Chapter 12: Everyone Deserves A Lucky Break (Not Everyone Gets One)
Aang sat silently at the underground lake's edge, hugging his knees to his chest as he stared across the dark water. Katara watched him, biting her lip. "He's really hurting," she murmured. "But what scares me is that he's just… pushing it down. Sooner or later he's going to explode."
Sokka watched the Avatar for a moment, before groaning and dropping his face into his hands. "You know, we really didn't need this…"
Katara ignored him, continuing to watch Aang's huddled form. He hadn't spoken to anyone for a while. Even Momo had been rebuffed; he perched by Sokka, churring mournfully. Aang had tried to meditate into the spirit world to search for Toph, and maybe even Appa, but he hadn't been able to do it. Katara was worried about what that meant. Was he just too tangled up inside to calm himself and move into the spirit plane? Whatever caused the block, Aang had become even more withdrawn and grim.
After a moment she glanced over at the other member of the group that was struggling emotionally. "At least Zhi's getting better," she said softly. The young man had slowly come out of his near-catatonic state as they rested; a good sleep had no doubt helped greatly. "I just wish…" Wish what? Wish that Appa hadn't disappeared? Wish that we'd taken everyone into the Library with us? Wish that Aang would talk to me, or that I could fix Toph, or that the war never happened in the first place?
"It's kind of funny," Sokka said quietly. She looked at him. He was watching Zhi polish his sword, the metal glinting in the dim green glow from Zhi's crystal. "We're just a bunch of kids. Professor Zei doesn't count; he's hardly any help. Zhi's barely an adult, in Earth Kingdom culture. Aang isn't an adult by anybody's standards. And we're the ones who have to save the world. Why us? Why wouldn't the spirits pick older people? Warriors who actually know what they're doing?"
"Maybe because there weren't any adults who would be able do what we can," Katara said.
Sokka snorted. "We're two packs of food away from dying," he said, a little bitterly. "There's no guarantee that we're going to be able to get out of this desert even with the respite we've had here. We lost one kid and our only transportation, along with most of our belongings. What are we doing? Why are we here? How did we think we could make a difference?" He stared over the lake like Aang, his eyes haunted. "People still died. Still are dying. We've been running from the enemy for months. They're always ahead of us, no matter what. How are we going to pull this off when we can't even protect the people we love?"
Katara hurt, to see her brother so despondent. She put an arm around his shoulders and hugged him briefly, trying to find the words that would smooth the frown from his face and chase the pain from his voice. "We'll find a way," she said quietly. "We've done a lot of good. Aang gives people hope. They know the Avatar is fighting on their side, and they feel like there's a chance. We've come so far. We helped defeat the Fire Nation in the North, and we're going to Ba Sing Se, where we can make an even bigger difference with the information that you found. Don't give up, Sokka." She squeezed his hand, trying to communicate her support to him. "Don't let them win. I know what you can do when you put your mind to it. We'll get out of this desert. We'll find Appa and Jiao, and get help for Toph, and we'll finally have people who can help us, who will know what to do next. It will be fine, if we just keep going, just keep trying and fighting and moving. It has to be."
Sokka gave her a lopsided smirk. "Are you even talking to me anymore?"
"I don't know," Katara murmured. "All I know is that we have to keep trying. We can't give up hope. Sometimes, it's all that keeps us going."
Sokka squeezed her hand back and let go. "All right, little sis. It should be late afternoon right now, I think. We can leave once it's dark. Let's get some more sleep, and then we'll go kick some desert butt."
She smiled at him, grateful to hear the lightness in his tone. Rising, she made her way over toward Zhi and Toph. On her way she passed Professor Zei, hunched over some of the scrolls they'd taken from the Library. He looked utterly absorbed in what he was reading; she smiled a bit sadly and continued on. The oldest in the group, and in some ways he's the most childish of us all.
Zhi looked up as Katara crouched next to him and Toph. The twelve-year-old was laying on a bed of moss, with Zhi's overtunic stretched over her as a blanket. Her chest rose and fell, slowly and shallowly. Her face was still tight, a faint line between her brows, as if she dreamed of unpleasant things.
"I got her to drink some broth," Zhi said quietly, gesturing to the rough stone bowl Aang had earthbent, half full of thin, salty broth Katara had made from some of their jerky.
Katara nodded, checking Toph's pulse, breathing, and bloodflow. The tiny earthbender's chi moved sluggishly through her veins, and Katara winced. She knew that people could survive in comas for years, but this didn't feel like an ordinary coma. And here in the desert, she was very limited in what she could do for Toph. "Try again in another hour or so. We're going to be leaving after everyone gets a little more rest. It should be almost night out there."
Zhi nodded, eyes on his sword with the sort of intent focus that said he was trying not to think about his fracturing family, and the pain that said he was failing.
Katara rose, taking a deep breath, and walked down the sloping floor to where Aang sat. He hadn't moved in hours. "Aang," she said gently, once she'd knelt next to him. "We're going to be leaving soon, once the sun goes down. You should get some sleep."
He didn't respond.
She bit her lip. "I know you're hurting a lot right now. It's really hard to lose someone you love. But we're going to get out of this desert and find Appa and help Toph. It's…" She stopped, unable to say It's going to be okay, wanting to help Aang but unable to tell him something she wasn't sure of herself. "We'll get out of here," she said instead.
Aang closed his eyes, but didn't otherwise react to her words. Katara sighed, feeling her heart twist. How can I help him when he won't let me try? "Just… just get some rest, okay?" She hesitated, then kissed him gently on the cheek and got up, going over to her own mossy bed. She needed to take her own advice.
Though she lay still, closing her eyes and calming her breathing like Gran-Gran had showed her as a little girl, it was hard to sleep when all she could think about was how their group was breaking, bit by bit, and she couldn't figure out how to put it back together.
;=;=;=;=;
"Is somebody there?"
Toph pressed her back to the chilly wall, her brows drawn in consternation at her inability to detect her surroundings, and at the quiver in her voice. She could have sworn she heard something, but now she couldn't sense anything. Curse this maze and the loss of her bending. She was practically helpless.
No. Don't you dare, Toph Beifong! That's loser talk. Put your chin up and deal with this. You're the greatest earthbender in the world!
But I don't have my bending, she replied to herself silently.
Too bad. Stop whining and do something instead of flopping around like a sack of eeltubers!
Toph took a deep breath and stepped away from the wall, her chin up. "Who's sneaking around there?" she shouted, putting as much fierceness into her voice as she could. "Show yourself!"
