XIV.
…and faced Xeilu.
"You," he murmured. She paused, then grinned, her amber eyes flashed like an oil drop on a greasy wheel.
"I knew it," Jet grumbled, "never trust Fire Nation."
"That's right." She stepped in front of Zhao, blocking him from Lenara's view.
"Why, Xeilu?" Katara demanded, personally furious at the traitor she had saved.
"My reasons are my own. I will, however, congratulate myself on the superb act I pulled over you. You're all far too trusting. And it was no trouble convincing the underground on my sincerity, Sokka. They are Fire Nation, after all. " Sokka glared at her and she looked down her slender nose at him, almost devouring him with her eyes.
"Really, Katara, did you think I would throw all my ambitions away on some misguided vision of the middle class coming together? I do have bills to pay and a reputation to upkeep. I can't believe you wouldn't want to support my decision to be a working woman."
"Working woman? You're a hypocritical tyrant with no soul!" Katara spat.
"Sticks and stones, Katara. Try it and you're a dead woman, Red," she turned to stare Lenara right in the eye. Lenara, who had been rearing to attack, relented, but the color had faded to a gray-olive in her eyes.
"Now you need a girl to fight your battles for you, Zhao? That's pretty pathetic. This one's hardly worth the time to bruise." Lenara watched Xeilu get red in the face, but Zhao gently pushed her aside and stepped toe to toe with Lenara Hün-dai.
"I'd watch what I said if I were you."
"Why do you feel threatened by me, Zhao? Conscience starting to bother you?"
"Don't make me laugh."
"Oh, c'mon. Why not? Here's a funny story-stop me if you've heard it. It's the one about a Fire Nation Admiral who was not only defeated by a Prince half his age during Agni-kai, but also was almost beaten to death by a little girl. It must really bother you to have been bested by children…" A slap echoed on the geyser flats like a clap of thunder. Lenara shuddered, her lip split, cheek bruised. The last speck of green left her eyes. She turned her face up to Zhao and smiled.
"Guess you've already heard that one, huh?" She engulfed her fists in flames. Zuko moved to her side, joined by Iroh. Katara watched as the fellowship dissolved. Sokka suddenly whispered in Aang's ear.
"Aang, get out of here. She's giving you a distraction!" Aang stepped back into a cloud of steam and disappeared.
"Katara, go with him."
"Not a chance. They'll notice two of us gone."
"Back off, you motherless traitor!" Xeilu growled. Zuko's lip curled into a snarl as both of their backs arched like ill-tempered dogs.
"Watch your mouth, Xeilu!"
"Ooh, threaten me, Zuko! Didn't know you had a soft spot for Water benders." Lenara snatched the ribbon from Xeilu's hair and touched her finger to it. It curled as it burned.
"This little Water bender can kick your…"
"Forget your petty bickering," Zhao commanded, grabbing Xeilu's wrist, "the Avatar is gone." Lenara drew in a hot breath, green seeping into her eyes.
"You're not the only actress around here, Xeilu. I can't believe you fell for that. I told you you're not worth my time. " Iroh felt the ground rumble. He glanced at the old Earth bender King and the boy, who looked just as surprised as he.
"Uh, should we be standing here? The ground seems a bit unstable."
"It's an earthquake!" Jet yelled.
"No," Zuko murmured, "it's the Avatar."
The ground cracked as the tunnels below were pressed closed. The hot air hissed like a basket of snakes and the earth crumbled around the ring of soldiers, leaving them standing on a dry plateau. The sound of water rushing below filled their ears. The ground bucked, sending almost everyone to their knees. One of the few soldiers left on the ground with the Avatar's party pointed a shaking finger at the steam.
"Look!" A shadow emerged. The comet still hovered above him. The eyes were ice blue in the cave of his sockets, making the boy look ageless and sculpted from time. Aang didn't lift a finger to bend; he was pulling the water to him with a thought!
"Aang!" Katara struggled to stand, but a force between her and the earth kept her down on the ground. A patchwork of voices answered her.
