Chapter 37
Consequences of Azula
Katara watched the soldiers scuffle and train through her own frozen breaths of air creating little miniature storm clouds that rolled from her lips and disappeared as quickly as they were created.
One group of soldiers, lined up in rows, charged at training dummies, screaming out war cries as their spears buried into their targets. Then they quickly spun out of the way as the next wave charged in. Another group was doing push-ups while an instructor yelled at them to go faster, every now and then barking out a command for the men to do a push-up clap. She'd seen Sokka attempt the same thing a few times when he thought no one was looking, but unlike these soldiers, he always ended up on his face. That memory would normally have brought a smile to her face, had she not had such a bad feeling about all of this.
While Katara wasn't exactly familiar with Northern Water Tribe military practices, there was just too much tension in the air for this to be routine training, tension so thick that you could cut it with a walrus tusk knife.
A tall, burly man, yelling out orders and moving between the different groups, seemed to be the one in charge. Even if he hadn't been yelling out orders to the different captains, his helmet alone marked him apart from the other soldiers. It was made from a tigerseal's skull, the Water Tribe symbol was carved into forehead and fur trimmed leather draped from the edges to cover the parts of his head and neck that the helmet didn't. With all that, she couldn't make out his face, but a long black and grey streaked beard spilled out from the front of the helmet, and from where she stood, it almost looked like the long dead tigerseal was vomiting fountain of hair.
Aside from that, the only other thing marking his rank was his weapon. He held a large halberd, with a row of sharks' teeth lining the back side of its long, broadly curved blade. At the end of long handle (the blade itself started above his head, and he wasn't a short man) was a heavy stump of whale bone, large enough that it could have been used as a war hammer in its own right, which he thumped into the ground as a way to punctuate his orders.
Then another soldier walked up to him, yelled something she couldn't quite make out, then pointed at her.
Oh, great.
He swung around and glared at Katara.
"You there! What do you think you're doing?" he called out as he stomped toward her, angrily pounding the end of his halberd into the ground with each step.
"This is no place for children, especially little girls..." he said, getting right in Katara's face. She was practically ready to waterwhip him when another, more familiar voice, interrupted his tirade.
"That 'little girl' is one of the reasons you still have a city to protect, General Hessuk," said Arnook, who nodded toward Katara as he approached from behind Hessuk. "This is Katara of the Southern Watertribe, who was not only instrumental in defending our city when the Fire Nation attacked, but as a friend to the Avatar, also helped in ending the hundred years war. You will show her respect."
Hessuk looked back at her with a blank expression. Katara crossed her arms and smiled while suppressing the childish urge to stick out her tongue out at him. Given her experiences the last time she was here, she almost expected him to explode into some sort of chauvinistic rant. Instead he did something completely unexpected. Not only didn't Hessuk continue to act like a jerk, but he actually removed his helmet, dropped his spear to the ground and fell to one knee.
"Please accept my sincerest apologies, Katara of the Southern Tribe. I was unaware of to whom I was speaking."
"Uh... thanks?" she said, uncrossing her arms and accepting his apology, if a bit clumsily.
Hessuk grabbed his spear and stood up, keeping his helmet tucked under one arm. Arnook stopped next to him and gave a slight bow to Katara. The first thing that caught her eye, was how completely worn out he looked. It wasn't just physical either; she could see it in his eyes even though he was trying to hide it behind a shallow, tired smile. He was worried. Very worried. This was the same look she'd seen in him during the Fire Nations assault last year, and, given the soldiers training in earnest behind him, she suspected there was more going on than just the problems with the moon spirit.
Even Arnook's voice seemed exhausted. "Katara, it's good to see you, though I wish the circumstances were better. Is Aang here with you?"
"Yeah, we came as soon as it started . Aang went to the spirit oasis as soon as we arrived."
"Thank the spirits. Then maybe there's hope after all."
Hessuk stepped in.
"With all due respect, Sir, while it's good a sign that Avatar is here, our forces still need to remain on high alert. We still have no idea what kind of kind of forces this princess has managed to gather, when she's going to attack or how. We should..."
Katara interrupted, "What attack? Princess who? What are you talking about?"
With a bit of confusion, Arnook asked. "Do you not know about the Fire Nation princess and her apparent involvement in the waterbenders predicament?"
Katara felt the pit of her stomach fall. "You mean Azula? She's locked up in the Fire Nation somewhere how could she have anything to do with what's happening to my bending? And what 'attack' are you talking about?"
