A long time ago, Avatar Kalkin disappeared without a trace, and with the absence of any successor, the world was gradually thrown into chaos. Governments became unbalanced, spiritual and natural disasters spread, and war sprang everywhere.

In the face of this unprecedented crisis, Fire Lord Kuni declared that he would assemble a party to search for this Avatar, but the Earth Kingdom feared this as a prelude to more aggressive actions, and moved to subdue this threat. Amidst the chaos, two young women managed to escape, and with their allies, embarked on a long journey that would hopefully lead them to the new Avatar, the only one who could restore order to the world…

AVATAR

The Celestial Sailors

BOOK ONE: CHAOS

12: The Taku Ruins

The skies were growing dark and ominous with the promise of a heavy rainfall, and the wind had picked up considerably. Minako chose to let it blow where it would, and Artemis didn't seem to mind either, though it was a northern wind and chilled to the bone. Everyone else huddled together, keeping their eyes on the approaching landmass. If all went well, they'd be going east by southeast and would do little more than skim across Taku on their way to Ba Sing Se. Since they were well-supplied and well-rested, nobody felt any need to touch down, which suited Usagi and Ami just fine. The wind had a different opinion, though, and shifted direction so sharply that Artemis was almost capsized. He let out a coarse bellow as Minako struggled to keep him level. A second blast prompted her to try and calm the squall herself. She stood at the base of the air bison's neck and thrust her arms out, straddling her mount as she parted the curtain of air. Any air-bender would have found this act difficult, since it required maintaining balance as well as the weather, but Minako was up to the challenge. She kept the bigger blasts from upsetting everyone while Artemis sailed through as best he could. A particularly nasty blow threw her back; she strained herself keeping everything under control. Minako had full confidence in her abilities, but the wind was too strong to fight for an extended period of time, so they were forced to land.

The wind battered the tall grasses and the distant trees, but it was considerably calmer on the surface. Minako held a defiant palm up against the storm, dissipating it with an earth-trembling blast. She stood gasping for air as the storm plied its trade elsewhere, then gave Artemis a few encouraging scratches. Suddenly, a gust from behind picked up, forcing them forward into the heart of the country. Minako whirled and attempted to negotiate, creating a sort of bubble or dome over the group so any future blows could pass over and leave them in peace. She let out a huge sigh and leaned against her oldest friend.

"There's no more flying today, folks. I can't keep fighting this storm. We can hoof it until things calm down." Usagi grumbled, but there was no way around it. The wind came and went during their long march—Minako was usually happy to just let it blow, unless a vicious squall came their way—and though a few drops came down, it seemed this storm was mostly a matter of air current. The weather continued in this fashion for about half an hour, when they came to a thick forest, whose trees were so tall that they cast long foreboding shadows, plunging the woods into darkness. It definitely felt like the last place any of them would want to venture into. Minako was skeptical about her ability to keep them safe in the skies, but soon none of that mattered. Whether it was something in the air, the forest, or the country itself, Artemis let out a bellow of pure panic and hurled himself into the sky, heedless of the storm. Minako screamed after him (nearly everyone else did), but Artemis was out of earshot, and soon he had disappeared completely. The air-bender understandably collapsed.

"Are you kidding me!? Artemis, buddy..." Rei and Makoto went over to her, but she was inconsolable. It wasn't just the forced march through this eerie forest that depressed her—although it certainly played a part—but losing Artemis so suddenly, without knowing where he went or even if she'd ever see him again, was nauseating. But she had to move on, because there was no alternative, and the only way to find him again was to look. Since they were going into a forest, Makoto volunteered to lead the group, with Rei by her side to light the way and Mamoru watching their backs. Usagi immediately grasped the first hand she could find, which was Ami's, and although she was afraid as well, the gesture was comforting, so she squeezed back. Minako hung back with Mamoru, in no mood to talk.

The relentless howling of the wind gradually died down, save for when the breeze tickled the canopy, creating a sound like waves on the ocean. As soon as the dim light from outside was completely behind them, Rei emitted a small fire in her palm and Makoto pressed her hand against a tree. She had never been able to explain her unique ability, nor did she even know the full extent of it, and none of the libraries of Omashu had been any help. As far as she knew, she was the only wood-bender in the world, possibly in all of history. This unique affinity was priceless now; she could read the network of the forest, and knew where to go and what parts to stay away from. The trees didn't speak to her or anything—even the Avatar didn't have that ability—it was just a feeling she had whenever she paused, cleared her mind, and waited. Whenever she doubted her way, all she had to do was reach out, and one of the lords of the forest showed where her path lay.