STAY DOWN. Aang stepped over a geyser hole, the pressure rumbling the ground almost overwhelming. Zhao signaled to the Yuu-Yan archers, who had managed to stay on their feet. They let their arrows fly with assassin accuracy. Aang's body pulsed and a sudden wind ripped the arrows apart, depositing them as strips of curled twigs on the cracked dirt. Zhao pulled himself from the ground. He was not through yet. A fate worse than shame awaited him and he would truly be damned it he let the boy slip through his fingers during his last chance. He stumbled, picking up speed as he moved toward the Avatar. The boy watched, almost waiting for this man and his last feeble battle. Zhao pushed a flame into his hand. Lenara made to get up, but felt Zuko's hand on her own.
"Wait." She searched Zuko's amber eye for an answer, then turned her head in time to see Zhao throw his fist at the Avatar. Whether wind or his spirit, Aang held off the attack without so much as a twitch of a digit. Zhao roared, half mad and beat his fists against the shield that kept him from his prize.
ENOUGH. A madrigal of voices echoed from Aang. He held out his hand, palm up, and a gust of wind knocked Zhao away like a beaten and threadbare rag doll. The Admiral of the Fire Nation raised his head and the Avatar spoke to him through his soul. No one heard a word, but Zhao's tears were enough to tell them the Avatar was trying to reach the humane part of him, buried deep inside. Finally Aang broke his stare and a slight smile creased the corners of his mouth. The voices mixed with his own spoke to the crowd in general:
THIS IS JUST ONE BATTLE AND IT WILL NOT END ALL OF THE SUFFERING. YOU WILL FIGHT AND YOU MAY DIE AND IF YOU LIVE, YOUR EFFORTS WILL BE SINGULAR, NOT SUDDEN AND WORLD-CHANGING. BUT TO THOSE YOU HELP, THE LEAST OF THE CHILDREN OF THIS WORLD, YOU WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN. AND WHAT SUFFERING YOU SPARE THEM, THEY WILL SPARE THE NEXT CHILD. Aang was lost in a bright flash of blue light. They felt the ground respond, steam whistled through the holes like a field of tea kettles.
"Fight hard, Avatar," Lenara murmured. Katara let the tears roll down her face. Water beneath the surface followed a tunnel and reached the geyser under the Avatar. It ruptured, an ocean of sound, and absorbed them. Aang shot up into the sky, a trail of water and debris not unlike the comet above tagging along behind him. The shadow enveloped the speck of the Avatar and the blue light disappeared. He was gone.
XV.
A silence followed on the geyser plains, unsettling and vast. The steam had stopped, the water quieted, the ground exhausted. Bumi was the first to stand, old bones rubbing together as he stretched. He scooped up a handful of earth.
"The geysers are dead. Gave their life to help Aang." Iroh reached out for his nephew's hand and the Prince helped the old General up. Xeilu ran for Zhao, still lying in the middle of the flats. The soldiers had lost their malice, the Avatar's words having affected the crumb of humanity left in them. A couple of the Yuu-Yan had even hung up their bows to help Katara and Sokka up from the ground. Xeilu growled low in her throat and rounded on the scattered company.
"Don't even think about moving!"
"Give it a rest, Xeilu," Sokka muttered.
"Someone must answer to the Fire Lord for this!" She couldn't hide the fear in her voice.
"You know what?" Zuko's sinister grin was back, "You're absolutely right, Xeilu." He walked towards the palace without another word. The rest of the group Aang had assembled followed. Xeilu watched in shock as the soldier and every boy in the Yuu-Yan followed their Prince to the Fire Palace.
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Back in the valley, everyone was packing up camp and preparing for battle. Suki checked her fellow female warriors over. She was dusting one of the girl's eyelids with red powder when an explosion rippled it's shockwave through the valley.
"What in the world…"
"We're under attack!" one of the Earth Kingdom women screamed. Several people became nervous.
"They're going to start a panic," Suki muttered. She grabbed the woman's arm and pointed in the direction of the noise.
