Water

Into Enemy Territory: Part 1

Zuko wasn't sulking. Hiding in his cabin for a day and a night, refusing food and company—that wasn't sulking. It was completely justifiable—moping? No, that wasn't the right word for it either. Too undignified.

He stared at the candles and tried to focus. Uncle was always telling him to keep his breath and emotions steady, to control his chi and his flames rather than allowing them to control him. It was as good a use of his time as anything else. Maybe he could improve his bending while he kept himself locked away. Maybe improving his bending would make everything else easier.

The flames wavered as he let out a breath. Damn it. He couldn't get the Avatar—his failure—out of his mind long enough to keep his control consistent. And he was trying.

It shouldn't be this hard. Not firebending, not his hunt for the Avatar, not keeping his crew under control, none of it. He was a prince, for Agni's sake. Royalty wasn't meant to struggle like this. He didn't expect luck like Azula's, or the sort of unquestioning obedience that Father demanded from his council and his advisors, or even the gleeful sort of dedication and admiration that Uncle seemed to inspire at every turn. But was it really too much to ask for things to go right once in his life?

"Prince Zuko!" The voice echoed down the steel corridor, through Zuko's heavy—and locked—door.

Zuko's fists clenched, and the candles flared.

"Prince Zuko, open up." There was a series of forceful knocks.

"Go away," he shouted. Maybe he sounded a little juvenile, a little petulant, but he didn't care. He didn't want to see anyone. Least of all, Lieutenant Jee.

Jee snorted. "Fine. Don't mind me. General Iroh just thought you might be interested to know that we have the Avatar's bison in our sights."

"What?" Zuko sprang to his feet, knocking over one of the candles in the process. He swore and extinguished them all with a hasty wave of his hand before he vaulted over his bed. He'd left candles burning in his cabin once, and he wouldn't make that mistake again. His bed still wasn't the same.

He shoved his way into the corridor, past Jee and sprinted up the stairs to the control tower two at a time. Even before he snatched the spyglass out of the helmsman's hand, he could make out the off-white smudge of the bison against the backdrop of heavy gray clouds. Zuko trained his eye on the quickly receding speck. If he squinted, he thought he could even see two tiny blue shapes and a flash of yellow-orange on the bison's back.

"Follow them," he roared. "We can't lose sight of them again."


"Remind me what part of this was a good idea?" Sokka leaned off the front of the saddle. "We are on a very-visible, very-large, and very-fuzzy flying snot ball. How are they not going to see us?"

"The other ship is closing in too, Aang, " Katara yelled from her place at the rear of the saddle. She hung over the edge long enough to see the flecks of red swarming toward a catapult, then she yelped and crawled to the front. "Do you think it's Zuko?" she asked her brother in a much lower voice.

"No, I think it's his much-nicer twin." Sokka threw his hands up. "Who else would be chasing us, Katara? It's been him ever since the South Pole. Of course it's Zuko!"

She pursed her lips. "No need to be a jerk about it."

"Maybe there's no need, but it makes me feel better." Sokka flipped his boomerang and snagged it back out of the air.

Katara rolled her eyes and looked ahead at the naval blockade. Much as she hated to admit it, Sokka had a point about their visibility. They'd be lucky to squeeze a canoe between the Fire Navy ships. Appa at least had the advantage of flight, but Katara would almost prefer to face Zuko again. At least his crew didn't outnumber them quite so badly. At least they'd won a fight against Zuko before. These ships were bigger, more heavily armed, and, she could only assume, brimming with even more ruthless firebenders.

She leaned over the front of the saddle. "So. How are we going to do this?"


Though they were too far away for Zuko to recognize the faces staring down at his ship, he knew the fleet's insignia. Zhao's fleet. And yet there were no attacks aimed in his direction. Plenty were aimed at the bison, but none at him. That felt wrong. There should be something. Zhao should be trying to stop Zuko, or at least to slow him down, but there was nothing.