The six travelers may have been silent (out of respect or fear), but the woods were alive and teeming with all sorts of creatures. There were strange shrieks and squawks and trilling voices and cries echoing above them; pack animals howled or chattered, and predators growled. Sometimes, when Rei cast her light in a dark area, she noticed several pairs of eyes staring back at them. She dauntlessly stared back, daring them to make a move. The group had went unchallenged so far (save for some squirrel-bats who swooped too close to Usagi for her comfort), but the further they went, the less inclined they felt to press their luck. A thick fog was also settling in, and despite Ami's best efforts to dispel it, it continued to build. Soon everyone had gathered around Rei, who held her light high.

"Whatever you do, don't wander off," Makoto said. "We'll have a much better chance of getting out of here if we stick together. Ami, Mina, do what you can. Rei, keep an eye on everyone. Link arms if you have to. I have a very good feeling about this direction, but we'll need to..." She stopped herself and whirled around, petrified as she discovered that she was all alone. Makoto called out to everyone as loudly as she could, but there was no response. But how could that be? Everyone had been right here, just a few seconds ago! She shivered in fear, wondering whether this was all just incidental, or if some external force was conspiring against them. She didn't dare imagine the kind of entity that could summon fierce winds, thick fog, and cause everyone to separate in a matter of seconds. To get her mind off those morbid thoughts, she debated whether she should stay there, or press onward. She felt herself compelled to move, and if there was something out there, then it was guiding her to some unknown danger, further and deeper in the woods, where no human had yet touched.

As a water-bender, Ami only prided herself on two skills: healing and controlling vapor. Fog, mist, clouds, and steam had been her specialty from her first day of training, so not being able to do much about this phenomenon was a blow. She was more curious than hurt, though, and experimented with the mist with insatiable scientific zeal. She could definitely part it, send it hurtling to the ground, condense it, and clear it out, but whatever she did was just as soon undone, as if another water-bender was working in opposition to her. She was so absorbed in unraveling this mystery that she almost didn't notice that she was alone. The sudden and unexplained disappearance of her companions worried her more than the mist, but she knew it was safer to just stay put and wait.

So then why was she still walking?

Ami was stricken as she realized that she was moving against her will, still going through the motions of clearing away the fog, separating herself further and further from the group. The sound of wolves howling got louder, nearer. The woods and the fog closed in on her, tightening, constricting, yet she pressed on. She found it difficult to breathe, but she couldn't stop; this was a power greater than hers, urging her onward. In spite of all the warnings and alarms, the fear and uncertainty, she knew she couldn't stop until, until...

She stopped.

Rei's mouth hung open, gasping for air and gasping in awe. She had entered into a clearing, not a single tree or wisp of cloud to be seen. What had once been a cacophony of animal noises turned utterly silent. She felt the skin crawl on her back and swallowed. The structure before her seemed to beckon her closer. It was immense, more than three times the size of the tallest tree: gargantuan, in fact, and ancient beyond reckoning. Mosses and ivy had overcome whatever had decorated it in eons past; strange birds and rodents were its only residents. It reminded her a little of the old style of castles the Fire Lords once indulged in, or the ziggurats the sun-worshipers had constructed when history itself was young. The bottom-most layer was broad, flat, an almost perfect square, with four great totems at each corner (none of which were fully intact); a staircase led to higher layers, each decorated with statues or friezes or hieroglyphs or some other remnant of Taku's primordial past.

Rei studied the nearest totem; it was decorated with images of spirits, men, and creatures that could have been both. A rustling in the distance drew her attention; a shadow leaped out of the corner of her eye. It ran up the stairs, into an opening. Rei stood paralyzed for a moment, not sure if she should follow or not. It could have been one of her lost friends, seeking shelter in the ruins...or it could have been an enemy, luring her into a trap. Muttering about how she knew she would regret this, she offered a prayer to the spirits and ran off in pursuit.