There was a long hesitation, and then she heard footsteps not too far away, irregular and shuffling. She automatically dropped into an earthbending stance, and though her bending wasn't accessible, she still appreciated the familiar solidity. "Who's there?" she repeated.
By the sound of it, the footsteps rounded the corner, then stopped. "Well well!" a thin voice said, sounding old and male. "Look at this! Look, simply look! Child, young child, all alone, all lost, no moon or sky or mountain to guide by, my oh my!"
Toph cocked her head, trying to pinpoint the man's location. "Who are you?" she insisted. It was the first time she'd even found any evidence that she wasn't alone in this maze. She didn't know how long she'd been there, but it was far, far too long.
"I? I am the Scourge of Nations, the Lord of Sea and Sky! I conquered Ba Sing Se with my terrible armies. I discovered the secrets to many things. I will gain all power!" He cackled wildly, trailing off into hacking coughs.
"Never heard of you," Toph said, still holding her stance. Is he really nuts, or just trying to make me let down my guard?
"Never?" the man screeched, sounding definitely unhinged. "Never? Never – but I've – did I – did I?" His voice suddenly sounded feeble and unsure. "Who - but I conquered Ba Sing Se – no, I am going to conquer – where – but the secrets, the terrible secrets that I learned, secrets to all power… who am I, who are you, why, why why!" His muttering rose to a scream, and there was a thud like he hurtled himself against a wall. Toph leaped back at the unexpected sound, her heart hammering.
"Oookay," Toph muttered. "Definitely nuts."
"Child!" The man sounded more confident now. "All alone, yes! Yes, alone, alone! Do you know me? I am the Scourge of Nations! I am the Lord of Sea and Sky! I conquered Ba Sing Se with my terrible armies-"
Toph backed away as he continued his maddened litany, bumping into a wall and following it away. He didn't seem to notice her departure, and continued to alternate shouting titles and laughing crazily as she put more distance between them.
Long after his voice was silenced, Toph huddled in a corner. That's going to be me. I'm going to be driven mad here. And who knows how many are in here, anyway? How dangerous are they?
She allowed herself one deep, shuddering breath, let it out slowly, and got to her feet. "I am Toph Beifong, the greatest earthbender in the world," she said aloud. "I won't forget who I am. I'm going to get out of here somehow." There was a way out of here, she knew it. Nothing was perfect. And nobody would hold Toph Beifong ever again. She'd spent her whole life imprisoned in expectations and protections. She'd been held in a metal box by Xin Fu. She'd felt scared, and closeted, and suppressed, and angry. And she'd gotten free. For the first time in her life, Toph had finally been free, for a few glorious weeks. Now she was back in her familiar old routine where somebody was trying to keep her trapped in something she didn't want to be.
Well, joke's on you. Toph had experienced imprisonment, and freedom. And now she wasn't ever going to sit around and let other people control her life again. She would get out of her. All she had to do was remember who she was, and find a way out of here. Simple, when she put it that way.
She started walking again, hugging her arms against the constant, pervasive chill in the air and ground. "I am Toph Beifong," she said. "My family is coming for me. My older brother Zhixiang, and my older sister Meilin, and my little brother Jiao. My mother Poppy, and my father Lao. I am Toph Beifong, the greatest earthbender in the world..."
;=;=;=;=;
Jiao gratefully drank from the waterskin that Mixue, a knowledge seeker with jet-black fur and bright copper eyes, brought him. He'd been able to clean himself up a little while he waited for Wan Shi Tong to finish binding the Hazchi to the Library, and Satoru had even found him a clean shirt from who knew where – it was a little big, but better than his old tunic, covered in blood and vomit – and with a good long drink, he was finally feeling mostly recovered from his ordeal in the Chamber."Thank you," he said when he had sated his thirst. "Do you know if Wan Shi Tong is finished yet?"
The Wisdom Keeper has nearly completed his task, Mixue said, swishing her fanlike tail in front of the moose-lion cub. It made a squeaky noise, batting at the long, silky fur. Soon the Library's defenses will be complete again. And perhaps we will once more be able to raise this edifice from the desert sands and stand as a house of learning and a center of discovery, not simply a repository of knowledge. Without the Hazchi's strength, letting people enter the Library was a risk, so it was made more and more difficult to find, eventually all but sunk under the sand after that ash-blasted scum burned the Fire Nation History chamber. But now… She gave a happy growl. Now things will be different, I think. The Library, and all its inhabitants, owe you a great debt, Jiao.
He smiled awkwardly. "Um, you're welcome?" The knowledge seekers seemed to alternate between treating him like an adorable little brother, and piling him with reverent awe and gratitude. "It's not that big of a deal. I just want to find my family."
She gave him a fox smile, ears pricked and tail wagging. The moose-lion cub tried to pounce on the waving black fan of fur and missed, yelping. And completed a task that the greatest warrior-shamans never could, she reminded him. Do not worry, Jiao the Wisdom Bringer. You will surely find your family soon.
And there was that doofy title, too. Wasn't being Blessed by a cantankerous spirit enough? Did he have to get a weird title as well? His thoughts must have shown on his face, because the knowledge spirit gave a barking laugh, padding forward to lick his cheek. You'll get used to it.
"Sure," Jiao said, sliding off the bench onto the floor. They were on the second level, where the first rays of dawn filtered down from the single aboveground tower to illuminate the edges of the rails. Cool green light from the sconces along the walls lit where the early sunlight didn't touch. He reached out to the moose-lion cub, and it abandoned Mixue's tail to bound into his lap. Was it just his imagination, or did the cub feel heavier? Was it growing that fast?
He's such an adorable little thing, Mixue said fondly, licking the cub's cheek as well. And so attached to you.
"He?" Jiao said, looking up. "We couldn't tell."
It's difficult to tell, when they are this young, Mixue admitted. But the Wisdom Keeper knows. And who am I, to argue with him?
Jiao scratched under the moose-lion cub's chin. "Are you a boy, huh? Sokka's going to be happy. I still don't think we should call you Destroyer, though."
The cub leaned against his chest, vibrating with a happy purr at Jiao's scratching.
What about Kiruno? Mixue asked, studying the little animal. It means "to kill".
"That's worse than Destroyer!" Jiao protested.
Mixue shrugged in a ripple of fur. There is great meaning in a name, she said. And this little one will grow to be a fearsome beast one day, won't you, you adorable wee cub? Perhaps Dawei? It means "great protector". There were four Earth Kings named Dawei, you know. It has its roots in the Tinxion word da'awni, which was historically the name of the mountains that ringed the site where Ba Sing Se now lies. It is theorized that da'awni might be an adaption of Da Arawn or Darralwn, a little known spirit that may well have resided in the mountains-
"What was your focus, again?" Jiao asked.