They're focused on the Avatar, he told himself. That had to be it. The Avatar was a threat to the whole Fire Nation, and as far as Zhao was concerned, Zuko was only a nuisance. That had to be the explanation.

Jee stared back over his shoulder and let out a low whistle. "That can't be a good sign. Zhao holding his ground—"

Zuko's hands and his stomach clenched. "That's enough, Lieutenant."

"That asshole doesn't just stand aside, Prince Zuko. Zhao would sell his mother to a monkey trainer if he thought it would advance his career."

From Zuko's other side, Uncle let out a hmpf. "I am afraid that I agree with Lieutenant Jee." His eyes landed on Zuko, piercing straight through him. "Commander Zhao is a man consumed by ambition, Prince Zuko. He does not grant favors out of the kindness of his heart."

Does Zhao even have a heart? Zuko wanted to ask. If he did, there was nothing even resembling kindness in it. Kind men didn't last in the Fire Nation. Kind men didn't survive the navy. Kind men certainly didn't get promotions.

He shook the thought out of his head. Zhao's reasons didn't matter. They had a clear path to pursue the Avatar, and Zuko would not let this opportunity pass.

"We aren't retreating," Zuko said sharply. "The Avatar is my mission, not Zhao's." He fixed his deepest scowl on Jee. "I don't care if this is a trap. We'll pursue the Avatar to the end of the world if we have to."


Flying usually didn't bother Katara. She liked sailing over the clouds, watching the landscape below them shift, watching new things appear with every mile they travelled. It fascinated her to see how enormous the world was, how many things were different than they were at home. She wasn't really afraid of heights, and she trusted both Aang and Appa.

But flying over a Fire Navy blockade on a sky bison while flaming lumps hurtled at them from the ships was downright terrifying. They couldn't fly too high, or the air might become too thin to breathe, they couldn't go around without arriving at Crescent Island too late—if there even was a way to go around. So they flew straight ahead, Sokka and Katara both clinging desperately to the saddle as Aang steered them in sharp loops and zigzags to stay clear of the fireballs. Still, one passed frighteningly near the saddle, and she screamed. Not as loud or as high pitched as Sokka, though. She took that as something of a consolation.

When they finally landed, she dismounted a little less gracefully than usual. Her knees were a bit wobbly from the adrenaline, and she took a second to stretch. Fire Nation or not, standing on solid ground was a relief.

"Now that we're here," Sokka said, pointing his boomerang at Katara, then at Aang, "You two had better watch out. We're in enemy territory. I'm sure there's a great big Fire Nation army outpost just over that hill, and I'm positive they'll have an evil plan to take the both of you down." He puffed out his chest. "I'll do my best to protect you both, but I'm only one man. There's only so many firebenders I can take with my trusty boomerang."

One. You could take one firebender with your boomerang. Katara bit back the retort.

"How bad can it be?" Aang asked, voice bright. "This is a temple. If it's anything like the Air Temples were a hundred years ago, we'll be fine."

"Right." Sokka said flatly. "I'm sure they have lots of nice fire monks baking pies and playing board games here."

Aang beamed. "Exactly! Besides, we just need to get in long enough to talk to Avatar Roku. If we move fast enough, they'll never even know we were here."

Katara wished that she could believe it was that simple. Dealing with the spirits was hard. Planting seeds to pacify Hei Bai was one thing. They hadn't needed to break into a temple on enemy territory, or find a special sanctuary with a certain statue, or figure out how to contact him once they got there. Hei Bai came to them. From what Aang had told them of his vision, Roku had made no such promise. They would have to contact him.

Just one more impossible thing.

Katara frowned. She wasn't going to be a pessimist, Sokka had that covered for all three of them. But the slope up toward the temple was steep and rocky, and she couldn't help but remember how Aang had told her—quiet enough that Sokka couldn't hear—that the vision wasn't actually of Roku. It was his dragon. And the dragon hadn't actually told him to come here, it had just shown him the island and the temple and the statue.

She wasn't going to be a pessimist, but knowing that they were here on the word—or not the word—of a spirit dragon wasn't entirely encouraging.