On the fifth level of the ziggurat was the opening she had seen, a large black hole carved into a perfect square—all of its corners decorated with figures not unlike the four totems she had spotted earlier. Feeling this was no coincidence, Rei called a small pillar of fire to her palm and pressed into the darkness. The walls were covered with carvings and reliefs, some of it writing. Rei fancied herself scholarly and well-educated, but couldn't make heads or tails of anything. Further in, she saw pictures and even paintings, but what exactly they depicted was anyone's guess. There was a human female, half-submerged in water, with a bird on her knee; there was a congress of spirits gathered beneath the sky, lifting their hands up to...something or someone. There were images of men and women going into caves, laboring over large cauldrons, cooking fish; old men with great beards, a hammer and anvil forging the sun... No, it wasn't the sun; it was something that poured out gold, and what looked like wheat or corn, and something else. There were terrible winged creatures fighting the people, and dragons, and heroes resplendent with light, and the four elements, and something that had been blotted out, and...

A giant.

A horned creature towering over all the others, covered in moss and leaves.

Being worshiped. The lord of the forest.

Before Rei could grasp the significance of any of this, the creature she had spotted appeared in the distance, darting down a hallway. She abandoned her studies and resumed the chase, but she couldn't explain why.

…...

Mamoru was almost sick with worry, having lost his five charges so abruptly, and this mad chase through the forest and into a long-forgotten structure didn't help in the slightest. By all accounts he should quit this pursuit and go after the others, wherever they may be...but indescribable forces were leading him on, away from his duties, to an end that could either be ruin or reward. The shadowy creature he had seen earlier was ascending higher to the ruin's zenith, but it moved with purpose, not as one hunted. Mamoru began to think that it wasn't running so much as guiding him. He tested this theory in one of the decorated hallways, the walls glowing golden with the flickering light of freshly-lit torches. He stopped running and watched to see if the creature would flee or wait, but was drawn to the artwork displayed on the walls around him—and the more he stared, the more entranced he became. The glyphs and runes and carvings and paint—what was preserved of it, anyway—meant nothing to him, but he couldn't turn away. It seemed no matter what he did, whether pursuing or pausing, Mamoru felt himself irresistibly drawn to his task, as if the vague force behind all this meant for it to happen. He only pulled himself away when he noticed the black figure standing patiently on the opposite end of the hall, in no hurry to leave him behind.

"So you are a guide," he murmured. Mamoru resumed the chase without further distraction, never catching up but never lagging behind, as if he were literally chasing his own shadow. The figure emerged outdoors, into a dismally gray afternoon, climbed the final set of stairs, and shrank into the awaiting palm of an entity far more alarming than any Mamoru had seen.

"Cyfarchion," it spoke as he skidded to a halt. The entity was astoundingly tall, towering over him, and utterly grotesque, covered with hair and scales and teeth and horns. A crown of many thorns or claws sprang from its skull, and its face flickered with an unnatural blue fire that pierced the gloom. It had four eyes, two set close like a human's but two more set much higher on its...second head? No, that wasn't right; Mamoru rubbed his eyes and got a closer look. The creature wasn't as tall as he had thought; it just wore a headdress in the shape of a saber-toothed deer. It was wrapped in furs and pelts, and wore jewelry adorned with the scales and teeth he had seen earlier. The face was painted bright blue, and when he took another cautious step, he saw that the creature was human, for its green eyes glinted with sapience, and it had a human's voice—specifically, a woman's.

"Cyfarchion," she said again. "Rydych chi wedi cyrraedd." Mamoru stood perplexed. He knew that in some small pockets of the world, the locals had different dialects and languages, but this sounded so alien from what he was used to that it took him a moment to realize.

"Ble mae'r lleill?" the woman said. Mamoru swallowed nervously.

"I'm sorry, I don't speak your language." The woman stiffened and blinked, realizing the difficulty at once. She shrugged and turned around.

"Dilyn fi." She gestured for him to follow, which he understood. They descended down another staircase and reentered the ruins, where the woman retrieved a tall staff she had left propped against the wall. She struck the wall with it, and a line of braziers lit up. Mamoru felt a thrill down his spine.

"You're a fire-bender."

"Dilyn fi," she said, disregarding his statement. After taking two steps, she seemed to forget something, and turned to face him. "Fy enw i yw derwydd Bodmall. Bodmall," she repeated, tapping herself on the chest. Mamoru slowly nodded.

