Chapter Nine

"Dammit!" Moria shrieked as that obnoxious white ball blinked out of the air once more. "Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit!" In her frustration, she swung her fist at a nearby jutting rock and cried out in pain at the contact. She hissed through her teeth as she shook her hand and shifted from foot to foot.

She groaned loudly, clutching her wrist and glancing around to make sure no one had heard or witnessed her temporary lapse in sanity. Fortunately, she had ventured far enough from the campsite to have a bit of privacy. Everyone was too focused on their own training to pay any attention to Moria, and for that she was grateful. Aang was hard at work trying to get Sokka to jump for joy, Suki was working on strength training, and Toph was playing and practicing at the same time by making elaborate mud sculptures.

With a heavy sigh, Moria dropped to her knees and consulted the history book once again. She had read the instructions so many times that she had them memorized, but still she wondered if there was something she was missing. No matter what she tried, she just could not get the stupid little ball to explode outward.

She was considering giving up for the day, or maybe even altogether, when Appa flew overhead, low to the ground and rustling the grass around her. Moria got up with a smile and hurried behind the giant bison to greet her friends.

Moria rushed up to welcome them back, but Katara quickly dismounted and ducked into an empty tent. She turned to Zuko with a raised brow. "Is she all right?"

"I think she just needs a little time," Zuko said, his eyes on the ground.

"What happened?"

"We found him."

"And?" Moria raised a brow.

"She talked to him. She started to attack him and then…she just stopped."

"Do you think she got what she needed?"

Zuko nodded slowly. "I think so."

Katara stepped out of the tent, rubbing her arms. She let out a slow breath and walked back to Zuko. With a light smile, she raised her head. "Thank you for taking me, Zuko. I really needed that. I know I've been harsh in the past, but…I'm ready to fully trust you."

She held out her arms and pulled Zuko into a tight hug. Zuko widened his eyes in surprise but wrapped his arms tightly around Katara's waist. Covering her mouth to hide a snicker, Moria stepped back to give them a little room.

Something in Katara had changed. She seemed freer, lighter. With the trauma of her past confronted, Katara was free to move forward. Moria understood the feeling well.

Moria glanced to the side and saw the others approaching to greet their friends. As Katara pulled back from Zuko, she met Aang's eye.

"I've moved on," she told him.

Aang studied her face for a moment before giving a satisfied nod. "Good. Now that you're back, we need to get out of here."

"What's got you so antsy, Twinkle Toes?" Toph asked. She crossed her arms over her chest and released another plume of dirt into the air.

Aang made a face and waved the dust away. "We've been out in the open too long. If Azula decides to go searching for us again, she won't have any trouble finding us here. We need a better place to hide out."

"He's right," Suki agreed. "We've been lucky so far, but the faster we get moving the better."

"I know just the place," Zuko put in. He glanced at Appa, who groaned morosely. "Get your things, we can go now."

Appa slumped to the ground with a defeated sigh.

"Are you sure you don't need to rest for a while?" Moria asked, more for Appa's sake than his and Katara's. "You've been travelling for days."

"We're fine," Katara assured her. She turned her head to look at Appa and gave him a few pats just above his nose. "Appa is fine, too. He's just being dramatic. He can take a rest while everyone packs up."

The gang took their time packing up the campsite, careful to leave no trace of their stay behind. Tents were folded neatly, blankets were rolled up and placed into their bags, and the charred wood from their fires was thrown into the trees. As dusk fell around them, they climbed onto Appa and ascended into the sky with Zuko at the reins.

"Did you make any progress on your training?" Katara asked Aang as they glided over the smooth sea.

"Are you kidding? You should see what I can do to your brother," Aang said with a wicked grin.

Sokka groaned and flopped back against the saddle. "I've had enough. You can try to make Zuko happy for once or something."

"I'm never happy!" Zuko piped up from the front.

Katara snickered. "You can practice on me if you want. It's about time Sokka had a break."

"Thank you!" Sokka cried.

"Actually," Moria tapped her chin, "now might be a good time to expand your range a bit. Why don't you try to make all of us relax? It'll be a good challenge for you. But don't get Zuko. He needs to focus on flying."

"What if I do get Zuko?" Aang asked, glancing at their temporary driver who was looking back at the group with interest.

"Well, there's nothing wrong with feeling content, but it'd be best if our driver didn't get too relaxed."

"I guess I can try it." Aang gave Zuko a sheepish look. "I can make it up to you later."

"Don't bother." Zuko turned his attention back to the open ocean ahead.

Aang looked back at the rest of the group. "Get comfortable."

Everyone shifted into the most comfortable positions they could get into on the back of a giant bison's saddle. Sokka leaned back against the leather and Suki nuzzled sweetly into his shoulder. Katara moved to lay on her side, propping herself up on her elbow. Moria sat cross-legged and rested her hands in her lap while Toph sprawled out on her back.

When everyone was ready, Aang moved to the middle of the uneven circle and placed his hands on his knees. He closed his eyes and took in a few slow, even breaths to prepare. He always felt a little ridiculous trying to think of a good, melodic tune to hum, but once he got going he was able to focus on what he was trying to achieve. He could feel all eyes on him, waiting patiently. He took in one more slow breath and as he exhaled, he began to hum.