Whatever it was, Katara knew he had to be wrong. Azula? Was this all some kind of bad joke?
There was glance exchanged between Arnook and Hessuk, then Arnook looked to Katara with earnest bewilderment. "Isn't that why you and Aang are here? To help us fend of Princess Azula's impeding attack?"
"What? No! We came here because of all the weird stuff that's been happening to our bending. What does Azula have to do with any of this! Someone better start making some sense right now or so help me..."
The Ice around her feet had begun to crack and the snowflakes stopped motionless in the air around her. Just the thought that all of this could somehow be being caused by Azula of all people... No, that was insane. Completely insane. Arnook was wrong, he had to be.
Even with her diminished bending, the effects of her anger on the ice and snow around her was enough to make even a seasoned warrior like Hessuk back away a few steps. Arnook however, held his ground.
"Katara, I will explain everything you need me too, but please calm yourself." He asked without loosing his composure.
Katara took a deep breath and, once she calmed herself a bit her unintentional unconscious effects on the ice and snow around her ceased.
"Alright, I'm calm. Now what's all this nonsense about Azula?"
Hessuk came back to Arnooks side as the Chieftain of the Northern Watertribe told Katara what he knew.
"A few weeks ago, at the same time our waterbenders first felt the effects of... whatever it is happening to them, there was an attack on the institution holding the Fire Nation princess and in the confusion, she escaped with the man that attacked the facility."
Katara shook her head. Azula was free, and that certainly wasn't a good thing, but that still didn't mean she had anything to do with...
"How does Azula escaping on the same day..."
"Not just the same day." Hessuk spoke for the first time since apologizing to Katara, "We have benders at that facility..."
That's right, Katara remembered. She'd actually made a request to Arnook for waterbenders to help watch over Hama (whom she also requested be moved there).
"...and according to them, the attack on the both the hospital and the waterbenders happened at exact moment."
"Ok, but still, that's not much to go on. It could still just be a coincidence. It just doesn't make any sense that Azula found a way to affect our bending."
"Doesn't it?" Arnook asked. "It was the Fire Nation that first discovered our weakness and almost killed the Moon Spirit. Is it so difficult to imagine that they may have found other ways to disrupt that connection?"
Katara couldn't imagine how hard this must be for Arnook. He'd lost his daughter once, and now that the moon spirit seemed under attack once again... He was afraid, and he had every right to be, but that still didn't justify a crazy leap of logic like this. Though at the same time, as much as she wanted to convince Arnook that Azula couldn't have anything to do with this, she was growing just as desperate to convince herself.
"It's still an awful big stretch to tie Azula to all of this."
"That's not all." Hessuk said before turning an eye to Arnook who gave a slight nod of permission for Hessuk to continue.
"Normally, we'd consider this a Fire Nation problem, but considering her apparent involvement with the bending problem, we've been doing what we can to track of her, and what we've found doesn't look good. For the most part, she's kept herself well hidden, but she turned up in the Earth Kingdom city of Shenjing with the same person that helped her escape, then later that same man was seen assaulting someone at trading post just north of that. It seems that since fleeing the Fire Nation, she's been steadily moving north, directly toward the Northern Watertribe."
"But why would she..."
"Katara, are you aware of the political situation in the Fire Nation?" Arnook asked.
"What does that have to do with it?"
"Fire Lord Zuko enjoys some support from his people – mainly from the peasants within the Fire Nation itself. The nobles however, are a different story. With the war over, most of them lost a great deal of power and land, their support is wavering and some even openly oppose his rule. The same can be said for the colonies, and then there's an bigger problem; Renegade pockets of Fire Nation soldiers scattered all across the Earth Kingdom who still swear loyalty to the previous Fire Lord... and his daughter. Chances are she's already recruited at least a few of those groups."
She was finally starting to see it all, but it was Hessuk that fit the final pieces for her.
"If the stories about what this princess did in Ba Sing Se are even remotely true, and if she has found a way to shut down our benders, there's no telling what kind of damage she could do with even a small force at her disposal, and a victory against the Watertribe may be just what she needs to rally not only her father's forces scattered across the Earth Kingdom, but even those opposed to her brother's rule back in the Fire Nation."
"You can't..." Katara stopped herself. What? Be serious? She wanted to call the whole thing crazy, a complete overreaction, but in all honestly, it seemed exactly like the kind of thing Azula would do. So even if it seemed like Arnook was grasping at straws, knowing what she knew about Azula... could she really blame him?