She smiled at him. Languages.
"Ah," Jiao said. "I never would have guessed." Mixue laughed again. "But I do like the name Dawei. What do you think?" he asked the cub.
The little saber-tooth moose-lion left Mixue's tail to tilt his head at Jiao, almost like he understood the question. Then he let out a happy growl and went back to leaping for Mixue.
"Dawei it is," Jiao said, smiling at his little companion.
A lank salt-and-pepper fox melted out of the shadows, its dark brown eyes half-lidded and cool. Jiao recognized him as Shiying, a senior knowledge seeker that had been in the Library nearly as long as Wan Shi Tong himself. The Wisdom Keeper is ready for you, he told Jiao.
Good luck finding your family, Mixue said as Jiao stood. She leaned against him for a moment in a fox hug. I hope you are successful!
"I hope so too," he whispered, hugging her back. Her fur was soft and silky on his bare arms. "Thanks."
If you are quite finished? Shiying inquired irritably.
"I'm coming," Jiao said. Dawei hurried to match his step as Jiao followed the old fox into the darker halls, down corridors and stairwells and across branching catwalks, finally approaching the center of the Library. The door was open, and Shiying led Jiao inside.
It was a surprisingly small, humble room, with smooth, golden-brown wood siding and a sandstone floor. Arrayed around the edges of the room was a series of small plinths, each bearing an artifact of priceless value, from the original flame crown of the first Dragon Emperor to the fist-sized diamond that had triggered the bloodiest war in Water Tribe history. In the center of the room was a taller but still simple pedestal, similar to the one in the Chamber. A single, fraying piece of parchment with indecipherable golden writing sat on top, looking innocuous and oddly out of place for its position of honor. Despite its appearance, Jiao could feel the energy rippling off of it, making his skin tingle.
Wan Shi Tong stood behind the pedestal, wings tucked behind his back. He fixed Jiao with a dark-eyed gaze as the boy entered. "It is done," he said quietly.
Jiao looked back at the pedestal. He had placed the Hazchi on the pedestal nearly two hours before, completing his task and restoring the cornerstone of the Library. It still had to be reconnected to the Library and its defenses, though, and Wan Shi Tong had been reforging those old bonds. Now, Jiao knew, the Library was much stronger. No one would be able to burn its knowledge to the floor, or tear stone from its walls.
"This room is the center of the Library in more ways than one," Wan Shi Tong rumbled, pulling Jiao's eyes back to him. "Once, this was a humble hut. From these inauspicious beginnings came this vast hall of knowledge. Long before I became steward of the Library, the Hazchi lay atop that very pedestal as the first Wisdom Keeper pledged his life to the collection – and protection - of knowledge."
"You didn't build the Library?" Jiao asked, surprised. He'd always assumed that Wan Shi Tong had been the one to create the Library and collect all the knowledge.
The owl shook his head. "I did not. This building stood long before I did, and my task is to ensure that it will outlast me as well."
"How old is it?" Jiao asked, awed.
"Incomprehensibly," Wan Shi Tong said quietly. "I know that I am not the first Wisdom Keeper, and I hope not to be the last." He heaved a sigh, feathers fluffing out before laying flat again. "I think that it is time that the Library opens its doors to humanity again, now that its protections are solid once more. I see that I have failed somewhat in my stewardship, for though I have gathered and protected knowledge, I have not let it bless the world."
"...Wow," Jiao said, a bit weakly. "That's a change."
The owl spirit blinked down at him, looking faintly annoyed. "I am changed," he said. "As are you. I find my thinking… influenced… by your own thinking. Which may be for the better. I feel as if… as if I see more clearly than I did before." He gazed solemnly down at Jiao. "And you… You have a duty, as my Blessed, to seek and save knowledge, to be my voice to the world, to uphold this Library and its tenets."
"I thought you didn't know much about Blessings," Jiao said.
There was a ghost of amusement in Wan Shi Tong's eyes. "I had my knowledge seekers read up on the subject and enlighten me." He moved around the pedestal until he loomed directly over Jiao, and brushed a wingtip over Jiao's forehead. "Go, now. Find your family, and protect the world and the knowledge within it, Jiao the Wisdom Bringer."
Jiao bowed deeply, somehow knowing it was the right thing to do. "Thank you, Wisdom Keeper," he said quietly. "I will."
He'd turned and was almost out the door, Dawei at his heels, when he jolted to a stop with sudden remembrance. Wheeling back, Jiao swallowed and said, "Wan Shi Tong…"
The owl tilted his head.
"My sister. Toph. She… I didn't really see, but something happened, the knowledge seekers made her collapse somehow, I just wanted to make sure she… she's okay…" Toph had to be okay, had to be.
"She tore into the walls of this Library," Wan Shi Tong said, almost sadly. "She opened herself to spiritual retribution from the guardians of the Library. They sent her into the Spirit World."
Jiao's eyes widened. "The…" He trailed off as information presented itself in his mind. She would have been banished to the Liar's Maze, an endless labyrinth in the Spirit World, the fate for those who harmed the Library or its precious contents. Toph was somewhere in there, trapped without bending or a way to escape. "Can I get her out?"
Wan Shi Tong regarded him for a moment. "If you can find her, you have the authority to release her spirit. But the Liar's Maze was created to hold its prisoners forever, and that means keeping others out as well as keeping prisoners in."
Jiao closed his eyes, unable to accept that. He'd find her. He'd find Toph, and bring her back to her body, no matter what. Because she was his sister, and as long as she wasn't dead he'd drag her spirit back from whatever prison held it.
"For what it is worth," the Great Spirit said, as Jiao slowly walked away, "I am sorry."
;=;=;=;=;
Meilin tightened her grip on her pack straps, and tried to look as invisible as possible. If that soldier turned another twenty degrees, he'd see her right in the open. She was ten yards from the trees, but the gulf may as well have been a hundred. She wished it was the dead of night, where she could skulk through the shadows, but no. They had to do this in broad daylight if they had any hope of escaping the valley before the Fire Nation completely sealed it off.