"Bodmall. Mamoru," he said as he tapped himself. The woman, apparently Bodmall, smiled and repeated his name. Then she took a deep breath and blew on his face. It surprised Mamoru, and it also caused the flames around them to dance. Mamoru felt his pulse quicken. "An air-bender, too? Wait...are you the Avatar? Are you Kalkin's successor?"

The woman shook her head. "Kalkin? Na. Derwydd Bodmall." Mamoru frowned. She either thought he had her confused with Kalkin, or was denying herself as the Avatar. In any case, she led him on, using her staff to point at the hallway. Evidently she was telling him what the murals symbolized (that, or giving him a tour of her very dilapidated home), and although Mamoru still didn't understand her, Bodmall's inflections were easy enough to decipher. She stopped at a very large wall with four distinct glyphs in a square pattern, connected by a circle, with a much smaller circle in the center. Upon closer inspection, the glyphs represented the four elements. Mamoru didn't need anyone to tell him who the circle in the middle represented.

"Tân, glaw, dŵr, daear," Bodmall said, pointing to the images of fire, water, wind, and earth. She reverently placed a hand on the circle and whispered, "Cyflafareddwr."

"The Avatar," Mamoru said softly, thrills encasing him. He pointed to the circle and said, "Bodmall?" Bodmall shook her head.

"Derwydd," pointing to herself; then the circle. "Cyflafareddwr." So she definitely wasn't the Avatar, and there was a distinction between the two. As he was dwelling on this, he noticed Bodmall pointing to something behind him. He turned and was startled by a second creature, just as tall as him, though purely by natural means. The creature's head was bared, save for intricate red braids crowning it, and wore similar pelts and blue face paint, but it was built like a warrior, and carried a barbed spear.

"Dyma fy ffrind Liath," Bodmall said. The creature, merely a large woman with similar taste in fashion, grinned and waved at him.

"Cyfarchion!"

"Uh, yes, hello," he nodded. Mamoru prided himself on his ability to sense where people were at any given moment, especially if they were trying to hide—after all, it was part of his job—but he had no idea how this immense figure had been able to sneak up on him. In fact, despite their ornate clothes, jewels, and unseemly size, the two women barely made a sound as they escorted him through the ruins (and it was definitely an escort, as Bodmall walked in front and her companion, Liath, walked behind). Bodmall continued to talk, pointing out various murals or runes, then led him outside, down more stairs, back inside, and finally to another wall. Mamoru recognized it as an astronomical calendar, since it had several constellations arranged in a broad circle. Bodmall pointed to the Armed Servant, the only human in the zodiac, and the sign Mamoru had been born under.

"Dyma'ch un chi" she said. She then pointed to the Inflamed Stallion, the Pronged Hare, the Winged Serpent or Thunderbird, the Thunderhorn, and the Wise Salmon. Mamoru trembled a little but kept his composure. These were the astrological signs of Rei, Usagi, Minako, Makoto, and Ami. Bodmall looked at him and he nodded.

"My friends. But how did you...?" She just smiled, then pointed to four other signs: the Eternal Serpent, the Flying Tortoise, the Sea Dragon, and the Firebird or Phoenix. Mamoru didn't understand at first, but as Bodmall drew lines between them with her staff, it dawned on him that these were four people whom they would meet in the future.

Now he really was trembling. So much for his composure.

"I gyd mewn da bryd," Bodmall said, tapping his arm affectionately. She nodded, waving her staff around the calendar several times before landing back on the Eternal Serpent. The message was clear: it would be some time before these four newcomers showed themselves, but it would happen all the same. She led him further down the hallway, down another staircase, and into a smaller room, but barred him from going any further.

"Liath, cadwch lygad allan amdanaf. Mae angen i mi ddefnyddio'r ystafell ymolchi."

"Nawr?" the warrior-woman grunted. Bodmall shrugged and waddled off into a hidden compartment, leaving Mamoru with Liath. She clucked her tongue, crossed her arms, and leaned against the wall. "Felly, sut wyt ti?" she said. Mamoru shook his head and Liath chuckled. "Siarad da!"