The tune he weaved into the air was soft, slow and lilting. Several times, he caught himself focusing only on one person, and he struggled to widen his range. Using the music to weave into one person's mind was difficult enough but stretching his mental fingers across five people felt nearly impossible. Despite all his years of meditation, he had to work hard to keep himself centered.

After what felt like a rocky start, he finally felt a sense of balance washing over him. Moria's training had taught him to tune into the rhythms of a person's body and he sensed the heartbeats around him slowing, synching. Those around him inhaled and exhaled in unison. The feeling of calm throughout the group was so strong that even Aang was affected by it. He opened one eye slowly, still humming his tune, and saw that while no one was actually asleep, they were enveloped in a strong sense of peace. Toph's half-lidded eyes stared into the blackness above her. Sokka traced lazy circles on Suki's arm with his thumb, and Suki hummed along quietly to Aang's melody. Katara had her eyes closed with a gentle, dreamy smile and Moria sat perfectly still.

Slowly, Aang tapered off his humming and looked to his friends expectantly.

Moria opened her eyes slowly and let out a content sigh. "That was wonderful, Aang. You did a fantastic job."

Aang grinned and looked over his shoulder at Zuko. "I didn't get you, did I?'

Zuko shook his head. "Good job."

"Maybe you could put the Fire Lord in a good mood and force him to surrender without a fight," Sokka mumbled against Suki's hair.

Aang began to brighten but Moria quickly held her hand up before he could get too excited. "I'm afraid you'll need a lot more training to accomplish something like that."

Aang furrowed his brow. "But I just…"

"We were all receptive to your manipulation," Moria explained. "The Fire Lord will have his guard up. He'll fight you on everything you do. To break through the barriers on a person like that…well, it's extremely difficult."

"Then you could come with me," Aang began, but Moria shook her head.

"I am not capable of that level of bending."

Aang's shoulders sank. "But you did it to Sokka when we…"

"Sokka is easily influenced."

"Hey!" Sokka cried, snapping out of his trance-like state.

Moria shrugged and gave him a sheepish look. "I'm sorry, Aang, but I'm afraid my own abilities won't be of much use to you in battle."

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Aang asked, defeated.

"We move on to the next level of your training." Moria reached out and patted his knee. "From now on, you will only be working to influence me, and I will be putting up a fight. You will not get through to me easily. If you can manage to manipulate me, then you will officially surpass me as your teacher."

"Do you think I can do it?" Aang asked doubtfully.

Moria gave him an encouraging smile. "You learn fast, Aang. You managed to manipulate all of us on the first try. I'm sure with hard work and concentration, we can figure it out together."

"Speak for yourself, Choir Girl." Toph nudged Moria's knee with her feet. "Soundbending is great and all, but Twinkle Toes is really going to have to crack down on the physical stuff if he wants to take down the Fire Lord. You've been slacking on your earthbending and firebending."

Aang groaned and covered his face with his hands. He threw himself back to lie down and whined, "How am I supposed to have time for all of this? Sozin's Comet is almost here!"

"You can do it, Aang." Katara patted the top of his head encouragingly. "Once we get to, uh, wherever it is we're going, you can really get to work."

"Speaking of which, where exactly are we going?" Suki asked.

Zuko raised an arm and pointed to an island emerging on the dark horizon. "There."

Sokka looked at the island skeptically, then bent down to fish the map out of his pack. He spread it out in front of him and studied it carefully. He lifted his head, looked back at the map, and looked back at the horizon. With an overly dramatic gasp, Sokka pointed to the island and cried, "He's taking us to Ember Island!"

Katara immediately darkened and whipped around to glare daggers into Zuko's back. "How could you take us straight into the Fire Nation?!"

"Calm down," Zuko said simply. "The best place to hide is in plain sight. My family has a summer home here. It hasn't been used since we were happy. Trust me when I say it's the perfect place."

The group looked at each other skeptically, but it was Katara who spoke up.

"I said I could trust you and I meant it." She glanced at the others. "If anyone would know the best way to get to the Fire Lord, it would be Zuko."

"Thank you," Zuko said sincerely as he began to urge Appa down to the island. "We'll be safe here. It's the last place Azula would think to look."

He brought Appa down into an overgrown courtyard. The summer home before them was rundown and dirty. The wooden porch and steps were splinted from years of swelling in the humidity. Some of the paper doors lay askew on the ground, ripped and broken. But the whole place was surrounded by trees and lush foliage, creating plenty of privacy.

Zuko hopped off of Appa and surveyed the area with a tight-lipped expression. He kicked a broken door out of the way and motioned for everyone to dismount.

"There should be plenty of mats inside for sleeping. There's enough space for everyone to have their own room. We're pretty low on supplies again, but we shouldn't have a problem getting what we need in town. This is a vacation spot. War is the last thing on these people's minds."

Aang tapped Moria's arm while Zuko spoke. "Do you think we could squeeze in a little more training?"

"I like your enthusiasm," Moria said with smirk. "But it's late. We can get started first thing in the morning. Just remember that Toph is right. You need to work with her and Zuko more. We'll have to divide up your time."

"All right, fine," Aang agreed. "Can I at least put you to sleep again? That counts as training."

"Please," Moria said with a smile. She grabbed her bag from Appa's saddle followed the group into their new safe haven.