Liangji had posted guards around the spacious walls of the Beifong manor. Fortunately, none of them were particularly close to the hole in the wall; with limited men and a large area to cover, they were spaced fairly far apart. Still, that one over by the luniary bush would see her any moment when he turned, he'd shout, the others would come running, Meilin would flee into the woods but be brought down by flying stone bands…
The soldier turned back the other direction as a squirreldove flew up and away, and Meilin straightened and dashed for the woods, smoke stinging her lungs. She entered the trees with a gasp of relief, and could see the relief mirrored on her parents faces. Mother and Father were both hiding behind trees, waiting for Meilin. She glanced back to make sure they hadn't been spotted, then nodded. The three of them set off on the familiar trail that would eventually lead them to the Underground hut, and the tunnels out.
They hadn't been able to take the ostrich-horses with them, since the animals were both too noticeable and too big to fit through the hole in the wall. Father had agonized over leaving yet more of his precious belongings behind, but thankfully the impending danger had helped him get over it quickly. They knew they would only have a few minutes before somebody realized they were no longer in the manor, but hopefully the head start would be enough for them to shake pursuers and get into the tunnels.
They passed a gap in the trees, a sloping bluff that allowed them to see the valley spreading out beneath them. Meilin's throat tightened as she saw the thick haze, the red at the valley entrance, heard the distant fighting. There was a boom somewhere, the sound of igniting explosives, and she ripped her gaze away. That might have been someone in the resistance, flinging the last of the bombs that brought down the Ayanoran Pass. That might have been Dusin and Lana, defending their home with the volatile tools of their trade. Perhaps it was even a Fire Nation explosive – the Fire Nation had invented blasting jelly, after all. Whatever caused the sound, it just meant death and suffering for her people, her home. She was abandoning them all.
Then it was back into the woods. Meilin took the lead, since she was well familiar with this path. She'd taken it for countless Underground excursions and Earth Rumbles. They joined the main path, with its beaten dirt surface, and she sighed silently with relief. It was easier going now, not having to push through the undergrowth. She squinted through the haze, hating her limited sight and the way the smoke made it hard to breathe-
Figures loomed out of the mist, and Meilin froze. There were six red-armored soldiers, looking as shocked to see the Beifongs as Meilin felt seeing them. It was evidently a scouting patrol, or perhaps a group looking for something in particular. Whatever their reason for being on the winding path from Gaoling, they were a very big monkey-otter wrench in the Beifong's plans for escape.
The soldiers recovered quickly, dropping into offensive positions. "Stop right there," the lead soldier growled, fire igniting in his hands, casting strange shadows on his face and helmet.. "No one leaves the valley. Surrender and you will be honorably treated."
Mother scowled. "Let us past," she ordered, her voice steely with authority. "You cannot keep us here."
"You're-"
The soldier only got one word out before a black knife buried itself up to the hilt in his exposed throat. Another knife took a second soldier in the upper arm, in a gap between armor plates. Two more knives followed in rapid succession, one clattering off a soldier's chestplate, one slicing a shallow cut across another man's face as he turned to avoid it.
More knives sprang to Mother's fingers as the five standing soldiers roared and charged, fire and steel casting hellish light on the scene. Meilin yanked her katana out of its sheath and almost dropped the weapon. She wasn't a great swordswoman, and she'd never truly expected to be facing enemies like this. Father let out a yell – of anger, surprisingly, though there was quite a bit of terror mixed in there – and threw his entire pack at the oncoming soldiers. It hit one in the chest, knocking him backward. Mother ducked a fireblast and flung another flurry of knives. Then one soldier was on Meilin, swiping a thick, heavy length of dark wood with sharp spikes adorning the larger end. She leaped out of the way, choking on panic, and stabbed blindly at him. Her next thrust caught him in the forearm, but his club slammed into the katana, smashing it out of her hand. Meilin retreated as fast as she could, trying to move into the woods. Instead, she backed farther onto the road, where the soldier pursued, club raised.
As he was about to bring it down, a knife slashed across his face, gouging his left eye. He gave a horrible scream and let the club drop, bringing his hands up to his face. Meilin turned, seeing that Mother had taken down another of the soldiers. There were three left, two firebenders and a swordsman. Father was laying in the middle of the road, clutching his bloody right arm. Mother dodged fireblasts and sword swings with astonishing agility, black knifes flying at her attackers. Fire ate at the woods along the side of the road, sending more smoke into the air.
Reinforcements are likely to be here any minute.
Mother must have had the same thought, because as she pinned one soldier to a tree and dodged a sword thrust, she yelled, "Meilin! Go!"
"But-"
"You know what to do!" Mother screamed, backing up, bloody and disheveled. "Go! Find June of Shu Jing – she'll help you!" Flames seared her side, and she staggered, then recovered, leading the soldiers further from her daughter. "GO!"
Meilin turned and ran. There were no tears, though they would probably come later. She didn't look back as the sounds of battle continued. She just sprinted up the path, praying to every spirit she could think of that there were no more troops coming this way.
She nearly missed the small trail that branched off the main path. Skidding, she turned and bolted down it. She ran into two trees before slowing, the thickening smoke making visibility terrible. Finally she saw the small cottage. It was dark and silent.
Meilin stumbled up the steps and pounded on the door. There was no response. She pounded again, then moved to the window on the side. The rickety shutters came off more easily than she'd expected, and the wood lattice over the window was simple enough to rip apart enough to clamber inside. Her tunic caught on a jagged wood stump and ripped, but she didn't care.
The cottage was abandoned. Likely the base below would be as well. Everyone was fighting the Fire Nation in the city. Meilin ran down the short hallway to the closet on the left. The trapdoor in the floor was open, revealing earthbent stairs lit with a dim green glow. She descended, closing the trapdoor behind her – no need to make it easier to follow her – and took the stairs two at a time until she reached the main cavern. Like she'd suspected, the secret cave complex, lit by green glowcrystals, was deserted.
I have to navigate these tunnels on my own. How can I do that?
Meilin stood for a moment in indecision, then heaved a breath and ran for another tunnel. If there was a map of the tunnels, it would be in Lord Fulin's office. And since Lord Fulin had been killed by the Fire Nation yesterday, he probably wouldn't mind too much if she went through his things.
Unfortunately, the door was locked.
Meilin slumped to the floor against the thick stone door, and started crying, her poised exterior shattered. It was too much. Her parents were injured, possibly dead. She'd been given an impossible task to complete on her own with little guidance besides "find June of Shu Jing". And she couldn't even get out of these tunnels, since wandering them without a map was suicide. I'm only fifteen, she thought miserably. I can't do this. I'm just a pampered noble's daughter. How could I possibly save the world?
I'm sorry, Mother. I failed you.
"Sakura?"
