Azula sat in the rowboat with her hands encased in metal. Not that she could use her left arm anymore. It was just a useless lump of scarred flesh and bone. Still, it seemed that Shen didn't trust her enough to take any chances, not like he did Ty Lee. Ty Lee's wrists and ankles were bare of any restraints and even hawk-eyed Hina wasn't watching her that closely. It was like these two almost trusted Ty Lee. Like they'd all been working as a team for a while now.

Azula's eyes narrowed but she said nothing.

"The screams are getting louder," Ty Lee observed, hugging her arms to herself. "What's going on out there?"

"Quiet," Hina hissed.

"But—"

"No talking means no talking."

Ty Lee ducked her head, hunching into herself like a turtle duck retreating into its shell. Azula fixed her attention on Shen. He knelt on the shore with his back to the boat. Little flames encircled him in a golden glow, batting at the fog that slithered near. Her brow creased a fraction. How much longer was he going to meditate? They'd already been sitting here for ages.

Suddenly, the fog swirled and gathered around him. Azula's eyes widened as a face and body took shape: feminine and beautiful and heart-piercingly familiar. Her chest tightened as if enclosed in a giant's fist and she had to bite her lip from speaking. Shen didn't even flinch. He still knelt with perfect posture and the flames around him hadn't so much as quivered.

"Well, well," the wraith said, and it spoke with her voice as well. "So, you're still alive."

Shen raised his head. "You recognise me?"

"Of course."

"Then you know why I've come."

A smile. "The boy."

Shen bowed low. "Grant us safe passage, ancient one, and I will bring you as many offerings as you desire."

"And if I refuse?"

Shen once more raised his head, the flames flaring brighter all around him. "Then I will pursue him anyway."

A soft laugh. "You dare to challenge a spirit?"

"Spirit or not, your tricks will not work on me. I learned to see beyond the veil of mortality a long time ago."

"Ah, but your body can still break."

"Do you think yours is invulnerable?"

There was a tense pause as the spirit and Shen stared at each other. Then the spirit's misty gaze shifted and met Azula's eyes. Something that might have been delight spread across its face, widening its smile. Its stolen smile.

"If it isn't the young princess," the spirit cooed, inching closer to the boat.

Azula's breathing sharpened against her will, but her tone was imperious when she spoke. "Why do you wear my mother's face? Why do you speak with her voice?"

A ghostly hand reached for her cheek. "Poor child. Mother is so worried about you."

Her nails dug crescents into her bonds. "Answer me!"

The spirit only smiled and turned back to Shen. "The boy is on his way to me as we speak. Seek him if you will, but understand that what comes to me belongs to me. Do you think you'll be any different?"

"Wait!" Azula cried, but the spirit had already vanished into fog.

Shen let the flames die out and stood up, glancing over his shoulder at the three in the boat. "We go now, and we go swiftly."

"Are you sure about this?" Hina asked, stepping onto the shore. "That didn't exactly sound like a guarantee of safety."

"Don't worry. No harm will come to you so long as you stick with me."

Hina glanced farther down the beach to where Atsuo had disappeared some time ago, though it was doubtful she could see much through the fog. "And Atsuo?"

"What about him?" A fresh spark of fire danced from Shen's fingers and he lit the two torches she held out for him, keeping one for himself.

"You sent him off on his own."

"Are you offering to go assist him?"

She stiffened.

He smiled and lightly touched her arm. "Relax. I won't make you join him."

A hint of relief flickered in her eyes, but then her mouth twisted and she turned away from the torchlight. Azula's eyebrow arched a fraction. Even with her own mind a buzzing whirl of questions, she couldn't help noticing when people exposed themselves. It seemed Hina was softer than her hard exterior portrayed, though she was also selfish enough to stay quiet if it meant protecting herself.

"Is Atsuo going to die?" Ty Lee asked in a small voice.

Shen glanced at her. "Perhaps. He is clearing the way."

Creases formed on Ty Lee's brow.

Azula stepped off the boat, careful not to lose her balance thanks to her bound hands. "He means that Atsuo has gone to cull the people on the other ship. That way it doesn't matter if they survive the spirit's attack; there won't be enough of them to provide a real threat." She met Shen's gaze steadily. "Am I right?"

"It is as you say. Atsuo isn't the best offensive firebender, but he's handy with a sword when given the right nudge, and the spirit will be plaguing those people with hallucinations anyway. The fog also makes a useful cover."

Ty Lee leapt onto the shore, one hand pressed to her mouth in horror and her eyes fixed on the distance. "You sent him off to kill them like some assassin? But, but Mai is with them and—"

"Hush." Shen's hand came down on her shoulder. "Remember, those same friends left you in a prison to rot. They do not deserve your concern now."

