage. She had made it to the steps before the captain stomped on her broken ankle.
The silver-eyed man turned her over and picked her up by the collar. Jinora clenched her teeth in pain, and tried to avoid his unnatural stare. "Asami Sato," the captain said. "Is she alive?"
I hope she is. I hope she is, and I hope she gets away. But in truth, Jinora didn't know if Asami was alive or not, or why the captain suddenly cared.
Jinora blinked away her tears and ignored his question. The captain shook her and held the edge of a dagger to her throat. He stuck his face so near to hers that she felt his warm breath on her cheeks. He gave her an evil smile. "Why don't we find out together, then?" he said. He dropped Jinora, who yelped again, and he metalbent his daggers around each of her wrists, levitating her in front of him as he walked toward the healing-room.
Katara couldn't keep this up for much longer. The transformed White Lotus guard, Darmin, was not as skilled a waterbender as she was, but he was young, capable, and suddenly bloodthirsty.
She had sensed the silver substance inside of him the moment he'd set foot in here. It was…fresher, at least more so than the drug that had been in Korra. Katara didn't know what was happening to the two girls, but Korra's Avatar State had just rejected all of the silver liquid, and Asami was not dead, so whatever Jinora had done in the Spirit World had worked. She only hoped that Tenzin would return soon.
Darmin's eyes were the most changed. They were covered in a silver sheen, as if they were nothing more than little silver orbs. The parasitic drug inside of him was responsible for this transformation, though how she didn't know. And then there was Tenora.
Darmin grunted with effort. "I've always admired you, you know," he said with what must be Tenora's smooth voice. It certainly wasn't Darmin speaking, anymore. "Waterbenders everywhere admire you. I've met skilled benders before, but it is a rare treat to meet a true Master like yourself. I only wish I were there in person."
Katara was locked in a waterbending tug-of-war with Darmin. She would stream water at him as she tried to freeze him in place, and he would melt the ice and throw it back at her, beginning the cycle anew.
"They'll stop you," Katara said, nodding at Korra and Asami. Both women were still standing in silence, eye aglow with white light. "Killing me won't accomplish anything."
Their duel went on for several long, tiring minutes, until finally Katara's aged frame couldn't take the stress any longer. Her arms fumbled, giving Darmin just enough of a window to send a jet of water into her chest. Katara lost her footing and fell hard, right next to the now-empty healing-pool, where Korra and Asami stood. Motionless as ever, they looked on as the possessed Darmin strolled up to Katara.
He lifted two jets of water and froze Katara's hands to the floor. "I don't want to kill you," Tenora said through Darmin. "Instead of ending your life right now, let's chat awhile, shall we?"
Silver-eyed Darmin crouched next to her and wiped his sweating brow. Tenzin, Jinora, please hurry, Katara thought.
Darmin-Tenora didn't speak for several minutes. He examined Katara with his silver-coated eyes, a cold and calculating stare that sent shivers down her spine. When he next spoke, he looked away from her.
"I assume you remember Amon and his misguided Equalist Movement?" Darmin said. He didn't wait for her to answer before continuing. "Yes, a brave and foolish radical, but he had a point: The people of this world are unequal. I sympathized with his ideals—in secret, of course, I was never an active member—but I also saw the flaw in his plan."
Now he looked down at Katara again. "Amon sought to rid the world of bending, thinking that benders were the anomaly, and that non-benders should be the norm. But as a bender himself, which our dear Avatar eventually revealed, Amon forgot a fundamental aspect of human existence. Do you see the flaw that Amon didn't?"
Katara refused to speak, but she did see it. Darmin-Tenora smiled. "People crave power. Some will do anything to obtain it, and even more will do anything to keep it." Darmin stood, still looking down on Katara. "Amon foolishly expected to convince a world run by benders that they should give up their power in the name of equality. I say otherwise. I believe that non-benders are the anomalies. Everyone should be entitled to the power that bending provides."
He began to pace around the glowing women, who still hadn't moved. Katara had seen Korra's eyes glow like this before, but it was Asami's glowing orbs that worried her. They shined exactly like Korra's.
"And why stop with one element?" Darmin spread his arms, as if he were addressing the entire world with this speech. Then he pointed a sharp finger at Korra. "Why should only the Avatar bend all four? Even if every single person could bend, the Avatar would still have the most power. There cannot be true equality while the Avatar still lives, unless…"
He turned to look at Katara again. This time she felt compelled to speak, if only to buy more time. "Unless what?" she said.
Darmin smiled again, a wholly evil smile that did not belong to the real Darmin. "Unless everyone could bend all four elements." He shook his head at Katara's bewildered look. "Do not misjudge. I believe such a thing is possible. For everyone to have power like the Avatar's is my dream. A dream that Miss Asami Sato stands in the way of."
He turned to face the glowing women, and now Darmin's smug Tenora-expression faltered for a moment. Then he smirked again.
"How?" Katara said quickly to distract him. "How would you bestow such bending on everyone? And how is Asami in your way?"
"With a device called the Sanguinary Construct," he said. "And Miss Sato," Darmin continued, looking away from Korra and Asami, "knows where that device is, and is keeping its location a secret." He glanced back down at Katara, flashing her another evil smirk. "Have I piqued your interest, Master Katara?"
"So you don't mean to wreak wide-scale havoc," Katara said, glad that Tenora was listening to her instead of looking at Korra and Asami. "Even though you already have."
