Chapter 30
A big thank you to everyone who has followed along thus far! A round of applause goes to Mogor, my most enthusiastic and consistent reviewer.
Another blast of rock blows through the wall, and Haojun whimpers from her spot under the table. Chunks of earth and wood clatter to the floor.
"It's all right," Jinlian says with a calmness she doesn't feel. She presses herself back against the wall just to the side of the window, then, leaning out slightly, peers out into the street.
Outside is chaos. Dust from rock and rubble swirls up from the road, and periodic blasts of fire add smoke to the cloud. Through the haze Jinlian sees two dozen Fire Nation soldiers standing in battle formation across the road. Their two firebenders stand in the back, protected by a shield wall, and send balls of fire arching over the soldiers. As Jinlian watches, fire crashes down towards the Earth Kingdom troops but is blocked when an earthbender raises a wall of stone. The fire scorches the barrier, then dissipates with a hiss. A blaze springs up in a house three doors down from where Jinlian and Haojun hide in Guo's home. The other soldiers must be fighting house-to-house. Another explosion rattles the walls, and Jinlian snaps away from the window.
They are destroying Qima. And as much as Jinlian hated Temurin's hometown when she arrived five years ago, it still fills her with fury as she peeks out again at the battling Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom soldiers. This is not their town. Neither of the armies knows Qima or cares.
Which is why Guo is out there right now.
Jinlian glances at the rooftops. Would Guo and the others attack from there? Almost as soon as the Earth Kingdom troops attacked, a neighbour had pounded at their door, yelling for Guo.
"It's happening," the messenger had gasped. "She needs everyone who can fight to join her at the town square, now."
Guo had nodded. They planned for this. Wordlessly, he kissed Jinlian good-bye, and placed his large hand on Haojun's head, her skull fitting in the palm of his hand. And then he was gone, and Jinlian was left to wait.
Once again Jinlian peeks out the window. The Earth Kingdom troops are pressing forward, led by that skinny Alvin who lives with Temurin. Damn Temurin for his poor judgment. The boy waves a broadsword and yells, but Jinlian can't make out the words.
The door crashes open. With a thrill of terror, Jinlian whirls, throwing herself in front of the table and raising her knife. The man wears a bandana around his nose and mouth, but almost instantly, Jinlian lowers her knife.
Only one person has eyes that green.
Temurin pulls down his bandana and slams the door shut. Then, as if Jinlian isn't there, he kneels and pulls Haojun into a tight embrace.
"Oh sweetheart," he gasps. "Oh spirits I was so worried." He kisses the top of her head, holding her so close Jinlian fears he'll strangle her. But Haojun clutches at him gratefully. Jinlian's throat constricts.
"Guo and a band of villagers are trying to protect the town," Jinlian says, kneeling next to Temurin. She rubs Haojun's back comfortingly. "I don't know where they are now, but they're trying to keep the fighting in the street and away from the homes."
"I know," Temurin says. "I ran into a group of them."
"Where have you been?"
Temurin glances at Haojun. "Pulling the dead and wounded out of the line of fire," he says. "And trying to get to you."
He looks right at her, his eyes steely.
"Jinlian, you and Haojun have to get out of here. The entire town could burn down."
"I told Guo I'd stay here," Jinlian says quietly.
"Well, I'm sure he'd understand." Temurin stands, setting Haojun on her feet. "Go to my house. It's far out enough that you should be safe." He grabs Haojun's hand and leads them towards the back gate. Jinlian has no choice but to follow. The sound of explosions fades, but Jinlian grips her knife tightly as they run into the alley behind Guo's home.
"Have you seen Jirou?" Temurin asks darkly, still holding Haojun's hand.
"No."
They run behind a neighbor's house. The street is still clouded with floating dirt. Smoke burns Jinlian's nose, and someone screams in pain.
"And what about my mother? She was in town when this all started."
"She's leading the resistance," Jinlian gasps as they run.
Temurin stops abruptly, then ducks behind a low fence. "She's fighting?" he says, disbelieving.
"No. But she's in charge." Before he can ask, Jinlian continues. "She didn't want you to try to stop her."
"I don't-is everyone a liar?" Temurin shakes his head. Jinlian's stomach twists. Is he referring to her? Now?
His face softening, Temurin addresses Haojun.
"Sweetheart, you and Mama are going to run home, really fast," he says. "Just be quiet and obey what she says and you'll be fine."
"Are you coming?" Haojun asks. Her face is covered with dust, but there are no tear tracks to show she's been crying. She's always been a brave one.
"No, honey. I'm a doctor, and that means I have to go fix people." Temurin pulls the bandana back up over his nose.
"Run behind the houses until you reach my place," he commands Jinlian. "It might be a good idea to hide in the forest." Crouching, he starts to make his way back to the main battle.