Meilin jolted up in shock, scrabbling to stand. There in the tunnel, having just rounded the far bend, stood Sandstorm. Her Si Wong headwraps hung around her neck, revealing sleek black hair and dusky, blood-smeared skin. She was rather battered, but the confusion was plain on her face.
When Meilin didn't say anything, the other girl took a step forward. "What are you doing?"
Failing, Meilin thought, and cleared her throat. "I… I was…" She couldn't come up with any excuse for why she was down here, trying to break into a secure office, instead of fighting in the valley… come to think of it, why was Sandstorm here?
Before Meilin could ask, Sandstorm squinted at her, and her brows drew together. "You look like death," she said bluntly. "What in Koh happened?"
Meilin leaned against the door, fighting to keep her composure, to drag her polished mask back up. "My… my parents… we were trying to leave, but the Fire Nation – there were soldiers, we didn't expect…" She wiped her face on her singed sleeve. "They're hurt, they could be dead or captured-"
"You were trying to leave?"
Meilin nodded mutely.
"How could you just run away from this-"
"I didn't want to!" Meilin shouted. "I didn't want to run away! It was Mother's idea that we save the world! Now she's gone and I'm left to do it and I can't!"
Sandstorm stared at Meilin for a long moment, then rubbed her face, wincing as she touched a swelling bruise. "Sakura, you aren't making any sense."
"Why are you down here?" Meilin managed to ask.
She looked away. "I thought I could get to the cache of explosives south of here, in the little cave overlooking the valley, and maybe find something to take out the tanks – those things are doing so much damage, and the fighters can only do so much. Only problem was, the Fire Nation got there first, looking for somebody." Her lips pressed together. "They'd taken most of the explosives already. And killed the four guards. I set the last few off and bolted for the back way. Didn't actually expect to survive the cave-in." She briefly touched the bruise on her cheek again.
"Too stubborn to die," Meilin muttered.
Sandstorm let out a clipped laugh, crouching next to Meilin. "Now your turn. What are you doing here, again?"
"Looking for maps through the tunnels," Meilin said hollowly.
"Why?"
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"Try me," Sandstorm said, raising an eyebrow.
"I need to find somebody called June of Shu Jing, so she can help me break out King Bumi of Omashu, so we can go to Ba Sing Se and keep the world from ripping itself apart by playing with a spirit artifact that may or may not actually exist."
Sandstorm's eyebrow was still raised, now in astonishment rather than curiosity. "You're kidding."
"Not in the slightest," Meilin said grimly.
"If I help you get inside this office, will you tell me the whole story?"
Meilin looked up, surprised. Sandstorm grinned, producing a narrow case from her robes. "I can pick locks."
"Deal," Meilin said, slowly standing. "Just as long as we can do this quickly. I don't know how much time we have before the army finds its way down here somehow."
;=;=;=;=;
"Nothing," Sarina said grimly, closing the last drawer in the wall cabinet.
Sakura slumped against the desk, looking drained. "I can't believe it. I was sure that there would be some sort of tunnel map in here."
Sarina shrugged. "Guess we'll have to find some other way to get out, then."
The other girl looked up sharply. "We?"
"Look, if you were telling the truth, we have much bigger problems than the Fire Nation invading Gaoling. I figure that if you have to find this June lady and free Mad Bumi and fix the World Heart thingummy, you'll need some help. And if you weren't telling the truth, I'll stab you," she added, perfectly serious.
"It's the truth," Sakura said. "As far as I know it." She sank her head into her hands. "How can we get out of here…"
Sarina inspected the side of the desk for secret compartments, but didn't find anything. "I don't think we should stay here long, whatever we do. Someone's going to come down here eventually, and whether they're Earth or Fire, we need to be gone. We can find some travel rations, at least. I know there's some food in the lowcaves, with the storage."
Sakura nodded wearily. "I just don't see…"
"Snap out of it, Sakura," Sarina said, snapping her fingers. "We have a world to save. Don't give up on me."
She smiled slightly, and got up, looking more alive now that she didn't have to do this all on her own. "Meilin," she said.
"Huh?"
"My name is Meilin Beifong. I don't think there's much point in staying anonymous now."
"Not really," Sarina agreed, then did a double-take. "Wait, Beifong?"
"Yes."
"You're rich?" Sarina said in astonishment. "Like, filthy rich? Those Beifongs?"
Meilin gave her an exasperated sideways glance. "Yes, those Beifongs," she said patiently.
Sarina whistled. "Nice," she said appreciatively. The Beifongs were probably the richest family in all of Gaoling. "I'm Sarina."
Meilin nodded. "Are you filthy rich?" she asked after a moment, sarcastically.
"Skies no. A badgermole's backside is richer than I am," Sarina said. Meilin snorted, then suddenly froze.
"What?" Sarina asked, drawing her knife and looking around nervously.
"Badgermoles," Meilin breathed.
"What?" Sarina said, then, "What?"
Meilin abruptly turned, heading towards another tunnel. "I may not know how to get through the mountains, but I do know how to get to the Rumble arena. And if we can get there, I know some friends that can get us through the mountains."
"Seriously? Badgermoles?" Sarina said, trying to keep up with Meilin's newly energized stride. "Are you crazy? They're wild animals! Dangerous!"
"It depends," Meilin said, smirking over her shoulder. "How well can you sing?"
;=;=;=;=;
The desert air was chilly.
Zhi shifted the small body in his arms, making sure that the cloak was still wrapped securely around his little sister's limp form. Even if she couldn't feel it, he didn't want her getting cold.
Their strange little party trudged through the desert sands with difficulty. The moonlight made everything look pale and washed out, from their skin and clothes to the desert sands around them. He closed his eyes briefly, feeling the throbbing ache in his arms and back and knowing there was nothing he could do about it. They had to move, or die in this wasteland. And there was no way he was letting Toph go. He'd left his little siblings alone in a dangerous place, and now one was gone and one was comatose.
Zhi drew in a shuddering breath, and let it out slowly. "How did this happen?" he whispered brokenly. "What happened to you? Where's Jiao? Was it sandbenders? How could I let you stay by yourselves? I'm a failure. A failure of a brother, a failure of a protector." What would he do if Toph and Jiao were lost to him forever? This was not a journey for a child, even though they were all young. The Avatar couldn't escape his destiny, but why did Toph and Jiao have to fall for the Avatar's cause?
Aang was trying to save the world. That was a cause to die for. The thought didn't ease the leaden weight of Zhi's heart in his chest, dragging him down.
I'm going to find both of you, somehow. I don't care if I have to walk across the continent. I don't care if I have to tear down the walls of Ba Sing Se with my bare hands. I will get you back, he vowed silently. I swear it.