"Then there's what happened last night." As if Hessuk had to add any more. "Another attack on our benders at the same time that light in the sky appeared..."
"Wait, what light in the sky?" She got two blank looks in return.
"I'm a waterbender, I was out too. I didn't see anything, I don't know anything about this light you're talking about."
"But surely Aang or someone else in your groupn..." Arnook went silient. It seemed clear that he hadn't even considered that this was affecting the Avatar, as well.
"Aang got hit just as bad as me, Sokka was a little busy trying to save us from dying, and Toph is blind. So, can we just skip to the part where you tell me what you're talking about?"
Arnook closed his eyes and shook his head, he mumbled under his breath ...for this to be affecting the Avatar as well... before looking up and answering Katara.
"I didn't see it and neither did Hessuk, but from what's been reported by several soldiers on the wall who saw it, and unusual light appeared in the horizon at the same moment all the waterbenders in the city collapsed. Most of them described it like a volcanic eruption that continued endlessly into the sky until it disappeared into the clouds. Some even said they felt an ominous presence in that light. What's more, it's seems to have originated somewhere around the Earth Kingdom city of Yenrai, which is right in line with where we estimated the princess might go to next."
A chill, unrelated to the cold, ran over her body. Ok, so maybe Azula did have something to do with this. However, a nagging thought was still itching at the back of Katara mind. Weren't they looking for a fire spirit? If Azula did have something to do with this, then how...
"Arnook, you said Azula had help escaping, right? And she'd been traveling with that same person?"
"Yes, Katara, and I believe we suspect the same thing. It's another reason I'm glad you and Aang have arrived."
Arnook turned to Hessuk and asked him to return to the soldiers.
"Sir?"
"I wish to speak with Katara alone, Hessuk."
Hessuk snapped a Water Tribe salute to Arnook, bowed to Katara, and left.
With Hessuk gone, Arnook reached into one of the deep pockets of his parka and pulled out a scroll. A blue circle of wax, imprinted with Arnook's personal chieftain's symbol and that was used to keep the scroll sealed had since been peeled back. "I received this by hawk only a few days ago. The Fire Nation is concentrating all it's efforts on the princess, but I believe the man she's traveling with, the one who broke her out, and whose attack on the hospital with the assault on the waterbenders, is the real threat.
Arnook handed her the scroll. "Our tribesman at the hospital commissioned this from witness descriptions. This is the man who helped the princess escape, and I believe the one who's been somehow affecting the Moon Spirit. Stop him, and you take away her means to attack us.""
Katara started to unroll the scroll, but Arnook stopped her.
"There's something more I need to tell you."
When she met his eyes, they were pained and heavy with regret. She almost didn't want to hear what he had to say.
"In my precaution, I may have... overreacted."
"What do you mean?" His hesitancy made the pit of her stomach sink. "Arnook, what else it going on?"
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Iroh and Makato were escorted into the Palace by half a dozen guards on either side. Once they reached the throne, Makato was instructed to stay outside, and Iroh was ordered to enter alone. Makato almost went to draw his sword before realizing he'd been made to leave it back at the tea shop, and then almost summoned a flame before a slight nod from Iroh called him off. His old General entered the throne room alone and the massive doors were pulled shut behind him.
Makato was instructed to sit, and he did so reluctantly. His leg bounced unconsciously as he waited. He didn't feel comfortable letting Iroh enter the throne room alone. The whole setup smelled like a trap, though he couldn't fathom why they were brought all the way here just for that . It still set his nerves on edge and he kept a watchful eye on the guards surrounding him.
The inside of the throne room was massive, as should be expected from the ruler of the largest city in the world, though Iroh was also equally intrigued by the lack of soldiers inside the room.
Other than himself, only two other men occupied the throne room. One was the Earth King, whom Iroh had met only once, during an impromptu audience alongside King Bumi in order to request that the role of the White Lotus in Ba Sing Se's liberation be kept a secret, which sort of went hand in hand with the whole ancient secret society thing. Iroh had made a similar attempt to keep his own identity hidden. As such, the Earth King was one of the few people in Ba Sing Se who knew who Iroh actually was (along with Jin, who figured it out after seeing a poster of the new Fire Lord and making her way to the Jasmine Dragon to ask Iroh about it.)
As for the other man, Iroh had never seen him face to face before, but suspected who it was: General How, leader of The Council of Five, a collection of the highest ranking generals in the Earth Kingdom. Iroh had faced off against most of thm at one time or another, including How's own forces.