"There's no smoke or debris coming from the valley. We're not under attack. That blast came from the west…where the Avatar…" She released the woman and stood on a tall tree stump, cupping her hands around her mouth.
"Listen up, everyone! The geyser just blew! That's the signal to get moving!" She jumped down off the stump and raced through the tangle of people to her Kyoshians.
"May Lady Kyoshi grant us strength and speed."
"Oh, my Lady, see us through," the girls answered the Kyoshian war prayer.
"I want us at least fifty yards in front of this army at all times, ladies. Scout the brush; Fire benders don't like the trees and we'll have the Freedom Fighters up there anyways. Let's go!" The girls dashed into the flora, using their fans to push away branches. Suki swept her fan to the forest.
"TO THE FIRE PALACE!"
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"Aang…"
Cold, vast, it felt like rain on a November morning…
"Aang…watch where you're going…"
"Gyatso?"
He opened his eyes, the blue fever of his Avatar spirit still dipped the world in ice tones. He found himself racing towards the comet. He thought he had heard his old mentor's voice and Aang felt it wasn't an illusion.
The dark rock of the comet, cloaked in hot white fire, loomed over him. Aang could feel the actual spirit of the comet as it bore down on him-it hated him.
"Aang, bend the fire."
A different voice, commanding more than suggesting, but not unkind. Avatar Roku. Aang pushed the long flames away. He felt the rock's desire to burn him, peel his flesh off with a lick of Hell's tongue and the thought made him waver. He wasn't used to offensive fighting-it made him angrier. Fighting fire with fire was going to get him killed…
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A balloon glider touched down at the Fire Palace and a soldier scampered out of the basket, taking the steps two at a time, formality forgotten. He raced through the dark halls, his footsteps like the impending tocks of a pendulum. He skidded to a stop in front of the wide arch leading to the massive throne room. He tentatively stepped forward. The Fire Lord was no where to be seen. The soldier realized he had been holding his breath and exhaled, relieved. He and his fellow soldiers had had an impromptu Fire, Stone, Water match to determine who would deliver the bad news to Fire Lord Ozai. And he had lost. Lousy Stone.
"Are you planning on standing there all day or do you have something to tell me?" The Fire Lord's voice snaked through the tall pillars, making the soldier jump. The Fire Lord had appeared behind him.
"M-my Lord!" The soldier knelt and bowed low. Ozai sighed and stepped over the bent back of the cowering man, strolling past the dead torches, bringing each pair to life as he passed. The soldier stood and hurried to catch up. As Ozai mounted the steps to the second throne, his throne, the soldier stopped at the bottom of the stairs, his foot dotting the floor in a nervous tap dance. Lord Ozai settled himself on his throne. His eyes, a pair of dying embers, burned in the dark.
"So, what news of the battle in Onagi?" His voice was patient and pleasant and to the untrained ear, he sounded almost congenial. But had the soldier the smallest inclination to be cynical, he would've discovered the calculated rage beneath Lord Ozai's calm façade.
"Uh, we are gaining ground, my Lord. There seem to be fewer Earth soldiers than we anticipated."
"Really?" Ozai sounded amused.
"Yes, sir. General Sozai feels the city will fall to the Fire Nation Navy as soon as the next morning."
And what of the attack in Omashu?"
"The Army is launching its full attack as we speak, my Lord. Rumor of King Bumi's absence has spurred our men to battle."
"Very good."
"Although," the soldier cringed, reluctant to come to the bad news, "I regret to inform you Admiral Zhao has…abandoned the Fire Navy to pursue something else. He would not disclose what this was…only that it…was…" the soldier's voice faded into the hollow hall. Lord Ozai sat perfectly still, his voice as soothing as a velvet blanket is to a frightened child.
"Admiral Zhao has his own schedule to follow. He can come and go as he wishes. Is that all, private?" The soldier could barely answer. His good fortune was truly with him today. He hadn't incurred the Fire Lord's legendary wrath! He bowed, turned and practically skipped away from the throne room.
"Oh, private, one more question, if you please." The soldier froze.
"I understand you've been scouting the western part of Area 61 today."