They walked on, tired and grim.
The moon had fallen below the horizon, and the east was just starting to shade gray, when the sound of swishing reached their ears. Sokka heard it first, jerking upright and staring around; the others quickly picked up the sound as well.
"Sandsailer!" Professor Zei said excitedly.
Aang immediately opened his glider and took off, soaring up above them. A moment later, he sped to the north, dropping quickly out of sight. The others followed as quickly as they could manage.
They crested the dune to see an old-looking sandsailer with a patched sail. A single woman in the flowing headwraps of the Si Wongi was leaning on the side, talking to Aang. She looked up as they approached.
"So!" she said, once they were in earshot, pulling the cloth clear of her face so her words wouldn't be muffled. Her voice was deep for a woman, with a light accent. Her bare arms had swirling snake tattoos. "You thought to plumb the depths of that cursed edifice and were defeated, yes? The dwellers of the deep desert know better than to enter the Palace of Knowledge. Too many souls have met their end there."
Zhi pushed forward with urgency. "You know something about the Spirit Library?"
"I know to avoid it, yes," the woman said, eyeing him and the bundle in his arms.
"We think my little sister was attacked by spirits," Zhi said, pulling the cloth back to expose Toph's pale face. "Do you know-"
"If the spirits took her, she may as well be dead," the woman said bluntly. "None return, when they anger the foxes."
"Leilah bin Amaraz!" Professor Zei said delightedly, finally catching up to the rest of the group. "What a surprise!"
The woman regarded him with resigned amusement. "Zei Benjai. So you found the Library. Did you find it a more forbidding place than you imagined?"
"No, it was incredible!" the professor gushed. "I could spend lifetimes there and never get through half of it… never have I seen so-"
"You know her?" Sokka interrupted, surprised.
"He tried to hire me to take him to the Palace of Knowledge," Leilah explained. "I refused. I do not want anything to do with it. I'm surprised he found any of the Desert People to take him looking for it, even if they did not actually approach it. Most of us know to give it a very wide berth."
"Wait… so if there's lots of people who know where it is, how come it took you years to find it?" Sokka asked the professor.
Leilah snorted before Zei could reply. "No doubt they took his money and then made sure to steer clear of the Library on their expedition."
Professor Zei didn't even look mad when she told him how he'd been swindled for years. "But I found it in the end!"
"On your wind mount, yes," the woman said, looking a little skeptical. "Pardon, but wouldn't it work better to fly out on it, instead of walking?"
"He's not here," Aang said flatly. "I told you, he disappeared."
"How convenient," Leilah sighed, obviously not believing that they'd had a sky bison.
"Listen, we need to get out of this desert," Katara said. "Can you please help us get to Ba Sing Se?"
Leilah shook her head. "I don't head up that way. It's out of my territory."
"Please," Katara said. "Aang is the Avatar. We're trying to stop the war, and we need to get out of here. At least take us out of the desert."
"We don't see much war out here," Leilah said. She eyed their group. "You remind me of my cousin," she told Katara. "All fired up about injustice and retribution. She ran off two years ago, and probably died in her first month outside the desert, naive little fool." The woman heaved a sigh, passing a hand over her face. "Get on," she finally told them. "I'll expect whatever payment you can give me."
The group climbed aboard the small craft. Zhi found a place to sit, a little disbelieving of their good fortune. What were the odds that this unusually accommodating Si Wongi would have just happened to sail right past their group, in the vast desert?
Apparently Sokka had the same thought. "So," he said as Leilah took her position at the front of the craft. "What brought you this way?"
Leilah glanced at him. "Luck, or spirits," she said dryly. "My compass clouded up as I was sailing for the Rock. I was sailing blind. It became visible again as soon as the moon went down, but I'd veered far enough off my course that it brought me by you."
Sokka got a goofy grin on his face, for some reason. "The moon, you say?"
"Strangest thing I've seen in some time."
Sokka went to sit beside Katara as the sailer leaped forward. He was still smiling. "Guess we have someone looking out for us," he said softly. "We're actually getting out of this desert."
Katara smiled tiredly. "The sooner we get out of here, the better."
The sun rose swiftly, casting baking rays across the desert. They spread out a tarp for shade as the sailer moved across the dunes. Aang joined Leilah at the front, bending air into the cloth and making them leap forward even faster.
Zhi closed his eyes, holding Toph close. I don't care what she thinks. We're traveling with the Avatar; surely he can bring you back from wherever you've gone. And if he can't, I'll take you to every shaman and spirit-speaker in Ba Sing Se until I find someone to help you.
I promise.
;=;=;=;=;
Jiao barely noticed Chise at his side, gently guiding him through the Library. He walked almost in a daze, thinking about Wan Shi Tong's grim news about Toph. It – it didn't matter, he'd still get her out, it would just be… tricky. Yeah. Just trickier than he'd expected, that was all.
Toph…
Dawei batted at his shoes before scampering between Chise's legs. Jiao grinned reluctantly.
Chise glanced up at him. That cub has an unusual connection to you.
"I did save his life," Jiao said, watching Dawei prance ahead of them, full of energy. He glanced at the silver-furred fox, at her elegant movements and gentle demeanor. How could the knowledge seekers have done something so awful to his sister?
I think it is more than that, the old knowledge seeker said thoughtfully. I believe that he is your spirit guide.
"Spirit guide?" Jiao repeated, distracted from his grim thoughts. "But that's Avatar stuff!"
Every Avatar has a spirit guide, it is true, Chise said. But they are not the only ones who do. Your spirit is connected to Dawei's. Take good care of him, because he will take care of you. Some spirit guides can bring you back from dangerous places in the Spirit World, or protect you from other spirits. Some simply aid you on the physical plane. Whatever the case, he will help you, if you let him.
Jiao smiled. "Will you help me, Dawei?"
The cub gave a happy squeak-roar.
"I'll take that as a yes," Jiao said. He hesitated, turning things over in his mind, then asked softly, "Why did you send Toph into the Liar's Maze?"
Chise's spine stiffened, the fur rising slightly along her back. The earthbender was destroying the Library. The damage to our home drove us beyond reason or control. We were protecting this Library, as we have for countless ages. Many have tried to harm this place. Few have escaped our wrath.
"She was just trying to protect herself. And me."
I understand, and I am sorry. But some things should not be tampered with. She should have found another way.
Jiao looked away, his throat tight. It was easy to forget that these spirits, so welcoming and funny, could be alien and dangerous when provoked. He understood they couldn't control themselves through the rage of feeling their home being hurt, but… did it have to cost him his sister?
