Hiya Everyone. Hope your all enjoying your holiday.

Disclaimer: One day I will own Avatar reaches for water pistol but I do own Araic so…HAHAHAHAHAHA!

Chapter 4: Tortured soul

The door exploded in a rush of heat. Araic was blown back but remained standing. She levitated the shattered pieces of wood and clumps of rock. Holding them in the air for a split second before sending them hurtling through the gaping wound in the front wall.

There was a few seconds of silence as the dust settled, then a burst of flame erupted forward. Araic quickly bended a wall of rock in front of her to absorb the heat. A series of fire shots flew through the hole where the door once stood. The rug on the floor had caught fire so had the wooden chair in the dining room. The smoke was curling round Araic. If she didn't get out now she'd suffocate.

Araic could here them, their heavy boots stomping on the floor boards. She had to get out. Without warning Araic bended, making the whole front wall crumble into dust.


Zuko watched as the entire house collapsed inwards. Trapping five of his men inside and hopefully caging the avatar or at least one of his accomplices. Zuko warily approached the pile of rubble.

"Get over here and dig them out" He shouted to one of his unharmed men.

The ground began to shake. Smaller rocks began to vibrate cracking of the ground. Suddenly the mixture of stone and wood began to shake violently, then a green figure leapt out of rubble like a dolphin trying to escape from the sea below. The figure hit the ground running. Hurtling over fences, rocks and branches.

Zuko immediately sent a fireball hurtling towards the runner, striving to reach the cover of the forest.

This has worked better than I had originally thought. Hey! Why are they not following me? Ohh look a fireball. Wow never seen that coming Araic thought as she dodged the fireball whistling to wards her with ease. Lalalalala can't catch me! Araic giggled. Catch me, if you can! Yes! Nearly there! Araic thought joyously as she seen the sheltering eaves of the wood fast approaching. Then falling…


Araic never saw Zhao hiding behind the stack of hay. She never saw the hand grabbing her ankle. All she knew was that she was not running anymore. She was falling; she was failing to reach the safety of the forest, she wasn't winning. Then a sharp crack, a pain in her head like an exploding fire work, making her world tumble into the darkness of the unconsciousness.

"What the fuck are you doing here." Zuko roared at Zhao.

Zhao brutishly yanked the girl up. Her helmet fell off revealing her thin face covered in primitive markings. Her eyes were squeezed shut, her expression brimming with pain.

She was fazing in and out. Hearing fractions of the conversation.

"I'll go and check the trees. You can handle the hostage. The rest of my crew follow me." One of the captors was saying as he ran into the tree's followed by more blurred shapes.

"Whatever Zuko. Try not to loose him" The one behind her said aggresivly.

Then she sank into sweet darkness. The darkness opened it's soft arms, cradling her, rocking her, protecting her from the outside world. Gently singing a lullaby, slowly letting her drift on the sea. She was going under, sinking into the deep darkness, the deep, soft, painless darkness.

A searing pain in her arm brought her back to the light. Hateful light, exposing everything. Every secret, everything precious, giving you away, uncaring light. Nothing like the sweet darkness, where there is nothing, no pain, no agony, no torture, no memory, only soft darkness, only the slow tilting of the suffocating sea.

"Ohhh. My head" Araic breathed, shaking her head slightly.

Her eye's couldn't concentrate, it took a few attempts to realise were she was. She was standing beside a tree. No, she was tied, restrained to the tree of Meva's husband. The bough was thick, she couldn't shatter it, she tried but the power kept slipping away. Like a paper ship in a large puddle, slipping just out of reach. Araic kept reaching out but she just couldn't reach it.

She was suddenly aware of the presence behind her. The hot breath on the back of her neck. She could feel the eyes, boring a hole through her, seeing into her soul, seeing what she was, seeing her pain… and laughing.

"Now" A chilling voice hoarsely whispered behind her. "Where is the Avatar?"

"How the Hell am I supposed to know" She smirked

"Wrong answer" The voice chuckled evilly

Araic gasped as she felt the cold chill of metal against her bare arm. Then gave a cry of surprise and distress as she felt a sharp pain in her arm.

The thing that had cut her stepped out. The monster was a fire-bender of some rank. He was old between 40 and 50. He had the traditional fire bender dark hair and trimmed sideburns. His amber eyes were in slits focused on her. Araic didn't like the greedy look in his eyes. She felt as if an iceberg had been dumped in her stomach.

Her eye's focused on to the other people in the crowd. Rigan was there so was Mathos.

Why are they just standing there? Why are they not helping? Why is he not helping a fellow Earth-bender? Why are we not trying to defend our island? Why have they abandoned me? Why?

Araic met Mathos' eyes but he looked away. He had abandoned her. She was going to die and no one's was going to help her. They had left her to die, like they left her parents to die, like they left her as an infant to face the forest alone.

Rigan handed the evil looking fire-bender a black wooden case. The demonic fire-bender opened it, he smirked at her. The hungry look had returned to his eyes. Araic shivered. The case was lined with red velvet, but whether it was originally red was another matter.