"I don't suppose you understand me either," he sighed. The two stood there in patient silence for a moment before Bodmall came back, looking relieved. She looked up at the ceiling, spoke a word, and water gushed down, which she used to wash her hands (at another word, the water turned off). Mamoru looked at her queerly.

"Are you sure you're not the Avatar? Because that looked like water-bending to me."

"Mae gen i un peth arall i'w ddangos i chi," she said, gesturing for him to follow. They had to double back and enter the ruins through another door; this passage was lit not with torches or braziers, but what appeared to be sapphires. Bodmall rapped her staff against one sharply and hissed, then drew a cross over it with her finger. Even Liath shook her head grimly. Mamoru was going to pry one loose, but Bodmall slapped it out of his hand. She had Liath kick it away, then took Mamoru's hands into her own. She looked him dead in the eye and gave him a haunting expression.

"I understand. I'm sorry." They hurried their way down the hallway, sometimes taking a moment to throw out a loose gem; the stone wall was covered with pock marks from where a gem had been wrenched away. Eventually they came to a dead end, where a much larger gem was enshrined. There was a mural in the shrine as well, depicting strange fish-creatures and bird-creatures, and monstrosities of all kinds, with what looked like a large owl presiding over them. Bodmall and Liath approached the large gem reverently and even knelt before it, then carefully removed it from its space. Together, they pressed the blue stone in Mamoru's hands.

"Rhowch hwn i Wan Shi Tong, a bydd yn gwybod eich bod chi'n ffrind. I Wan Shi Tong, deallwch?" Mamoru stood bolt upright as he recognized the name of Wan Shi Tong, and accepted the gift gratefully. Whoever these two people were, they had a working knowledge of the Avatars and spirits. That explained who the owl in the shrine mural was, at least. Although he had an incredible task set before him, Mamoru desperately wanted to know more about them. Unfortunately, it would have to wait.

With that out of the way, Bodmall tapped the floor with her staff, and a secret door opened. She and Liath led Mamoru down a dark passage before reemerging outdoors. The sun was out in full force now, so much so that the light blinded him a moment. Bodmall and Liath took a deep breath of the refreshing air, grinning at each other.

"Diolch byth i'r storm basio," Liath announced. Bodmall nodded.

"Ah," Mamoru exclaimed, "thank goodness that storm passed!" The two women looked at him, then at each other, and laughed. Mamoru was confused. "Was it something I said? Oh!" He noticed a large procession approaching the ruins, hundreds if not thousands of people armed with spears, swords, bows, and slings—if "people" was the right word. Many of them resembled walking fish, or deer, or terrible ravens, and some were so mutated that it was impossible to tell what they were. But there were five faces in the crowd that Mamoru definitely recognized, and one of them called out to him.

"Mamoru, hi! We were all captured! But we're fine now! These people are really weird, but they're pretty nice, too! How are you doing?"

"Usagi?!" Barely able to believe it, he rushed down the stairs, only to be stopped by a row of spears. Bodmall called out as she scurried after them, and the creatures relaxed. Usagi rushed at Mamoru, giggling as she hugged him; the other four girls approached him with more reservation, dazed from their experiences but otherwise unharmed. They all asked countless questions from each other, like where had they been and who were these people (Mamoru didn't show them the gem just yet), but they were silenced as Bodmall and Liath caught up with them. Bodmall walked from one girl to the next, examining them closely, peering not just into their eyes, but their souls too, it seemed. She blew into their faces, and after Liath blew into Mamoru's face, she blew in theirs.

"Who's the creepy woman?" Usagi said. He smiled at her.

"Bodmall. She doesn't speak our language, but...she and her friend helped me. My lady, do I have a story for you."

"Yeah, we all do. But right now I feel like we should get going."

"Yeah, but there's just one small problem," Minako said: "We still haven't found Artemis! It'll take us days to walk to Ba Sing Se, and more if we want to reach the royal palace."

"Peidiwch â phoeni, mae gen i orchudd arnoch chi," Bomdall said. She cupped her hands to her mouth and let out a loud cry; moments later, to everyone's surprise, Artemis could be seen soaring through the air. He descended quickly, but rather than nuzzling next to a very frustrated Minako, he cuddled up with Bomdall. "Rydych chi'n fachgen mor dda!" she cooed, scratching and petting him affectionately. Minako's jaw dropped.