How stood next to the throne, doing his best to look relaxed (or as relaxed as a military man was able.) Despite that, it was How's eyes that gave him away. He never took them off Iroh, never even blinked, like a hawk tracking prey.
Iroh had suspected as much when he had entered the throne room, but now we was certain of it; an attack was imminent. He altered his pace slightly. Slowing down a bit and walking in such a way as to give the floor a little tap with the hard sole of his sandals. When he found what he was listening for, he took only two more steps then stopped and bowed to the Earth King and General How.
How didn't immediately return the gesture. The General walked down the steps in front of the throne. Only once reaching level ground with Iroh did How give a slight nod in return.
Then it happened.
With a stomp, the ground in front of How tore apart, spitting out a large rock that How punched towards Iroh. It just missed, smashing into the column to his left and exploding into a spray of rocks, pebbles and dust. Instead of countering How's attack, Iroh spun just in time to catch another Earthbender bursting through the ground behind him. Rock in hand and already in the midst of his attack, he never stood a chance. Before the rock even had a chance to slip from his finger, Iroh's hand was already closed around his face, and with a yank, the old General pulled him out from his hole in the ground and slammed him to the floor.
Now for the other sneak attack.
In one motion, Iroh released his grip on the Earthbender's face, planted a foot on his chest to pin him down and pivoting on that same foot to face his final attacker.
A large man, holding a massive slab of stone and using the dust cloud cover from General How's "miss", came charging out from behind one of the massive pillars. A burst of flames from Iroh's fingertips rolled into the dust cloud and curled around the big man's face without actually touching him, but singing his beard. Panicked, he let go of the slab to swat at the flames crawling through his facial hair. The large slab crashed down on top of him, smashing him into the ground and cracked in two over his broad chest, knocking both the wind, and fight, completely out of him.
It all ended to the sound of vigorous clapping.
"That was brilliant! Absolutely spectacular!" The Earth King kept applauding as he bounded down the steps to stand beside General How. "See, I told you he was who he said he was," then, turning to Iroh, "I do apologize for all this, but my new adviser, General How, insisted on a test so he could be sure you were who you said you were. I told him it was unnecessary, but he insisted. Now, if you'll excuse me for just one moment, I have to go get Basco. I didn't want him getting scared by the commotion."
He went running off to a side room. How looked after him as he left.
"Unnecessary?" How whispered under his breath with thoughts of both Longs Feng's and Azula's deceptions playing on his mind. He shook his head and turned to Iroh.
"I do apologize for all this General Iroh, but..."
"I'm afraid you have me confused with someone else," Iroh interrupted as he stepped off the man he'd been standing on, reaching down to help him up. "I'm just the simple owner of a humble tea shop. Though, in my line of work, I find it's important to know how to deal with rowdy customers."
"No need to worry, Dragon of the West. Your identity will not go beyond the men in this room," How assured him.
Iroh finished pulling the smaller Earthbender up, helped pat the dust off him (including the sandal print on his chest,) and then General How dismissed the two (though the larger man needed some help getting up and oriented.) They bowed to How and made their way out of the throne room.
By this time, the Earth King was returning with his bear, Basco. Iroh had never seen a creature quite so strange. Just... a bear?
Now that everyone was back, Iroh wasted no time in getting down to business. "I assume you've called me here because of the situation with my niece, Princess Azula?"
"If only it were that simple," How said. "Though it seems your niece has become a catalyst to a much bigger problem. We've received reports that indicate the Northern Water Tribe has been calling on its allies in the northern Earth Kingdom provinces to lend support to a naval blockade around the Fire Nation. And with the Fire Nation being as currently vulnerable as it is, we fear this may grow into something far worse. A war of retribution."
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Katara was rarely speechless, but it was hard to talk while ones jaw was on the ground.
"You... you can't be serious!"
"Katara, allow me to explain," Arnook begged.
"Explain what! The world's been through a hundred years of war, and now that it's over, you want to start another one! How could you even think of doing something like this!"
"Do you think this is what I want? My intentions were only to protect my people. A blockade around the Fire Nation was to ensure that the Princess couldn't garner any support from her homeland. Unfortunately, our forces are not large enough to enforce such a blockade so I made a request to our allies in the Earth Kingdom. My mistake was in not realizing the depth of resentment and hatred festering among our allies. Once I made the request, it was like throwing seal-turtle meat to a tiger-shark. Right now, the Fire Nation is vulnerable, and our allies were more than eager to organize against them. What started as a call for precaution and protection has now escalated to a full on call to arms. Please, Katara, listen to me. There's a reason I've been waiting for you and Aang to arrive as I knew you would."