Still, she took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. They were here. If there were any answers to be found here, she wasn't going to leave without them.

"Let's go. Zuko can't be too far behind us."


Zuko wracked his brain for any remnants of his childhood lessons in history and geography. When his learning was focused on the Fire Nation and its territories and organized by tutors, not focused on whatever little harbor town they happened to be visiting and reliant on Uncle's whims and ramblings. He had to remember something useful about Crescent Island. It was a volcanic island, but there was nothing significant about that. Most of the Fire Nation was volcanic. Crescent Island was home to the High Fire Sage and the most sacred temple of Agni, but little else. There were no significant settlements, no military bases, nothing of any strategic value.

He let out a frustrated breath as he pored over the map again. What on earth did the Avatar even want with Crescent Island? The Sages were bound by oath to serve the Fire Lord above all else. There was nothing for the Avatar to steal or destroy, nothing that would have any real impact on the Fire Nation or the war. It didn't make sense. Why would she risk going into the Fire Nation with nothing to gain?

"Crescent Island may be sacred ground, Prince Zuko," Uncle said gravely, voice quiet. "But it is still Fire Nation territory. By the terms of your banishment—"

"I'm aware, Uncle."

"—you can be killed on sight," Uncle finished, undeterred. "You cannot take that risk. If the sages are truly loyal to my brother, this may be the last thing you ever do."

Zuko narrowed his eyes. "Is that supposed to be a threat?"

Uncle's usual levity was gone. In its place, a steely look came over his face. For an instant, Zuko could see the general he had once been—a man utterly focused on his purpose, ruthless and cold. "It is a warning. You know the limits of the Fire Lord's mercy as well as I." The old man's dark amber eyes slid pointedly to the left side of Zuko's face. "Capturing the Avatar is not worth your life, Prince Zuko."

Zuko stared down at Uncle. "Capturing the Avatar is my only chance to take my life back."

Uncle shook his head. His tone turned softer, almost pleading. "Please, consider your safety and continue your pursuit once the Avatar departs again. They will not stay on the island long."

Zuko's resolve strengthened. Uncle was wrong about this. Uncle wasn't the same general he used to be. He was soft, and softness could not survive in the Fire Nation. Zuko would not be soft. Never again.

"No. The Avatar is the Fire Nation's greatest enemy. Capturing the Avatar is my duty to my nation." He straightened his spine, taking full advantage of his height. "It's worth more than my life."


The temple was impressive, Katara had to admit that much. It was like nothing she'd ever seen before, all reds and golds, the flat roofs sweeping down and back up to graceful points at the corners. There were none of the spires that the Air Temple had boasted, and it was neither as low and sturdy as the houses she'd seen through the Earth Kingdom so far, nor as blocky and towering as Omashu. If it weren't for all the red, for the golden sculptures of dragons and tongues of flames, if not for the knowledge that this was the Fire Nation, she might have even thought it was pretty.

They snuck around the side of the temple, keeping close to the ground. Sokka had insisted that a side entrance would be less dangerous—less conspicuous. As it was, the three of them blended into the landscape like a cluster of tropical birds at the South Pole. They needed every advantage they could get.

Somehow, they made it inside without being spotted. The ceilings were cavernous and dark above them, and the walls, the tapestries, the floors, everything was red. What little light shone through the corridors was faint and flickering, flames filtered through soot-smeared glass.

It was all so much bigger than Katara expected, so much darker and quieter and more ominous. She kept a wary hand hovering over her waterskin as they crept farther into the shadowy temple.

"Okay, Aang, you're the one who had a vision of this place," Sokka hissed, ducking behind a smooth obsidian column at the edge of a large room, machete in one hand, boomerang in the other. "Which way do we go?"

Aang opened his mouth to reply, but a deep voice from the other end of the room spoke first. "By Agni's feathers. Where did you three come from?"

Katara yelped, Aang leapt several yards into the air, and Sokka swung around, machete brandished.

"Who are we? Who are you?" Sokka's voice gave a rather undignified squeak at the end.