He pulled the dreaded instrument of torture out of the case. Araic shook. The 'claw' used in private torture and public execution. There was a metal bar that the torturer held onto. Their hand clenched in a fist. Then three murderous sharpened blades arched over their fingers and extended for another twelve centimetres. This gave the torturer the ability to slash the prisoner repeatedly without getting their hands too bloody.

Araic began to shake harder now.

"Please I don't know! He never said! Please I don't know! I swear I don't know! Please God! I don't know where he is! Help me, Mathos! Help me, some one! I don't know, I swear! I DON'T KNOW! HELP ME, SOMEBODY HELP ME! MATHOS HELP ME! I DON'T KNOW WHERE HE IS! MATHOS DON'T LEAVE ME! I DON'T KNOW"


Zuko climbed through the bushes back to the clearing. As usual some native had found out the plan and had told the Avatar. He could not be bothered with Zhao's gloating but it seemed that as he entered the clearing that Zhao was not interested in him.

The hostage was shouting something inaudible. Then there was a crisp crack! Like a twig snapping. Then came the blood-freezing scream explaining that was definitely not a twig cracking. Zuko stopped and stared.

The captive was tied to a medium sized tree, with her hands tied behind her. Zhao was standing behind her holding her left hand. Her fresh green clothes had been transformed a brownish-crimson and were slashed and ripped all over. She was crying a steady stream of tears but the left side of her face was raining blood.

Zuko couldn't handle this; he wanted to throw up. He had to stop this suffering. He had to or he would loose his dinner.

"I…I lost him" Zuko stuttered, marching over towards Zhao. The smell of blood was over powering him.

Another sharp crack! Followed by a banshee shriek.

"Right! I'm going to start on the other hand now1" Zhao chuckled, completely ignoring Zuko

" Zhao, I said I lost him"

Zhao let go of her broken hand for a few seconds, turning his attention to me. What happened next was fucking amazing. A pebble buried in the Earth shot up. Slicing through the girl's bonds and struck Zhao in the chin. Zhao was stunned for a few seconds. I couldn't help grinning; even Iroh was chuckling softly.

Zhao gave me a homicidal look, before yelling " AFTER HER!"

I leapt up and followed the bloody prints into the forest. I had to get to her before Zhao. I could here the snaps of twigs up ahead. She wasn't trying to sneak away quietly, she didn't care about who heard her, she just wanted out. Out of this nightmare that was strangling her in its grasp. Out of this God-forsaken Island. If she did get out of this alive she was going to leave at the first boat.

The smell of burning wood invaded my mind. He wouldn't. HE WOULD! Zhao was burning down he forest. One tiny problem, I was still in it.

"BASTARD!" I bellowed behind me, before resuming my hunt for the escaping hostage.

I ran blindly after the noise of cracking twigs. Being a fire-bender the smoke didn't effect my breathing much but it was as thick as a sea fog.

Above the crashing of falling trees and the roar of the inferno I heard it. The quiet whimpering of a wounded animal. I made my way to wards the noise. She had given up. She had stopped fleeing and was now curled up in a ball. She was muttering the words "don't know don't know don't know don't know don't know don't know" over and over. She looked up at me before moaning and shutting her eye's sinking into the darkness. I bent over her, checked for a pulse and her breathing. They were there but were weak and ragged.

"please help me" she whispered silently as I picked her up.

She seemed fragile in my arms. Like a glass ornament of Uncle's. Like if I put her down too hard she shatter into a million pieces. Why would Zhao want to hurt her? She was just a girl. She looked too innocent, sleeping in my arms to know. But since when did Zhao need an excuse to harm anything?"


"Are you DEMENTED? Are you trying to INCINERATE the Fire Lord's oldest son? Have you got a DEATH wish?"

"If he dies then I consider it a favour to the Fire Lord. If he dies then the Fire Lord will loose a week, frail, parasite"

"He's is still the Prince"

"Exiled Prince"

That's when Zuko made his entrance, through the blazing bushes and charred trees. Iroh, seeing his nephew safe, clapped his hands extinguishing the blazing inferno to smoke.

"Could you not have done that while I was in that when I was inside, Uncle?" Zuko whined in annoyance

Iroh gave Zuko a little smile

Interrupting the quiet moment. " Well, at least you can catch something!" Zhao remarked " Bring her over here at one so I can restart my interrogation."

"ARE YOU INSANE? HAVE YOU COMPLETELY LOST IT? She's unconscious, she can't answer your fucking questions. Haven't you done enough" Zuko yelled and stormed off, to the little boat that would take them back to his ship.

Zhao was fuming.

"Bring that Earth-scum back!"

"Haven't got an avatar to catch? My guess is that he's heading for Brogan. I suggest you hurry." Uncle said, a slight frown on his forehead.

Zhao made a face and muttered something about 'wild beef racks'

Iroh climbed onto the small boat. His nephew was sitting on a stool with the girl still clutched in his arms. Her head was resting next to his chest. There was a small smile on her face. A small smile as she sunk into the sweet waves of the comforting darkness.

Wooness! Chapter the forth is finished!