"Temurin!"
Jinlian's mouth is dry. Those green eyes, they can't go dull.
"Be careful," she says. "And please…look out for Guo."
"I will," he promises.
His face is covered, so she can't read his expression. But the tenor of his voice is gentler than she's heard in a year. It's almost like forgiveness.
Wiping away the moisture on her cheeks, Jinlian grabs Haojun's hand.
"Ready?" she asks, trying to smile. Haojun nods.
They run.
They sneak behind homes, Jinlian crouching in half. Now and again, she sees a neighbor heading into battle, armed with a rake or a shovel. It kills her to not be joining them. But she can't leave Haojun on her own. Not after everything she's put her own daughter through.
The firelight reflects off particles of dirt in the air, illuminating the billows of dust like pillars of glowing clouds. Even though they are running away from the center of the fighting, the smoke is still thick. Stone and fire fly through the air; some Earth Kingdom troops have taken over the bottom floor of the general store.
Jinlian pulls Haojun to a stop. They'll need to cross the street to take a side road to Temurin's house. She can't see the dirt path through the swirling black smoke, but she knows it's there. The Fire Nation soldiers are busy throwing balls of fire at the besieged Earth Kingdom troops. They'll have to make a run for it.
"Go!" Jinlian gasps. Haojun's hand firmly in her own, Jinlian sprints towards the road. But as they run the smoke clears, slinking to the ground like a spirit-snake, and reveals a slender figure.
It's Jirou. He stands in the middle of the road, shell-shocked, watching the firebenders set the general store on fire. His hands and face are black with soot. His green eyes, so like Temurin's, are wide. Even though he's taller than Jinlian he looks like a little lost boy.
"Jirou. Come with us," Jinlian says hoarsely, still clutching Haojun's hand. He doesn't respond. He doesn't seem to hear her. They are completely exposed, completely unprotected. Jinlian grabs her nephew's smoke-streaked hand.
"Come with us. It's going to be okay," she says desperately.
"My patient is dead," Jirou says.
Jinlian doesn't know who he's talking about and she doesn't care. She grips Jirou's forearm and pulls him off the road, jogging to the side road. Only when the firebenders are out of sight does she stop. Haojun looks frightened but not panicked. Jirou addresses Jinlian, looking confused.
"My patient. The one with a rabbit-dog bite. She's dead. I prescribed honey and-"
"Don't think about her. We have to get to Temurin's house," Jinlian says. Jirou can have a mental breakdown later. She glances around a corner, still holding each child by a hand.
"It's clear. Run!"
They're about to pass the last few shops when, with a scream and a crash, a woman bursts through a door and lands in the street. She hits the ground hard, a sword still in her hand, and struggles to regain her footing. Jinlian freezes. From her green attire, she's probably Earth Kingdom. The suspicion is confirmed when a helmeted Fire Nation soldier strides through the shattered door. Jinlian pulls Haojun and Jirou to the side of the house, but it's too late. With a roar, the soldier hefts a spear and rams it through the Earth Kingdom woman's throat. Blood spurts from the wound, so much blood, Jinlian didn't know people had that much inside them. She can't look away.
Haojun screams.
The soldier turns to them, jerking the spear out of the corpse. He advances.
"Run!" Jinlian yells. She pushes Haojun and Jirou down the road and faces the soldier. Haojun's so little, surely not even a soldier would hunt her down?
"We're just villagers," she shouts, raising her small blade as he barrels towards her.
He ignores her, eyes mad with bloodlust, and she lashes out at his torso with her knife. She misses, the kitchen knife bouncing off his armored shoulder, and he backhands her across the face.
Hitting the dust hard, Jinlian sees stars. Blinking up blearily, she sees Haojun desperately tugging at Jirou's hand; the teenager is staring at the still-bleeding body of the Earth Kingdom soldier. Run, Jinlian thinks. The longer she fights, the longer Haojun and Jirou have.
An iron hand grasps the back of her dress and flips her over. She screams.
And then, with a flash of blue, the pressure releases. Jinlian struggles to a sitting position, and fights back bile at the sight of the Fire Nation soldier, face and armor charred to black and red.
Nekana stands over the body, her gaunt frame crackling with power like a skeletal spirit of the afterlife. Her eyes are cloudy and slightly unfocused as she stares at what she's done. Jinlian didn't even know the girl was a firebender.
"Are you all right?" Nekana asks.
"I—yes." Jinlian stands shakily and retrieves her knife from the dust.
"Then keep running," Nekana says. "Hide in the forest." Her voice grows even harder with a bitterness Jinlian doesn't understand. "When a city is sacked…no one is safe."
Jinlian nods.
"Help Temurin," she says. "He's in the middle of it." Then she runs after her daughter and nephew, calling Haojun's name into the country air.