He nodded his head to the rolled up parchment in Katara's hands.
"That is the only copy of that scroll. I didn't even want Hessuk to see it for fear that he'd send our warriors pouring into the Earth Kingdom to hunt them down, which right now, any act of aggression could only serve to make this situation worse than it already is. I was waiting for you and the Avatar because I believe he is our only hope. Aang may be the only one who can save us from ourselves!"
One of the officers called to Arnook. It looked like they were having some kind of meeting.
Arnook turned back to Katara.
"Go now, find Aang, gather your friends and I beg of you, put a stop to what this foolish old man started!"
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"I see... and you think my niece is at the center of all this turmoil?"
Iroh stood silent, eyes fixed on a spot on the floor a few feet in front of him as he ran a hand over his beard. He should have expected this. Not what he'd just been told about Azula, but the anger toward the Fire Nation. The scars of war ran deep, and forgiveness didn't come easy. The world had only begun to heal, but the pain was still fresh and the situation with Azula, regardless of how implausible it may seem, was merely an excuse to strike back. Whether directly or not, it seemed his niece was at the crux of it all.
It would seem the balance of the world was once again in the hands of a Fire Nation Royal. Iroh sighed. It seemed Sozin's legacy wouldn't die without a fight.
"And what is it you want me to do about this?" Iroh asked Kui.
"I may not know what she's planning, but I am aware of just how capable and dangerous your niece is. As her uncle, as the Dragon of the West, and as the liberator of Ba Sing Se, you're the one person in my entire kingdom who seems most qualified in taking her down. I hate to ask this of you after everything you've done, but..."
Iroh raised a hand to stop him.
"If it saves time, I should probably tell you that I was already on my way to do that when your men stopped us and brought me here."
The Earth King and How exchanged a look.
"Oh," Kui popped up. "Well then. Carry on, I suppose."
How slapped a hand to his face.
Iroh and company received a royal escort to the nearest monorail.
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"Aang, there's something that's been bothering me about this fire spirit. Something we need to discuss." Roku's spirit form hung just above the oasis.
"What is it Roku? Did you figure something out?" Aang asked his former self with a smidge of undisguised enthusiasm. Maybe he'd finally get some answers. Unfortunately, Roku just shook his head and ran a hand through his long white beard (though, in his spirit form, it was actually a light shade of transparent blue).
"I'm sorry Aang, but no, I have not. I only offer another question, the answer to which may be of vital importance."
Aang leaned back on his elbows. "Great, just what I needed. More questions."
Roku continued, "You see Aang, spirits are ephemeral things..."
"They're what?"
Roku paused. "They are transitory in nature and..."
The blank look on Aang's face stopped him again. Roku closed his eyes and ran a hand over his beard, then started again, "As you have seen on your travels, Aang, there are spirits able to hold themselves to the physical world indefinitely, such as the Koi circling in the oasis below me. What you must understand is that spirits like these are rare. In my lifetime, I'd never met a single one. Even powerful spirits like Hei-Bai can only maintain themselves in this world for a short time before returning to the spirit world. Aang, I believe that discovering how this spirit has anchored itself to this world may be the key to defeating it, and sending it back from where it came."
"Ok, so... How do I find out about that?"
"Unfortunately, Aang, despite being a spirit myself, I have no particular expertise on the subject. However, during my time as Avatar, whenever I needed advice about spirits I would speak with Avatar Bayarmaa. She was an Air Nomad like you, and quite the scholar on all things spiritual. Contact her, and she may be able to give you some answers."
Roku began to fade away when something occurred to Aang.
"Whoa, whoa! Hold on Roku. If this ' Bayarmaa' knows so much about the spirit world, why did I need Koh to find out about the Moon and Ocean spirits!"
Roku smiled and gave a little nod, "Your ability to communicate with your past lives is greatly dependent on your development as an Avatar. Only a fully realized Avatar can speak freely to their past lives, and at the time, you were simply unable. Oh, and one more thing Aang. If you're going to speak to Bayarmaa, you should be warned that she has a tendency to be... blunt."
Roku faded away in a swirl of blue mist. Aang sat, tracing his finger in a circle in the grass. Yeah, but if that meant not having to meet with Koh, I sure would have given it my best try!
Aang sat up and began to meditate.