They climbed a tight spiral staircase that ended in a room full of ornate embroidered shoes in Earth Kingdom colors, all of them delicate and tiny. "Somebody must have had really small feet," he said, seeking to change the subject. "Even I wouldn't fit into those."
Chise blinked. You… could say that, she said, as they left, walking down a corridor lined with detailed maps of the Southern Air Isles. Do you have enough supplies for your journey?
"I think so," Jiao said. "There's still lots of food on Appa, and all Katara's waterskins besides… And I've got the maps you gave me, so I'll be okay."
Satoru slipped out of an intersecting hall to walk on Jiao's other side. You're leaving so soon? he complained. You're the most interesting thing that's happened since the fire. And I like you a lot more than the fire.
"I need to find my family and friends," Jiao said. "And anyway, I think you'll be getting even more excitement soon. Wan Shi Tong told me that he's going to let people come into the Library again. Once people hear about it, there'll probably be enough to keep you occupied."
Satoru stared at him for a moment. Serious?
The Wisdom Keeper told us it was a possibility, Chise reminded the brown-splotched fox.
Yes, but that usually means "about as likely as a cactus in the South Pole", Satoru protested. I didn't think he'd actually decide to do it. He gave a bouncing leap, his tail fluffed with excitement. Finally, some new life in this Library!
By the time Jiao stood beside the rope that led out of the highest tower, there were almost thirty fox spirits that had joined them. They ringed him, all colors and sizes, black and cream and tawny and red and brown, big and little, bright eyes watching him. Even cranky old Shiying lurked near the back, glaring at anyone who looked like they'd comment on him coming to see Jiao off.
Goodbye and safe journey, Chise said for them all. May your path be guided, Wisdom Bringer.
"Thanks," Jiao said, a lump in his throat. He scooped up Dawei, then eyed the rope. He… couldn't climb up that, not while carrying Dawei.
We'll help. Satoru stepped up next to him. Don't worry.
Mixue flanked his other side, and Jiao put a hand on their backs, after tucking Dawei into his shirt. The next moment, he felt himself being tugged forward and up. The world blurred around him for a moment, and then he was standing on the stone lip around the inside of the tower's top, looking out the windows. The sun was rising, golden rays spilling across the world. Appa was sleeping on the sands below the tower, in its long ribbon of shade. He took a deep, shuddering breath, suddenly realizing he was exhausted as well. I spent all night in this Library. And here I am, walking back out alive, and on my way to find my family. It felt like so long ago that he'd entered the tower; had it really only been a night?
The Wisdom Keeper has one last message, Chise said, appearing next to the other two knowledge seekers. When you take your bison up, stay here for a few minutes. He wishes you to watch the tower. He would have acted before you left, but he did not wish to frighten the bison.
Jiao gave her a puzzled look, scratching Dawei's head as it poked out the top of his shirt. "What's he going to do?"
The fox blinked slyly. You'll see. Safe travels, Jiao.
Come back and visit, Satoru added.
"Thanks, all of you," he said past a lump in his throat, and tossed the rope out the window. Tugging on it to make sure it was secure, he swung out the window and slid down to the ground. He'd be back someday, he knew. He was tied to this Library now, for better or for worse.
And, of course, he'd have to visit Satoru.
"Appa!" he shouted, rounding the tower. The bison stood, rumbling, and Jiao grinned. "I got out!" he said. The terror of his ordeal in the Library faded away with the sun's warm rays, and Jiao felt light. "We're going to go find the others, somehow," he said, then scowled. Maybe he shouldn't have said "somehow". It sounded depressing.
Appa didn't seem to mind. Jiao clambered up the bison's furry leg to settle against his head, where Aang always rode. With newfound resolve, Jiao reached over and picked up the leather reins. He wasn't going to cry and shake and let Appa fly at random. He wasn't alone. He had Dawei, and Appa, and Wan Shi Tong's Blessing. They were going to go find everybody else, even if he had to fly over every inch of sand in this desert. He took a breath, and said, "Yip yip!"
The bison pushed off into the air, seeming refreshed from his sleep. Jiao experimented with the reins, guiding Appa around in lazy circles, before pulling him to a halt a little ways from the Library, where they could see the tower sticking up into the air. "Wan Shi Tong wanted me to watch it for a few minutes," Jiao told Appa, as Dawei squirmed out of his shirt to sprawl on Appa's head. "I wonder why. What's he going to-"
The tower shook, and the sand around shook, and then the tower was growing. With openmouthed wonder, Jiao realized that it was rising out of the sand. A dome of green and gold appeared under the tower, as smaller towers and minarets sprouted out of the sand around them. Jiao realized that, though they were a ways away from the tower, they were still over the rest of the Library, and it was rising to meet them, the shimmering roofs and domes shaking off the sand they'd been buried in for years on end. He hastily pulled Appa in a wide curve, flying away from the Library until they were no longer over it. Then he watched in awe as the biggest, most incredible palace-building that he'd ever seen or imagined emerged from the dunes. On it went, soaring towers and vast domes and swirling roofs capping a building of blinding white stone and shimmering gold. Finally the vast front doors emerged, massive, etched gold creations framed by swirled pillars. Several wide, shallow stone steps emerged from the sand as the Library's ascension slowed. A broad, white-stoned plaza appeared in front of the Library, sand sweeping away from it as if a giant, invisible broom was going to work at it it, revealing a pair of tiered fountains that started to gurgle, then flow, with water, cleaning away the grit in their scalloped bowls and filling the broad basins at their bases. For the first time in years, sunlight spilled into the lower levels of the Library, as the last of the sand was expelled and the windows were bared to the morning sun.
Jiao stared at it for a long time, amazed by its staggering size and incredible grandeur. The inside of the Library was vast and ornate, but the darkness and gloom helped mask its true size; no one who saw the outside would ever think of the Library as anything but massive, though.
He looked at it for a moment more, fixing the image of that bright, magnificent building in his mind. "I'll be back," he said, and tugged on Appa's reins. "Yip yip."
The bison surged up into the morning sky, leaving the stunning palace behind. Jiao took a deep breath and forced himself to think about where they were going, pulling out one of the maps he'd been given. "We need to find everyone else. Where would they go? Probably not south, that's the longest way out of the desert. West… probably not… North… maybe? They could be going to Ba Sing Se… or east, to Chameleon Bay maybe…" He frowned. "Let's just check out the desert in this direction, okay? We can look for them, and if we don't see them in the area, we can start searching out further." He looked at the map, at the Library marked on it. "The desert doesn't look that big on here," he said with cheerful naivete. "We can probably find them before they get out of it. And if they have left the desert… well, we'll find them. I mean, finding the Avatar has to be super easy, right?"