The man—dressed in red from his odd, pointy hat down to his pointy-toed slippers—cocked his head to the side. "I don't believe I asked who you were."

Katara fumbled to uncap the waterskin at her hip while Sokka wavered between brandishing his machete and his boomerang. Only Aang didn't seem particularly interested in preparing to fight, and Katara nudged him.

"Aang," she hissed. It was only a matter of time until the firebender—

The man looked them over and his eyes stopped at the tattoo on Aang's forehead. "Avatar." The man knelt and bowed so low that his forehead touched the floor. "It is the greatest honor to meet you at last."

—attacked? This didn't seem right.

Aang scratched his head. "Uh—I guess it's nice to meet you too, Mister Fire Monk?"

Katara shared a glance with Sokka.

"It's Fire Sage," the man informed them, his tone surprisingly polite as he stood. "And you may call me Shyu."

Sokka jabbed his machete at Shyu. "What exactly is going on here? Why aren't you attacking us?"

Katara felt her eyes widen. She wanted to know the answer too, but asking seemed like a bad idea. A dangerous idea.

But before anyone could speak, there were footsteps in the corridor and the Fire Sage's eyes widened. "Quickly!" He pointed them to the right, farther into the darkened center of the chamber. "My brother Sages will not be pleased to find the Avatar here."

Sokka scowled. "And why should we trust you?" He edged backward, closer to Aang and Katara, and they closed in too, forming a tight wedge.

"There is no time," Shyu hissed as the footsteps drew nearer. "You may not trust me, Avatar, but I assure you that whatever the others have in store for you is far worse than you imagine."

Katara scrutinized Shyu. He was Fire Nation, and bigger than all of them, and probably a capable fighter, but she saw no sign of deception in his eyes. And there was more than one set of footsteps coming their way. One man might be able to overpower them, but being outnumbered would be worse.

Sokka glanced back long enough to meet Katara's eyes. She shrugged, and Aang nodded, a bit too eager.

"Okay," Katara whispered, her voice carrying farther in the enormous hall than she expected. "Show us where to go."


"Anchor here," Zuko ordered when they had passed the narrow entrance of the bay. Crescent Island wasn't good for much, but the bay was too small for any vessel larger than Zuko's. Zhao wouldn't be able to anchor anywhere near the docks, he'd have to send men across the bay on skiffs. It wouldn't be enough to give Zuko a real advantage, but at the least, he wouldn't need to face the full force of the Western Fleet.

He took the stairs two at a time down to the hold where his own skiff—rusted and battered with age and use—waited for him. He could hear Uncle's protests and words of caution echoing after him. He didn't care. The Avatar was here. They'd been near enough in pursuit to see the great white beast land. And this time, Zuko wasn't going to let himself be weighed down by an unnecessary entourage. This was his fight, his search. He had to capture the Avatar personally, and as the last few days had proven, his crew only slowed him down.

It was a shame that the skiff required more than one person to operate. Zuko would have preferred to do this himself too.

"Take us in," he barked at the private manning the wheel, and pointed toward a rocky outcropping directly beneath the temple. The temple had to be the Avatar's destination, and the docks were too far away to be useful for his purposes.

The private—Taro, Zuko remembered—frowned. "Sir, those rocks—"

"Are the nearest I can get to my target." Zuko shot a blazing look at the older man. Zuko wasn't entirely stupid. He'd been doing this for three years, he knew that it would be too risky to drop anchor near the outcropping. But they didn't need to anchor there. "They won't sink us. You are to let me off there, then go to the docks. I'll bring the Avatar there once I've captured h—him." Agni, he'd be grateful when he had the Avatar and the airbender both in custody and he could finally reveal the girl's identity. He wasn't getting any better at lying.

Taro frowned but turned the wheel toward the outcropping. "Are you certain you don't want us to accompany you, Prince Zuko? We could anchor closer to the coast so that when the tide comes in—"

"No!" Zuko snapped. "Do as I say. I won't have anyone else slowing me down."