She shook her head and stepped back from him. "That's not how it works. You can't do this!"

"It has already been done."

"Then stop it! Make it stop, please!"

He raised his eyebrows. "Why should I? Why should I spare any of these people who will only hinder me? Why should I even worry about Atsuo? Whether he lives or dies, he will have served his purpose."

Something gave an odd flop in Azula's stomach. She'd spent her life making choices based on the same way of thinking. What Shen said made sense; it was just a fact. But then why did Ty Lee look so sickened? Why did people always get so upset when their illogical pleas and demands were refused?

Was it just weakness, as Father had claimed?

Was it just a sign of a lesser being?

Tears glistened in Ty Lee's eyes. "Don't you care at all? Do you feel nothing?"

"Monster."

Azula's breath caught in her throat.

Shen patted Ty Lee on the head in what might have been an affectionate gesture, except his eyes were dead of all emotion. "Ah, Little Rainbow, you always shine so bright. But I don't have time for this sentimentality."

"No, wait." Ty Lee grasped his wrist. "Please, just call Atsuo back. We can figure something out! We can—"

"Enough." He brushed past her to take the lead. "I'd rather not allow the spirit to get to Prince Zuko first."

Azula stilled and all the blood seemed to freeze in her veins. "His name," she murmured.

"What?" He glanced over his shoulder at her.

"You said his name. I never told you it."

He considered her calmly. "Did you really think I didn't know it's your older brother I'm hunting? Foolish child, you forget that I helped you to forge a connection with him."

"Wait," Ty Lee stammered. "But back when Azula and I were locked up together in the hold, you hurt us and—"

"A test. I wanted to confirm something. I also knew it would drive this one"—he nodded at Azula—"into her brother's arms, so to speak."

"What?"

It was all Azula could say. It sounded like he was implying she had been some scared little girl running to her brother for comfort after getting tortured. But it hadn't been that way. She'd just … she'd been trying to figure things out and … and Zuko was an easy tool to use. Yes, that was it. She had a plan and Zuko was part of that. He was just a tool to help her get rid of Shen and find their mother.

It wasn't that she had been scared. It wasn't.

"It was easier, wasn't it?" Shen said in that soft voice of his. "Connecting with him. I knew it would be. He saved you once, so of course he would let you in again if you were in enough pain. Then all I had to do was let you be the manipulative, treacherous wretch that you are."

Her fingernails dug into the metal bonds encasing her hands. No. No, no, no. There was no way he could have anticipated so much. "Ty Lee must have told you about Zuko," she hissed, shooting a glare at the other girl. "She must have—"

"No." He looked at her almost pityingly. "Little Rainbow has not said a word to me about your brother. She's very loyal, you see. I'm afraid you're just not as good as you think you are."

Azula stood frozen. There was an itch spreading over and under her skin, scraping at every nerve, every bone.

"I'm afraid you're just not as good as you think you are."

The primal, ugly thing inside of her rattled against its cage. It hissed and snarled for release.

Could it be? Had she let herself be played all this time?

"Now you're beginning to see." He smiled that bland smile. "All those plans of yours, all that plotting with your brother to set up an ambush—it all served my purpose. And you did wonderfully. You've led me right to him when his entire crew is vulnerable."

She blinked a few times, too consumed with rage and shock to even make a retort.

This wasn't possible. This wasn't how it was meant to be. Not for her. Never for her.

Shen turned his back to her, the grey streaks in his hair glinting mesmerizingly in the torchlight. "We've wasted enough time here. You know what to do now, don't you, Princess?"

He did not wait for an answer and marched for the pillars, confident that the others would follow and that she would use the bond to find Zuko faster. Azula didn't budge.

"Move." Hina gave a slight push to her back.

Ty Lee paused mid-step and glanced back at them, biting her lower lip. Somehow, that just made the ugly thing inside Azula hiss and thrash even more. Eyes full of pity. Eyes that no longer looked to her for a solution to all their problems but only offered commiseration. Shunted, used, favoured less than even Ty Lee. It seemed like a joke, like stumbling into an upside down world.

"I'm afraid you're just not as good as you think you are."

"I said move!" Hina grabbed her roughly and dragged her forward. "Do you want to be left behind for the spirit?"

Azula's lips curved a fraction, though the smile was far from amused. "Does it matter now?"

"What?"

"My plans are ruined, and I know what's going to happen to me once Shen finds my brother." She raised her head to meet Hina's gaze. "The real question is: do you think you're any different?"

Hina shot a quick glance at Shen.