"What in the... How did you... But he never does that to... Never mind! Artemis, don't you ever go wandering off like that again! You had us all worried sick!" The air-bison grunted and finally leaped over to Minako, who was reluctant at first to greet him. But she relented in time. "Aww, buddy, you know I can't stay mad at you!" As they cuddled, the procession parted, giving the group leave to resume their journey. Mamoru tried not to shudder as he approached them.

"They're only masks," Ami said. "Like Usagi said, they may look scary, but they're very polite. They gave us food and provisions, and all we had to do was wait in a large cabin. Just don't ask me how we all ran into them. I certainly don't remember."

"This day is getting weirder and weirder," Makoto said. "All the more reason for us to put it behind us."

For now, Mamoru thought. He couldn't help but gaze back at the ruins as he and the girls mounted Artemis. Bodmall and Liath blew on their faces one more time, evidently a means of greeting or showing respect, and raised a staff and a spear as the air-bison lifted once more into the sky.

"Pob lwc! Ffarwel!" In no time at all, Artemis was a blur in the distance. Liath put an arm on Bodmall's shoulder, still smiling.

"Why didn't you tell them we could speak their language? It would've made things a whole lot easier."

"Yeah," she shrugged indifferently, "but it wouldn't have been nearly as enchanting. There's something mystical about the old Fomoriian tongue. Anyway, they got what we called them here for. Now they'll have a better chance of facing what lies ahead. Heh!" She chortled and rubbed her nose. "You know, that young man thought that I was the Avatar. Pretty flattering, I'd say!"

"Pretty inaccurate is more like it!" Liath laughed. "Still, you were right, old friend: they have seen the Avatar with their own eyes. It's the priestess, isn't it?"

"Hmm?"

"The fire priestess, the one born under the Inflamed Stallion. It certainly fits. She's a strong fire-bender, and you can tell she has a connection with the fey, the Spirit World."

"She does, she does," Bodmall conceded. She cast one last look at the sky, smiled, and turned to face her temple. "Still, I wonder how they'll take the news. This cycle is special, Liath. The Avatar is among us, and they are not who they seem."

The end of "The Taku Ruins"

Next time: "No Safe Haven"

Author's note:

Yes, I'm aware that the Taku region is a thriving community until Legend of Korra (I haven't watched that far yet), but here are two things in my defense: the map I'm using says "Taku Ruins" (which is my fault for not researching properly), and this story takes place several hundred years before that. I'm simply suggesting that there was another city that existed before the Taku mentioned in Legend of Korra, and was later brought into ruin; "modern" Taku was built over it (and ruined again). There are plenty of real-world historical precedents for this, so it's not too far outside the imagination. The language that Bodmall and Liath use is one borrowed from the real world, but I won't reveal it just yet. Here's a hint: I drew their names from mythology, and not an eastern one.

For those of you who want to know what they've been saying...

Cyfarchion: greetings

Rydych chi wedi cyrraedd: you've arrived

Ble mae'r lleill: where are the others?

Dilyn fi: follow me

Fy enw i yw derwydd Bodmall: my name is derwydd Bodmall

Na: no

Tân, glaw, dŵr, daear: fire, rain, water, earth

Cyflafareddwr: Arbiter (which is close enough to "Avatar")

Dyma fy ffrind Liath: this is my friend Liath

Dyma'ch un chi: this is yours (meaning his sign)

I gyd mewn da bryd: all in good time

Cadwch lygad allan amdanaf. Mae angen i mi ddefnyddio'r ystafell ymolchi: keep an eye out for me. I need to use the bathroom.

Nawr: Now?

Felly, sut wyt ti: so, how are you?

Siarad da: good talk

Mae gen i un peth arall i'w ddangos i chi: I have one more thing to show you

Rhowch hwn i Wan Shi Tong, a bydd yn gwybod eich bod chi'n ffrind.I Wan Shi Tong, deallwch: Give this to Wan Shi Tong, and he'll know you're a friend. To Wan Shi Tong, understand?

Diolch byth i'r storm basio: thank goodness the storm passed

Peidiwch â phoeni, mae gen i orchudd arnoch chi: don't worry, I've got you covered

Rydych chi'n fachgen mor dda: you are such a good boy

Pob lwc! Ffarwel: good luck! Farewell