To Shyu's credit, the chamber he led them into was unoccupied. And silent. And, more than likely, secret. The door was well-concealed, and the chamber itself was rough-hewn stone tucked beneath the rest of the temple. Not exactly a popular gathering place, if the layer of undisturbed grime on the walls was any indication.

The heat, though. Katara was not thrilled about the heat.

"You've come to speak with Avatar Roku?" Shyu looked puzzled.

Aang nodded. "Yeah! I went into the Spirit World a couple of days ago—"

Sokka uncrossed his arms to raise a hand. "I was there too. Can't say that I was impressed with the place."

"—and Roku's dragon came to visit me," Aang carried on, unfazed by the interruption. "He gave me a vision and said that I—we had to come here on the day of the solstice."

One of Shyu's eyebrows cocked upward. "The dragon told you this?"

"Well, he didn't exactly talk, but I saw the statue of Roku and the sunset. It was pretty clear what he meant."

Katara's brows furrowed. Aang hadn't told them the specifics of his vision before, and now she could understand why. Had she known that they were relying on a few vague images, she would have been hesitant to agree to this trip. Sokka probably would have skipped straight past hesitance and tied Aang to the saddle until the solstice was long past. As it was, Sokka's eyes looked a bit—well, buggy.

"A statue of Roku." Shyu stroked his little pointed beard. "That must be the high sanctuary."

Katara shook the hesitation out of her head. They were here. They'd managed to get into the temple, it would be silly to turn around now, when answers were so close. "Can you take us there?"

"It is the holiest place in the whole of the Fire Nation," Shyu said gravely. "The high sanctuary is not to be entered lightly. Only the Avatar himself or one consecrated to Agni's service may enter." He looked pointedly at Katara and Sokka. "I do not doubt your intentions, young Water Tribe warriors, but I cannot permit you entry."

Katara wanted to protest. She started to protest, but Sokka clapped a sweaty hand over her mouth. Gross. She'd licked his hand. Spirits only knew when he'd last washed it.

"Fine, fine. Only the Avatar goes in," Sokka said. "We've got it. Can you take us there?"

Shyu cast his gaze over their little group again, then gave a deep bow. Not as deep as when he'd first met them, thankfully. "I believe, as my forefathers did, that the truest service to Agni lies in serving the Avatar. Yes. I will lead you to the sanctuary."


By now, moving with the shadows, unheard and unseen was second nature. Zuko could sneak in and out of the most heavily guarded fortresses and prisons the Earth Kingdom had to offer. Earth Kingdom security, of course, was nothing compared with what the Fire Nation was capable of, but this was a temple. Security was hardly their highest concern.

That was fortunate. Zuko had grace and stealth, but sneaking in full armor was unusual. The extra weight made his footsteps a fraction heavier, and his armor was made for a prince. The extra flashes of gold at the seams caught the light more than he would have liked.

But the dim, stark stone corridors were empty. The slight creak where his shoulder plates met his breastplate didn't really matter when there was no one around to hear it.

Zuko came to an enormous room—almost a forest of sleek obsidian columns—and paused. Where would the Avatar have gone? She had to have a destination in mind, or she wouldn't be here. She wasn't that stupid. If she was, Zuko would have caught up with her by now.

After a moment of thought, Zuko turned decisively to the right, toward the center of the temple. He tried to ignore the twinge of homesickness in his stomach as his eyes skimmed over the tapestries lining the walls—golden dragons on backdrops of swirling red, a phoenix consumed by flame, and rows upon rows of prostrate sages bowing in reverence to the sun. These were nothing in comparison with the tapestries of the Fire Nation palace, but he recognized the designs, vaguely recalled when his mother had told him the stories that they depicted. He was close now. So close. Back on native soil for the first time in nearly three years, and finally within reach of the Avatar. All he had to do was secure her and the airbender and take them back to the skiff. Zuko could manage that much. The girl would have precious little access to water here, and the airbender was hardly an impressive fighter. Taking them down should be easy, especially in a confined space like this.