Darmin frowned. "If this damn Sato girl had cooperated, there would have been no loss of life! My goal isn't to become the leader of some revived Equalist Movement. I simply wish to give the gift of bending to the world."
"Then why not go public with this message?" Katara asked. "If you think you can truly grant a person control of all four elements, then why hide, why sow discord with such subterfuge?"
"It doesn't work like that," Darmin said. "For the Sanguinary Construct to function, I need Miss Sato. I need her blood."
Blood? The thought awakened a part of Katara that had long been dormant. Many years ago, she was instrumental in the decision that made bloodbending illegal. That was how Tenora was controlling this poor man, how he had controlled those Metal Clan people in Korra's story. The silver drug somehow aided his bloodbending and made it possible to do remotely. If this chemical enhanced a person's bloodbending, then perhaps…
Darmin walked across the healing-room to a nearby shelf. Katara kept various medicines and what few herbs that could survive the frigid climate in here. Darmin selected a vial of some green medicine and unstoppered it, pouring the contents onto the floor. He strolled back to Asami with the empty vial in hand. In his other, he held a wickedly sharp piece of ice.
Katara steadied her breathing. It was well within her ability to break free from the ice that held her, but she had to wait for the right moment. It wouldn't do any good to get herself cut down as soon as she got loose.
Darmin lifted the shard of ice up to Asami's exposed and unprotected neck. But before he did anything else, he halted. He lifted his head up, like a polar-bear-dog listening for prey. Then Katara heard it, too. An air-bison roared outside, followed by several dull crashing sounds. Hurry Tenzin!
Darmin-Tenora's wicked smile grew even larger. "You hear that, old Master?" Katara remained silent. "Ha! That's not the sound of your rescue, but of mine."
He lifted the sharp ice back up to Asami's glowing neck. Katara prepared to shatter the ice and make a last stand, but the girls beat her to it.
Asami's free hand shot out like lightning. She wrapped her fingers around Darmin's throat and pulled him close. She had done this without once looking at him, but now she swiveled her head around to face him, eyes still glowing like Korra's. She was still clasping Korra's hand with her other.
"She is under my protection now," Asami said. Her voice still retained most of her original tone, but it now had another layer to it, an undercurrent of power that rose the hairs on Katara's neck. "You will not harm her."
Darmin issued a wet gurgling noise before Asami sent him flying across the destroyed healing-room. Asami briefly glanced at Korra, who had remained passive as ever. But now Korra turned her own head to look back at Asami, and they studied each other for a moment. Still hand in hand and their eyes still glowing in unison, they stepped out of the empty healing-pool. Korra looked down at Katara, waved one hand to melt the ice, and spoke.
"There is another like him coming," she said to Katara, the same layer of power coating Korra's voice. The radiant girls looked back at Darmin and approached him.
He had slammed into the wall and was now standing back up, horror and hatred painted on his face. His mouth jawed up and down like a nutcracker's, but no words came out. He could only watch as Korra and Asami advanced.
In desperation, Darmin thrust a jet of nearby water at them, but Asami deflected it with her own spurt of flame. Did Asami just firebend?! Katara was sure her old eyes had momentarily failed, until Asami threw another trail of fire at Darmin to stagger him. Korra froze Darmin's feet in place and leaped forward, closing the gap between them in a flash. She tilted his head back with one hand, Darmin powerless to stop her, and she placed her other hand just above his open mouth.
Darmin began to choke, Katara could see his throat and chest heave with pain. A moment later, Korra yanked out a large amount of the silvery drug, letting it splash onto the floor as Darmin collapsed. He was unconscious, but Katara saw the silver sheen fade from his eyes.
The sliding doors of the healing-room splintered as they were forced to open from outside. Snow and wind pierced the stillness of the room, and the White Lotus captain, looking just like the transformed Darmin, entered with Jinora, hands bound in metal, levitating next to him.
"Jinora!" Katara said.
Jinora grunted in agony. "Gran-Gran…run!"
The possessed captain looked as if he was going to speak, but Asami moved first. She closed the gap and crouched, spun to the left and extended her leg to perform a quick leg-sweep. While the captain fell to the floor, Korra extended one hand to release Jinora's metal bonds. The young airbender yelped as she fell, but she rolled away from the captain. Asami picked up the captain by his throat and walked him over to Korra. The Water Tribe girl lost no time, and just as she'd done with Darmin, she waterbended the silver toxin right out of the captain's mouth. Both the drug and the man were dropped to the floor in a heap.
Katara couldn't believe what she'd just witnessed. To add to her confusion and wonder, the two girls came to help Katara to a sitting position. Korra and Asami, both still in their Avatar State—which Katara was struggling to understand—sat in front of her and faced each other.
Korra turned to speak to Katara. "They won't understand, at first," she said. "I myself do not know the full consequences of this split."
Now Asami spoke, though she was still watching Korra. "But they will live, and in time, we will discover the effects of this new division."
Korra and Asami closed their eyes, and for a brief instant, fear gripped Katara's heart. But it wasn't necessary: Korra reopened her eyes the next moment, only they weren't glowing anymore. They also weren't her normal deep blue, instead shining a vibrant purple shade.
Asami opened her eyes next. Hers, too, had changed colors, from green to gold.
Korra quickly reached up to cup Asami's face, panic evident in her expression. "Asami."
Asami offered a weak smile, and she held Korra's wrists. "Korra."