After a moment, he could feel himself leave his body, though not. Rather, it was more like losing himself inside his own spirit. He could hear the murmur of a thousand voices humming at the edges of his own consciousness. He extended an invitation, which required little more effort than forming a thought, and upon feeling it answered, swam back through himself and opened his eyes to see a new spirit floating in front of him.
As Roku had said, she was an Airbender, though other than her hair, which was shaved back from her forehead in the traditional manner to more prominently display her arrow (the rest of her stark white hair was held up with a few simple hairpins,) nothing else about her appearance as an Air Nomad looked familiar. Her robes were plain and brown and the only orange was a sash tied around her waist. Even her arrow was different - a thin black outline instead of solid blue. Until now, the only place he'd seen an Airbender arrow like that was on the oldest of murals in the eastern air temple, where he'd first met Appa. He remembered thinking, at the time, that the artist was just being lazy, but apparently that's really how the arrows used to look.
He preferred the solid blue.
Despite her elderly appearance, her voice was more vibrant and authoritative then Aang had expected.
"Greetings, young Airbender. I am Avatar Bayarmaa."
"Hi, I'm..."
"I'm well aware of who you are and what you need of me, Avatar Aang, so let us not waste time with unnecessary pleasantries. You are looking for a spirit, and, from what you've uncovered, a very powerful one at that. While I know nothing of this spirit other than what you've already learned from Avatar Nam Yen, I do have an idea of where it is you can find it."
"That's great. Where is it then!"
"Not where, but who."
"Huh?"
"I will need to explain a few things before you can fully understand my conclusion. First of all, your previous incarnation was correct. Spirits capable of maintaining themselves in the living world are rare indeed. Those that have do so by binding themselves to Totems in this world. Wan Shi-Tong has his library and the Moon and Ocean spirits have bound themselves to this oasis."
She waved a hand over the Koi circling in the pond below her.
"So... I'm looking for a building or something? But you just..."
"Yes, young Avatar, and I am still in the middle of my explanation. Exercise your ears more and your mouth less and this will go more quickly."
"Uh... Ok," Aang slouched back. Blunt was right. Air Nomads must have been much stricter in her time.
"Of course, without a totem for which to draw spiritual energy through, the spirit you seek wouldn't have had time for such elaborate constructions given how quickly fleeting its time in this world would have been."
"Ok, hold on a second. What's a totem?"
"A focus for spiritual energies, such as the bear totems in Hei-Bei's forest. It's through these that a spirit is able to draw energy from the spirit world and remain in this one. Without one, a spirit would be lucky to remain here for a matter of minutes. So, in lieu of a totem, the spirit you seek would have had only one alternative, and a desperate one at that. Binding itself to the recently dead."
Aang almost jumped to his feet. "Dead? But... No one died when I fought Ozai. Not even anyone on the airships. Sure, there were plenty of injuries, mainly from Sokka smashing the fleet out of the sky, but no casualties. I even checked with Zuko! Are you sure?"
"It is the only possibility," Bayarmaa confidently assured him.
"Ok, but... why "recently dead", and how can you be so sure?"
"Let me ask you something. Are you aware of how it is the spirit water saved you after you were struck down in Ba Sing Se?"
It seemed like an unusual change of subject, but Aang figured she had her reasons.
"Uh, kind of... it's like, extra super strong healing water right?"
"Not Exactly. In the hands of a competent healer, any water could have sufficed to heal the physical damage, but the lightning didn't just hurt you physically, but damaged you spiritually as well. In a way, you were lucky. Had the physical damage been more severe, nothing could have saved you, but since the lightning only managed to separate you spirit from your body..."
Only? Aang thought.
"...the spiritual energies contained within the waters from this oasis were able to draw your spirit back because your spirits connection to the physical world remained so strongly entwined to your body that, even after your physical body expires, it takes much longer for the spiritual energy to let go and bleed back to the spirit world. This discrepancy, between physical passing and spiritual passing, allowed the spirit water enough time to grab hold of those fleeting energies and pull them back, reviving you even after your body had given out."
Aang, felt as though the air around him had suddenly gotten heavier. So, it really had been that close, hadn't it? For a brief time, he really was... gone.
"Ok, but what does that have to do with where this spirit is and how's it's staying here?"
"It has everything to do with it, young Avatar. It is only in that window, just after physical death, but before the spirit has fully leeched away, that another spirit could bind itself to that body."
"Theoretically? You mean you don't actually know?"
"I only say theoretically, because I've never heard of such a thing happening before, and for good reason. However, just because it hasn't happened does not invalidate my theory. When I tell you that this would have been its only option, I know I am correct in that assumption."