It should be easy, a small voice told him, but it won't be. Get used to it, Zuko, nothing is easy for you. Nothing is ever going to be easy for you.

His jaw tightened and he ducked into a patch of darkness behind one of the columns at the sound of approaching footsteps. Fine. It wouldn't be easy, but it wasn't meant to be easy. Zuko was here to prove his worth to Father—to the whole of the Fire Nation. This was the most important thing he would ever do. Regaining his honor didn't mean that he was meant to stumble into a solution by luck alone. He had to earn it.

The footsteps passed, and Zuko let out a breath. Keeping to the shadows as much as he could, he continued on toward the center of the temple.


Sokka's idea didn't work. It sounded like a good plan, but his fake firebending had no impact on the door. Apparently the mechanism was smarter than they'd given it credit for.

"You said it would take five sages to open the sanctuary," Katara said, sitting cross-legged on the floor with her elbows resting on her knees.

"Or one Avatar," Shyu agreed.

"But why five people? You have two hands. Can't you shoot two fireballs at once?"

Shyu looked a little reluctant. "Tradition dictates that five sages must be present to open the sanctuary, but—"

Sokka waved his hand to urge him on. "But?"

"But—in theory, it could be done with three."

Katara felt Sokka's eyes turn her direction. "So if Aang could figure out how to shoot two fireballs, we would only need one more firebender?"

Shyu sighed and ran a hand over the scaly carving of a dragon's neck. "Perhaps, yes. Unfortunately, my brothers will refuse. The order has become twisted over the decades—many of them forget our true purpose. To uphold Agni's light in the world, to maintain balance. They have been deluded into the belief that the Fire Lord serves the sacred order of the universe."

She caught Sokka's warning look—Katara, this guy is Fire Nation. You can't trust him to keep your secret—but she ignored it. "Do you think you could show us—show Aang how to do it? Two fireballs can't be that hard, right? It's just a matter of aim and timing, not power."

Pulling his hand away from the door, Shyu studied her. "That would still leave us short a firebender."

Katara stood. "Not necessarily."

"Katara." Sokka grabbed her arm. "Knock it off, okay? It's dangerous enough just being here. We don't need you blabbing to the first fire scum who doesn't try to incinerate us." He shot a sheepish smile back at Shyu. "No offense. But—y'know. Your people haven't exactly proven themselves trustworthy."

She wrenched her arm out of Sokka's grip. "We don't have any other ideas, Sokka. Come on. We're way too close to give up now."

Sokka threw his hands up. "This is crazy! You're crazy, Katara!"

She crossed her arms over her chest and scowled.

"Aang! Tell her that she's crazy!"

"Uh—" The monk looked between them both. "I guess—it's not like we have a lot of choices right now, Sokka."

Katara straightened in triumph. "See? Aang agrees with me, and he—" She gestured wildly toward Shyu, who was staring as though the three of them had turned into two-headed, buggy-eyed monsters. "—has done nothing but help us so far. What other options do you think we have?"

Shyu shook his head as if to clear some of the confusion from his eyes. "This is true. Whatever secrets you have, young friends of the Avatar, I have no intention of revealing them." He frowned slightly. "I do not believe in my brother sages' methods, but I do not savor the idea of being tried for treason either."

"Well, that's very reassuring. Thanks." Sokka's tone was dry and he rolled his eyes. "Guys, seriously. There has to be a better way—"

There was a crash from somewhere down the corridor and voices rang toward them.

"They're coming!" Shyu hissed, his eyes widening in alarm. "I'm sorry, it's too late. You must go."

The approaching voices were still distant, but there were several of them. More than enough to open the sanctuary with Shyu's help.

Katara's face broke into a grin. "Shyu, do you think you could convince them that we're already inside?"

"Perhaps, but—"

"Good!" Katara grabbed Aang and Sokka by the arms and steered them both behind a column. "Do that. Tell them that the Avatar made it into the sanctuary already."

Aang looked up at her, eyes wide. "But, Katara—"

"Shh." She huddled behind the column with the boys. "Just trust me, okay?"