"Yes, sir."
"That is the area where the Hakuza Valley and the geyser flats are, is it not?"
"Y-you are, of course, correct, my Lord."
"Have you, by any chance, seen anything peculiar in the valley or on the flats this morning?" The soldier raced through his thoughts like a seasoned dealer ruffling a pack of cards. He recalled the Hakuza Valley was mostly shrouded with trees on either side, so it was difficult to spot anything from above. He really couldn't see much past the hand in front of his face over the geyser flats-the steam clouded everything from view.
"Take your time," Lord Ozai advised.
"It was…difficult to see anything below in either the valley or the flats, my Lord."
"Did you hear anything unusual from those environments?" A memory, as only the stronger senses of smells and taste and sound can conjure, arrived sharp and fast in the soldier's mind.
"Yes! A horn of some sort. It sounded twice, three short notes."
"Fire Nation?"
"No, the horn was wood, not brass. Low notes."
"Ah, so you heard a foreign horn signaling something or someone in the valley. Did you descend to investigate?" The soldier squirmed.
"No, my Lord. We didn't consider it a priority." He waited for the explosion…
"As well you shouldn't. Perhaps it was a child wandering carelessly with his toy horn. You had more pressing matters to attend, I'm sure. What of the geyser flats?"
"My Lord?" Ozai resisted the urge to sigh his impatience.
"Anything abnormal on the flats?" The soldier frowned, grimacing as if from a stomach ache.
"The ground was shaking and splitting; could have been an earthquake. I smelled the sulfur, of course, but there were other smells: jasmine tea, jerky of some sort, that soap my sister likes to use…"
"Interesting," Ozai murmured.
"Well, here's what's really interesting, sir. As we were just leaving the flats, one of the geysers exploded, but the stream it shot into the sky-I've never seen it go so high before!"
"Do tell," Ozai rested his chin in his hand, indulging the soldier with his undivided attention.
"It must have been a hundred miles high at least, and it looked like something shot out of the geyser! A bright blue speck by the time I saw it, heading right for the comet…"
"Would you repeat that again?" The chin had come off the hand. The Fire Lord's voice had faltered from its liquid quality.
"It…it was heading for the comet?" The Fire Lord stood, making the soldier cower.
"And this blue speck-was it a person?"
"I don't…it could have been."
"A boy?"
"I…well, maybe…looked small enough to be…"
"So, private, what you're telling me is that you allowed the Avatar to get past you so he could stop the Souzen comet?" The torches blazed in sync with Ozai's growing fury.
"That was the Avatar?"
"Yes, my simple boy, it was. And that apparently means Zhao has failed. Pity- he had such a promising career. Private," Lord Ozai turned his back to the soldier, "I will forgive you your glaring oversight if you will complete a single task for me."
"Y-yes, sir?" The soldier's voice was a whisper caught in his throat.
"Bring Admiral Zhao here. I want him alive. If he is not, or if you fail to locate him in a week's time, you will receive his punishment in his place. You are dismissed." The soldier bowed a final time and ran. Ozai walked to the wicker crib, shelled by a protective metal box. The child squealed, clapping its hands as if to applaud Ozai's decision.
"Your big brother will be paying us a visit soon." The infant rolled its large amber eyes at Ozai. He smiled.
"He'll get to see everything he lacks, everything he could have had, in you. This was how I was put on the throne, you know. My brother Iroh was not supportive of our father's goals, so our father denied him the throne just days before my mother had me. I suppose any wrinkles in the royal line must be smoothed by the second child." Another solider, this one more composed than the last, saluted instead of bowed.
"Lord Ozai. An army led by Prince Zuko and General Iroh are approaching the Palace."
"Ah, excellent timing. Bring them and the children the Avatar travels with before me. Kill the rest."
"Sir, there are some of our own men with them, not to mention an entire Yuu-Yan division."
"Are you incapable of following my orders?"
"NO SIR!" The guard saluted again, then walked away at a clipped pace. Ozai stood beside his throne. The torches rippled in steady reply.