;=;=;=;=;
Zuko, trudging toward the entrance of Full Moon Bay with his uncle, got the distinct feeling that he had just been the butt of a great cosmic joke.
;=;=;=;=;
Lao Beifong slowly cracked his eyes open. Someone was shaking him, not terribly gently. Surely it wasn't time to get up yet. He still felt exhausted, his bed didn't feel nearly as comfortable as it should have, and his arm hurt like something large and toothy had used it for a chew toy-
His arm. Escape. The soldiers, fire, battle…
Lao's eyes flew open all the way. A man with a trim black beard and red armor was staring down at him. "You awake?"
"Uhhhg," Lao managed.
The soldier helped him sit. A woman, also in red armor, crouched next to him. More red-clad figures stood nearby or walked by on the path. He remembered passing out in the middle of the road after he'd taken a fireball to his arm, but now he lay just off the side. His arm had been bandaged. It was late afternoon, long, slanting rays of sunlight shafting through the trees.
"Lao Beifong?" the soldier asked.
Lao nodded, a little groggily. "What do you want with me?" he rasped. Skies and stones, his arm hurt.
"The General wanted all the city leaders rounded up," the woman said, handing him a canteen. He gratefully drank, only minding a little that it tasted like leather and old metal. "We were sent ahead to find your residence. Imagine our surprise when we met you much earlier than we expected."
"Is the city…"
"Gaoling officially surrendered after the governor was killed," the woman answered his unfinished question. "The fighting still continued, though. It's mostly over now, though there are still some resistors. The city itself… well, it just hosted a war. It's pretty damaged. We don't know the death count yet, on either side, but we think it's lower than we anticipated." She shrugged. "Could have been a lot worse. Could have been a lot better. Most of the right side of the valley burned. Lot of wood buildings went, though the stone ones held up pretty well. It's war." She shrugged again, like the movement was a good way to sum up the devastation and subjugation of another land. 'It's war', indeed. How callous could you get?
"And my wife?" Lao finally brought himself to ask, dreading the answer. "My daughter?"
"The girl got away," the man said, shrugging. "She wasn't a specific target, so we didn't pursue. Your wife…" He grimaced, touching his shoulder.
"It took nine men to take her down, and she led them a merry chase," the woman said, real admiration in her voice. "Our captain decided that the General would want to see her. She's likely being held somewhere until the General has time."
So Meilin and Poppy were both probably alive. Lao breathed out in relief, before slowly standing. The two soldiers rose with him, still casual, but keeping a wary eye on him. "I suppose you may escort me to our destination, ah, Soldier…"
"Sergeant Huui," the man supplied.
"Very well, Sergeant," Lao said, trying to recover a modicum of dignity. "Lead on."
;=;=;=;=;
The view from her command center, atop a bluff near Gaoling, was excellent. General Iynni paused for a brief moment, a rare lull in the demands and duties pulling at her, and watched as red-armored troops moved through the streets with efficiency in the fading light. The battle was mostly over. Some of the dwellings outside of the city proper were still putting up a fight, but for the most part, Gaoling was mostly subdued. Now, instead of creating fires, the soldiers under her command were extinguishing the blazes throughout the city and the surrounding land, minimizing the damage. Some places needed to be made examples of, but Gaoling was a prosperous place, the trading capitol of the south, and Iynni would not let it be completely razed if she could help it. It had suffered a lot of damage as it was; now rebuilding would likely occupy these people, rather than rebellion.
"General," someone said from nearby. She turned, to see her personal aide standing there. Behind him, two rank-and-file soldiers held a slight figure between them. "This woman was captured trying to escape the valley along with Lord Beifong and another girl who got away. Captain Daiko thought you might want to see this one. Apparently she put up quite the fight."
Iynni frowned, but moved forward. The battered woman was slumped in the restraining arms of the soldiers, her rough tan robes filthy and bloodstained, her head sagging against her chest. One of her arms was blistered from a burn, the sleeve charred away. The other sleeve had the unmistakable shapes of knife sheaths under it, strapped down her arm.
"Who are you?" she asked sharply. Why did Daiko think she'd want to see some Earth woman when she had an entire city to deal with?
The black-haired woman slowly raised her head, revealing features that were beautiful, even under the blood. Her right cheekbone was puffy from a blow. The injuries, and poor light, made it difficult to see her clearly, and Iynni took several moments to recognize the face looking back at her.
After all, it had been more than twenty years.
Iynni drew in a sharp breath, eyes flaring wide for a moment before she controlled her reaction. The soldiers were watching her with poorly veiled curiosity, and Iynni had no doubt that the whole camp would know of this encounter by morning.
"Poppy," Iynni said levelly, not entirely sure what emotion she was supposed to be feeling right now.
"Iynni," the other woman said, a tired smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth. "You've gone places."
Iynni stared down at her for a long moment, conflicted. "Have the nurses get her cleaned up, and her wounds taken care of," she finally ordered. "Put her in a guest tent, under guard." Poppy's lips twitched again, and Iynni shook her head. "Heavy guard," she amended. "And make sure she's completely disarmed."
"I didn't know you cared," Poppy said sarcastically.
"I know what family means," Iynni said coldly. "Even if you forgot."
The soldiers left with Poppy, and Iynni let out a trembling breath she didn't know she had been holding. Agni, it had been a long time.
She could have gone a much longer time without seeing the Nightwalker of Shu Jing again.
I may have gone a little overboard with the knowledge seekers. I probably didn't need to introduce so many. I just love them so much I wanted to include them all in the story… For anyone who is interested, all the knowledge seeker's names have a meaning related to knowledge, wisdom, or learning. It seemed appropriate. Also, canon, Wan Shi Tong is a short-sighted, self-centered jerk. Here, however, he kind of morphed into a less horrible spirit, partly because I wanted to explore his relationship with his knowledge spirits, and the more they interacted the less of a total jerk Wan Shi Tong seemed like. I did provide a little bit of in-universe justification for the change – when Wan Shi Tong Blessed Jiao, some of Jiao's humanity influenced Wan Shi Tong, making him more able to see the human's perspective on things and be more willing to share his knowledge with the world. But even before the Blessing, he's not quite as close-minded or awful as he is in canon, which… eh. If it bugs you too much, sorry, but in this fic Wan Shi Tong is getting the Not As Much Of A Jerk As He Could Have Been award.