The Blue Spirit
Chapter 1 – Trial Run
Head low, shoulders tense, knees bent, and breathing level, I clung tenaciously to the tiles of the watchtower roof, remaining unnoticed partly as a result of my own stealth, and partly as a result of the security guards' incompetence. I had been crouched over this roof for already over three hours and had been seriously contemplating giving up and returning when the man I was waiting for finally arrived. Thanking the stars and furiously battling the exhaustion that was threatening to overcome my straining muscles, I forced my gloved fingers to remain steady, keeping my body still and – more importantly – silent as I focused my hearing on the voices below.
"Absolutely not. The Yuyan archers stay here. Your request is denied, Commander Zhao," one man stated flatly. He did not sound pleased.
"Colonel Xainu, please reconsider. Their precision is legendary. The Yuyan can pin a fly to a tree from a hundred yards away, without killing it. You're wasting their talents using them as mere security guards," Zhao reasoned, barely managing to keep the accusatory tone in his voice to a minimum. I could almost hear him grinding his teeth in frustration, which, I admit, was an extremely satisfying sound.
"I can do whatever I want with their talents. They're my archers, and whatever I say, goes."
"But my search for the Avatar is –"
"Is nothing but a vanity project," the colonel spat, interjecting fiercely. "We're fighting a real war here, and I need every man I've got, Commander."
"But –"
"That's final. I don't want to hear another word about it."
I could have laughed out loud in glee at this point. Few things could put me in a better mood than hearing my arch-enemy and rival get a thorough tongue-lashing. Although there was no one there to share my satisfaction, I couldn't help but smirk as Zhao let out a heavy breath of frustration, his temper clearly at its limit. I made a mental note to promote Colonel Xainu in the future, after I had captured the Avatar and regained my honor as Prince of the Fire Nation.
There was a sudden, piercing screech, which I instantly recognized as an approaching messenger falcon's cry. Turning my face downwards and keeping exceptionally still, I held my breath and prayed fervently that it wouldn't notice me. Falcons trained as personal messengers of the Fire Lord were famous all over the world for their excellent night vision, which was so good that they were also used to track down escaped fugitives after sundown. Thus far, in the two-thousand some years that they had been used for this task, not one had ever failed, even on pitch-black, moonless nights.
I must have been lucky this time, though, because I soon heard the rustling of paper and a pause as the message was read. Although I was still wary, I let a breath out slowly and quietly, allowing myself to indulge in a little bit of relief.
"News from Fire Lord Ozai?" A pause, and the sound of the message being passed over. "It appears I've been promoted to Admiral," Zhao stated smugly. I closed my eyes in anger and disbelief as all of my previous satisfaction evaporated with his statement.
"My request is now an order."
The Yuyan archers then let another score of arrows fly, and my heart sank with despair as I realized not one had missed its intended target, not even by a hairsbreadth.
Author's Note: Here's the first teaser chapter of a plot bunny that's been buzzing around in my head for awhile. Short chapter, I know, but since I have a notoriously bad habit of writing really slowly and never updating, I figured I would make things easier for myself and write shorter chapters so I can update faster.
Feedback and constructive criticism of any kind would be greatly appreciated.
Disclaimer: Any and all characters belonging to Avatar, the Last Airbender are the legal property of Nickelodeon and its affiliates.