"Shyu?" A creaky old voice echoed down the hallway. "What are you doing there? It's Pai Sho night."

"Brothers! I've seen the Avatar!" Shyu's tone was agitated. "He's here, and he made it into the high sanctuary!"

"So open it." This voice was harsh and raspy. Not particularly familiar, but unmistakable. "Well?" Zuko shouted when there was no response. "Open the sanctuary. The Avatar is an enemy to the Fire Nation. Sh—he cannot be allowed to remain on sacred ground!"

Oh no, oh no, oh no. Katara tilted her head back, trying to calm her racing heart. Trying to sneak past the sages without being caught would be hard enough. With Zuko there—

"On my cue." Zuko's voice was firmer, less irrational than she'd ever heard it before, and then there was a roar of flames.

The heat reached them in a wave—Katara's skin prickled at the sudden warmth, and she felt a fine sheen of sweat erupt on her forehead. But the rush of heat subsided as quickly as it had come, and with a great metallic groaning, the rush of hot air was replaced by a surge of cold from inside the sanctuary.

She glanced at Aang, but he was already in motion. With a running leap, he vaulted over the firebenders and shot a blast of air to drive them further from the sanctuary. Katara sprinted after him as the firebenders lost their balance. She nearly tripped over one of the larger men, and Aang reached out toward her. She regained her balance, though, and raced forward—so close, so close. Once they got the doors closed after them, they would have at least a few seconds to barricade them—then she and Aang could try to contact Avatar Roku.

Zuko recovered faster than the sages, and before Katara could reach the safety of the sanctuary, he was up again, scrambling after her.

A hand closed around her wrist. Katara whirled instinctively around, and her fist made contact with his nose. He yelled, and for an instant, his grip failed. That was enough. Katara twisted her arm free and kicked vaguely in the direction of his shin—she hit something, though she wasn't certain whether it was Zuko's leg or one of the fallen sages.

"Come on, Katara!" Aang shouted, and she darted over the threshold after him.

Neither the punch nor the kick had slowed Zuko down much. When she took hold of one of the doors, he was only three steps behind, and she pushed with all her might to close it while Aang did the same on the other side. The doors were heavy—made of steel and clearly not intended to be opened or shut often, but terror gave Katara a burst of sudden strength and energy—the doors latched shut an instant before Zuko could reach them, closing just slowly enough that she caught a glimpse of his wide-eyed stare.

"We did it!" Aang said, his gray eyes shining with excitement.

With a breathless nod, Katara turned to rest her back against the inside of the door—it was less ornate than the outside, but some of the ornamental bits still dug into her shoulder blades. "We'll have to barricade the door to keep them out. But we made it." She managed a smile before she took a proper look around the room.

It was narrower than she expected, but it made up for that by being exceptionally long, almost a hallway in its own right, with ceilings so high that they disappeared into the darkness above them. As with the rest of the temple, nearly everything was red and black, but here there were a few extra flashes of natural light from red and gold paned windows—somehow, the effect was less of the world being steeped in blood and more of firelight dancing across every surface. As Aang had promised, there was a statue of Avatar Roku as well, gilded and glistening with a stern but benevolent look on his creased face.

Katara let out a breath. They'd made it. That was good. Amazing, really.

She only wished that she knew what to do next.


Author's Note:

You know, as much as I love the later fights in ATLA where everyone is a master and knows exactly what they're doing, I might love the early fights where they're all fumbling around (and still convinced that they know exactly what they're dping) even more. There's just something great about the whole idea of this fantasy world where people fight by controlling the elements and we're following a bunch of kids with godlike powers... and none if them actually know how to use those powers effectively. Hence Katara hauling off and punching Zuko in the nose. My brain went full gremlin-mode a couple of times while writing this, and I have zero regrets.

In other news, Chapter 14 is coming up next week, and Chapter 15 is getting closer! The first draft is complete, and I'm partway done with editing. In the meantime, you can also visit my Tumblr if you're interested, and I always love to see your comments, questions and general yelling in the reviews!