"How can you be so sure? I thought you had actual answers and now you tell me you're just guessing!"
Bayarmaa's eyes went blank as she entered the Avatar state. A chill went down his spine and the air around him felt like it was... shaking. Her voice boomed and Aang felt it in the pit of his stomach.
"I spent a lifetime studying spirits. I spoke at length with any past life able to offer any knowledge on the subject, and in my later years I spent more time in the spirit world than I did in my own body. I made regular visits to the spirit library, as it had yet to be buried under the desert sands and its proprietor had yet to become bitter and angry at the world for the misuse of his knowledge. Wan Shi-Tong willingly shared his knowledge with me, and I read every book the library contained in regards to both spirits and the spirit world, and what questions those didn't answer, I would ask of the Knowledge Spirit himself. Some of our conversations lasted days, if not weeks. There was not a single Avatar before me with more knowledge about the spirits, and if you've come to me now, I will assume none since. So when I tell you my theories are sound, you will not insult a lifetime of hard earned knowledge by calling it a 'guess!' Am I clear on this, Young Airbender!"
"OK, ok. Sorry."
Her point made, Bayarmaa faded from the Avatar state and went back to sitting calmly in front of him as though nothing was amiss.
Wow, and I thought Kiyoshi was scary!
"As I was saying, Avatar Aang, there is a reason this has never happened before, and I can only imagine what sort desperation would drive a spirit to such a thing."
"Why, is there something dangerous about it?"
"Not so much dangerous, as it would be foolhardy. Just as the spirit water did for you, the infusion of an outside source of spiritual energy, would only serve to draw back the bodies original spirit. And the thing you must understand about, is that a body is very particular to it's spirit. While it may accept the energies of another spirit as a means to draw back it's own, it would never accept the dominance of another spirit. In other words, it would be purposely trapping itself inside another being, and barring some kind or spiritual disruption, would remain that way indefinitely until such time as that body passed. At which point it would be pulled back to the spirit world anyway."
"So what would be the point? How could it be so afraid of returning to the spirit world that it would do something like that?"
"I'm afraid I don't know. However, more than anything and as I mentioned before, this seems an act of desperation. So much so that I can't imagine this spirit will go quietly when you do find it. I advise a great deal of caution, young Avatar."
"You also said something about a "spiritual disruption. What did you mean by that?"
"Anything capable of harming or damaging the spirit more than the body could, in theory, upset the balance and allow this fire spirit to become dominant. Given what you've learned from Nam Yen of this ancient spirit, I prey that doesn't happen."
That's an understatement!
"Yeah, me too, but that sorta leaves one tiny little problem."
"What to do with it when you find it?" Bayarmaa answered.
Aang nodded.
Bayarmaa closed her eyes and gave it a few moments of thought. "Well, there is one sure solution that would easily return both spirits to the spirit world. Though I assume it's an option you won't take."
"No, I won't," Aang said firmly.
"Understand what you trying to do, Aang: disrupting the bond's between two spirits, while trying to anchor one to it's body and at the same time pushing the other back to the spirit world. I cannot guarantee you that such a thing is even possible."
"I don't care. I'll do everything in my power to do this without giving up a life."
"Very well. Then I will leave you with this. When you leave this place, take some spirit water with you. Your energy bending and the spirit water will be your strongest weapons against this creature."
"My energy bending?"
"As you know, bending is spiritual in nature, so the ability to remove bending is the ability to manipulate the spirit. Beyond that, I know very little, but it is a start. As for the spirit water, it is not only a powerful tool to heal wounds of the spirit, but can also be used as powerful weapon against creatures from the spirit world. And against this "Kaji" it may prove a strong weapon indeed. That is all the wisdom I have to share with you Avatar Aang. Heed what I've told and may you find the solutions you seek."
Having nothing more to add, Bayarmaa faded and left Aang to ponder her words.
He was interrupted by a tiny tongue licking his cheek. Momo was propped with his front paws on Aang's leg, chattering away. He patted Momo on the head while the little lemur chattered away and looked at him with his head cocked sideways.
"Yeah, Momo, this doesn't make any sense to me either."
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Katara was breathless. She'd been running through the streets and waterbending over canals for the last hour, and she was completely lost! As if today hadn't been bad enough! All she wanted to do was find Aang and tell him what was going on. This stupid business with Water Tribe and Azula and... Oh yeah!
Arnook's scroll.
She reached into the lining of her parka, pulled it out and unrolled it.
What the...
