The Banshee and the Beat

by AK-Martin

A mysterious traveler crosses a rapidly dissolving Earth Kingdom. A streetwise city-slicker desperately tries to keep his community together. A new kind of criminal infests the recently manifested jungle of vines in Republic City. The head of the RCPD's new rapid-pursuit squad chases a phantom. The world is changing quickly, what will happen when these paths cross? Set after Book 2

1. Prologue

Prologue

170 years ago

Kalden's young body ached as he stumbled in the dim light of his small oil lamp as he led a column of children deeper into the cave. Who could ever have imagined this? The deep booms and screeching wind of a pitched battle with empowered firebenders overhead resounded throughout the cave.

"Pan!" Kalden's voice cracked as he ushered the column of frightened children past himself.

A teenage girl just a bit younger than himself situated at the back of the line of children snapped out of her frightened daze at the sound of her name.

"Is that everyone?" Kalden shouted.

"I- I think so… There's no one else back here." Pan trembled in reply.

Kalden had never seen Pan so shaken up. Her confidence was usually infallible to a fault.

"Seal the tunnel then! We can't ha-" Kalden was cut off by a deafening roar and a gale of hot air coming from behind them. Confusion was quickly replaced by terror as he saw a bright orange light rapidly filling the tunnel from the way they had come moments earlier.

Pan quickly jerked into motion, bending the stone of the tunnel walls together, sealing the tunnel just as tongues of flame started spilling around the edges. Kalden watched in horror as the barricade of stone quickly began to be covered in glowing spots.

"Pan! More!" He shouted, expelling his chi into the stale air of the tunnel.

Kalden began to gather heaps of air with his bending, pushing hot air further into the tunnel and bringing colder air back out in a desperate attempt to keep the rock cool. Pan was hurriedly shoring up her barricade of earth as the deafening roar continued to vibrate through the tunnel walls.

Then, suddenly, everything was on fire. Pan took too much material from the sides of the tunnel, leaving a thin, narrow section of earth that was quickly eaten through by the pressurized inferno. The hole widened in an instant and Kalden watched with horror as Pan was engulfed in flame. The children were still just a dozen or so meters down the tunnel. With everything he had, the young man, Kalden, pushed at the charging flames. It wasn't enough. Fire filled his vision, spilled past his blast of air on all sides, continuing down the tunnel. He couldn't hold it back.

With a final yell, Kalden pressed his bending to the limit. Flames danced before his eyes, enveloped him, and poured down his throat. He burned, his bending failed, and the last thing Kalden knew was his feet leaving the ground as the pressure wave of the flames threw him back into the darkness.