Chapter 64: Searching Among The Dunes

The sun shone bright and hot over their heads as Appa soared across the desert. His passengers, save for Zuko and Professor Zei, were drenched in sweat, and laid across Appa's head and saddle. Except for those two, they'd all stripped down to the bare minimum of clothing to try and combat the heat.

Sokka looked across at the only two that weren't sweating and hadn't removed clothing. Spirits, he thought, Zuko was still wearing his armour. He'd had to strip his shirt off and tie it around his head and he was still way too hot.

He demanded, "How are you two okay in this heat?"

Zuko just shrugged. "I've been in this region before. Besides, the Fire Nation can get this hot."

Zei nodded. "I've also spent many years journeying through the Si Wong Desert and the surrounding region. You get used to it."

Sokka shook his head, disbelieving that anyone could get used to such extreme heat.


They flew for several hours. Professor Zei spent most of that time leant over the side of the saddle, staring out across the vast sand dunes.

Sokka grabbed a spyglass and began searching the sands.

Professor Zei crawled over the saddle and onto Appa's head, next to Aang. He leaned down and said, "Tell me, Sky Bison, are you the last of your breed?"

Appa groaned in response.

"Oh, delightful!" Zei said. "I only wish I spoke his tongue. Oh, the stories this beast could tell."

Momo landed beside the Professor and began chittering. Zei said, "Shush, chatty monkey."

Aang was examining the sketch of the Library. He said, "Wow, it shouldn't be too hard to find a place like this out here."


Hours passed. The day had only grown hotter.

"Ah!" Toph groaned. "Does this place even exist?"

Professor Zei commented, "Some say that it doesn't."

Toph's eyes widened. "Shouldn't you have mentioned that before? Grr!"

She collapsed onto her back in the saddle, covering her face with her arms.


Professor Zei sat at the back of the saddle, staring over the side and making notes in his log.

Toph leant on the side. She exclaimed, "There it is!"

She pointed out towards the dunes.

The others hurried to her side of the saddle, staring out in vain.

Seeing nothing they glared at the blind Earthbender. She shrugged and said, "That's what it will sound like when one of you spots it."

She waved a hand in front of sightless eyes. Zuko snorted, as he always did when she made blind jokes. While he didn't make them himself, he could appreciate them.

The others were less amused, as they often found themselves as the butt of the jokes.

They kept flying across the desert.


"It shouldn't be this hard to spot a giant ornate building the air." Katara said, exasperated. She'd had to strip down to pretty much her underclothes and, like her brother, she'd fashioned herself a makeshift turban to try and protect her head.

Aang was on Appa's head, with Momo sheltering his own bald head from the hot sun.

Vaguely she could see pink blooming along his shoulders where he'd removed his shirt. She frowned; Toph also showed signs of sunburn across her nose and on her shoulders. Her brother seemed okay, and she herself didn't feel too bad; their darker skin seemed to provide a little more protection than the much paler Toph and Aang.

She glanced over at Zuko. While there was very little of his skin actually showing, what was appeared as pale and untouched by the sun as the day they'd met.

Sokka nodded in response to her statement, still scanning the horizon with his spyglass.

He gasped. "Wait, I think I see something!"

He leaned further over the saddle. He said, "Yes! Down there!" he pointed. "What's that?"

Aang peered in the direction the boy was pointing. He steered Appa down so that they could take a closer look at what Sokka had seen.


It was a tower, sticking up out of a dune. Made of white stone, it practically shone in the harsh light.

Katara stared up at it. She shook her head. "Forget it, it's obviously not what we're looking for. The building in the drawing is enormous."

Professor Zei pulled the picture out, comparing it with the tower. Aang stared over the man's arm, staring at the sketch.

They heard movement behind them, sand crunching softly underfoot.

Zuko turned, drawing his dagger out an inch or two, ready to fight.

A fox appeared over a nearby sand dune.

It had a scroll clutched in its mouth.

Sokka asked, "What kind of animal is that?"

The fox ran up towards the tower, and then continued straight up the wall with no effort.

They all stared, open-mouthed, as the fox ascended the tower. It reached the top and entered the tower through a window.

Professor Zei breathed, "I think that was one of the Knowledge Seekers."

The man shook his head, disbelieving. "Oh, we must be close to the Library!"

Sokka took the sketch from the Professor's hands. He looked closer. "No. This is the Library. Look!"

He pointed to the picture, where a tower rose up from the central dome. It matched the structure before them perfectly.

"It's completely buried." Sokka said in astonishment.


"The Library is buried!" Professor Zei shouted. "My life's ambition is now full of sand."

He dropped to his knees beside the tower. He sighed. "Well, time to start excavating."

He pulled out a small trowel and began digging in the sand.

Toph gaped at the ridiculous man, sighed, and walked over to the tower. She struck her palm against it, feeling it out.

She said, "Actually, that won't be necessary. The inside seems to be completely intact and it's huge."

"That fox thingy went in through a window." Sokka said. "I say we climb up there and give it a look."

Toph replied, "I say you guys go head without me."

Zuko nodded. "Yeah, I'm with her."

Katara put her hands on her hips. "You guys got something against libraries?"

Zuko shrugged. Toph said, "I've held books before, and I've got to tell you, they don't exactly do it for me."

"Oh, right." Katara said awkwardly. "Sorry."

Toph shrugged, not really caring. "Let me know if they something you can listen to."

Katara turned to Zuko. "What about you?"

Zuko sighed. "I don't mess with Spirits if I can avoid it. I have enough problems."

Katara sighed as well. "Fine. You can stay out here and keep Toph and Appa company."

Zuko nodded. It sounded good to him.


Zuko watched as Sokka fastened together a grappling hook from a length of robe and his boomerang.

He shook his head. "No way that works."

Sokka frowned. "You know, Zuko, the day will come that you'll learn to respect my inventing skills."

He finished tying a knot, and spun the 'grappling hook' around a few times to get a feel for the weight. Then he threw it high up into the air, sending it through the tower's window.

He pulled on it until it caught on something and the rope went taut. He turned a smug smile on the Firebender.

"I accept your apology." He said, grinning.

Zuko sighed.


Toph and Zuko stood in Appa's shadow. Zuko watched as the others gradually climbed up the side of the tower and crawled in through the window. He sighed and let his staff drop to the sand. He lowered himself until he was leaning against the bison's side.

Toph eyed him. "You wanted to go in, didn't you?"

Zuko shrugged. "I wasn't lying; I don't like messing with Spirits. But, honestly, I'm not sure I could have made that climb. Not like this."

He gestured vaguely towards his chest. While the damage had mostly been healed, courtesy of Katara, he still had some pain and was building his strength back up to what it was. It was taking longer than he cared to admit to, at least to Katara.

Toph nodded. "Yeah, good call not telling Sugar Queen. She'd mother you until you suffocated."

He snorted. "She means well."

Toph shrugged. "Doesn't mean I'm wrong."

He shook his head, smiling slightly. "No, it doesn't."