Ok, that was obviously the wrong one. She immediately tucked it under her arm and went back to her parka to fish out the real scroll. But why did she have a picture of Nagohda anyway? Did she accidentally grab it back at Sesha's house? No, the picture she showed her was different than this one... weird.
Where is that stupid thing? She shifted the scroll to the other hand and patted down her parka, then looked in her outside pockets, then looked on the ground around her. That's when she noticed Arnook's wax seal on the back of the scroll in her hand.
But that's...
She flipped it back over, and was again looking at Nagohda's face.
She flipped it back over to make sure of the wax seal... yep, still there.
But that meant. No, no, it couldn't be. That didn't make any sense.
Nagohda was Azula's accomplice!
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"Azula...? What's wrong?" Yu watched in utter confusion as she slowly backed away from him as though she was looking at a ghost.
Because, for all Azula knew, he was.
The numbers ran through her head. How many days did Yu say he'd been wandering around before coming to the hospital? How many days was it since he said the first time he remembered waking up in a burnt down forest? That forest! How many days had they been traveling together? How many days had it been since Sozin's comet?
Despite being troubled, her mind still worked fast and she had it added up in moments. If he woke up in Woo-Long forest when he said he did, then it was burnt because of the attacking Fire Nation fleet. Her attack.
"Enough games! Who are you? What are you!"
He stood up and took a few tentative steps toward her with his hands out as though he were trying to show a scared animal he meant it no harm. "Azula, calm down. It's just me..."
"No! You're not, you're lying... DON'T COME NEAR ME!" She screamed. "You're just like them! Some figment of my imagination... No, no. You're different. All the others, they're... I know them... but you...you're not the same so what are you, some kind of spirit or ghost!
Yu didn't know what to say. This... this was weird. She was quickly becoming hysterical and he didn't have a clue how to react. She let out a burst of manic laughter then ran at him. He almost fell over backyard when she thrust a finger violently at his face.
"That's what this is, isn't it? You died in that forest and this is some kind of twisted revenge because you think it's my fault! This is some kind of punishment isn't it!
"Uhh..."
"You think I'm going to break down and beg forgiveness! Is that what you want! Well I'm not sorry! It was war, and I'm a princess! I don't have to answer to anyone!"
"Azula, stop please, It's me."
He grabbed her by the shoulders.
"LET GO OF ME!" She tried to rip herself away, but there was no hint of the fierce, well trained warrior in it. She was in complete panic mode. She just thrashed about like a scared animal. Yu held on tighter, for fear that she might actually hurt herself if he let go. That only made it worse, and nothing he said was making it better. Then she sucked in a breath and blew fire in his face. For a few seconds, his head was engulfed in swirling blue flames. When she finally stopped, he blinked the soot out his eyes and coughed out a puff of smoke.
Then he said something he immediately wished he hadn't, "You know that can't hurt me."
Her eyes narrowed, and in the next instant an explosion of pain erupted from between his legs. His hands limply slipped off her shoulders as his eyes rolled into the back of his head. He tried, for about one tenth of one second, to stay on his feet before making a very slow and deliberate collapse to the ground. And why did the pain keep getting worse? It seemed to swell and creep outward from his groin, as though that part of his body just wasn't enough to hold that much pain, so now it was bleeding into neighboring areas and sinking into his very soul.
Azula took a step or two away, in a bit of a daze herself, because he certainly felt solid for a ghost. There was a split second, just a moment of a moment, where she started to reach out a hand (she really hadn't meant to do that), before coming back to her senses and fleeing for the comfort of the cave.
Behind her, she could hear her father laughing.
She threw her hands over her ears and ran faster. It didn't do any good. When she got to the cave, she could still hear them, but now her father was berating her weakness. Her Other made a crude joke about Yu then laughed and her mother was simultaneously trying to sooth and scold her. Movement danced in the shadows. Forms stepped in and out of the light. She pressed her back against the cave wall and slid down it until she was hunched in a corner, her eyes shut tight and her hands clamped over her ears. To drown out the voices, she started humming.
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"No offense, Fire Lord," one of Earthbenders from Yenrai addressed Zuko with barely hidden scorn, "But shouldn't we wait until morning to head into the mountains? It'll be dark soon and..."
A flame danced to life in the Fire Lord's palm. Following his lead, six more flames danced to life, one from each elite Firebender also accompanying him on this trek. Mai gave a little smile (Zuko did have his moments.)
Zuko looked over his men, and then eyed the other six Earthbenders coming with them.
"We have light. Now, let's go."