"He doesn't care about you any more than he does me," Azula said, quiet enough so only Hina could hear. "You know I'm right. Look what happened to Atsuo."

"Shut up."

"I'm just saying. There were three of you before and now you're down to two. Also, you're no longer the one at his side …"

They both looked to where Ty Lee and Shen were walking ahead.

"You think your words will sway me?" Hina hissed, tightening her grip so that Azula could feel bruises forming. "I know exactly who I'm following. It's you who's clueless. You have no idea what's going on—what's at stake."

"So tell me."

Hina laughed and shoved her forward. "Nice try. Keep walking. I don't want to hear another word from you unless it's to say you've got your brother's exact location."

"Fine." Azula quickened her pace to walk behind Shen. "Let's just get this over with."

oOo

Mai was struggling to keep one of the big Water Tribe warriors pinned down when the silvery light surrounded them, bright and beautiful as moonbeams. Instantly, the man stopped thrashing. She looked around and saw the barriers had encased everyone else as well.

"What's going on?" Toph asked, letting the rock she'd been straining to bend crash back to the earth. "Something feels different."

"I think … I think it's protecting us," Suki murmured.

"What is?" Toph waved her hand in front of her eyes. "Blind here."

"It's light." Mai stood up and touched the silvery barrier, getting a whisper of warmth and power before her fingers slipped right through. "We've been surrounded by light."

More importantly, the fog couldn't get to them anymore. It crept around and pushed at the barriers like some predatory creature, but it couldn't get in. The warrior at her feet began to cry. It was difficult to say whether he wept out of despair from realising the ghosts he had been chasing weren't real or just the relief of having his mind restored. For Mai, she could only close her eyes and let her hands drop back to her side. Her limbs were jelly and bruises throbbed all over her, but it was over.

The nightmare was finally over.

Suki moved to stand next to her. "I think he's coming back. Look."

Mai opened her eyes and saw a light in the fog slowly get bigger and take shape into that of the Water Tribe warrior who'd got away from them. Cheng greeted him with a hug. Not once did the silvery barriers waver.

"Do you think Twinkletoes did something?" Toph mused aloud. "This has to be the work of spirits, right?"

"Probably," Suki said. "There's no way an ordinary human could do this."

Mai raised her face to the sky. The moon was full and seemed to glow even brighter.

"I think someone is coming," Toph said, stamping her foot to increase her seismic sense. A hiss escaped her lips. "I can't get a clear reading—this place messes up my bending too much—but there's definitely something moving towards us. Maybe two."

Suki and Mai got their weapons ready, neither willing to take any chances. Cheng and the few Water Tribe warriors also came to stand with them.

"There!" Toph pointed east.

A boy emerged from the fog, holding a fist of flames and his long black hair streaming behind him. He froze when he saw them. It was as if he'd hit an invisible wall and even his expression contorted in pain. Mai's eyes narrowed. That looked a lot like Yuzo's boyfriend, Atsuo. But why didn't he have one of the shiny barriers?

Suddenly, he was punching a torrent of flames at them—wild shots that were easy enough to dodge, though one of the warriors had to drag Toph to the ground with him after a failed rock shield.

"I really hate this place!" Toph grumbled, spitting out bits of dirt. "Why is the stupid earth resisting me so much?"

Mai ducked a stream of fire and threw a flurry of bo shuriken at Atsuo. He bent back in a graceful arch, blades gliding past his chest, and rocketed upwards with his fist wreathed in fire. It was eerie the way he glowed among the fog in gold and orange flickers. Then he punched down at the earth, waves of fire rippling out in a violent blast and throwing them all back from the force. Her back hit the ground with the bruising thud. She could hear the groans from the others as well footsteps thudding towards them.

"Mai!"

Suki leapt in front of Mai just as flames would have swallowed her up in burning heat. Her heart thumped against her ribs, even as her stomach twisted. No way. Had Suki just taken the hit for her?

"That was too close." Suki glanced over her shoulder. "You alright?"

Mai exhaled. In Suki's hand there was a shield that looked like the twin fans joined together. She must have used it to deflect the flames.

"I'm fine," Mai said getting back to her feet. "And, uh, thanks."

Suki smiled. They stood side by side and turned to face Atsuo, who was now breathing hard and looked on his last legs. No wonder after that flashy move he just pulled.

"Give it up!" one of the warriors yelled. "You're outnumbered. You can't win this."

Atsuo raised his head to the sky as if pleading to the spirits, his arms slack at his sides. That was when Mai heard the little sobs. He was crying.

Suki and Mai exchanged a confused glance.

"Hey," Suki said tentatively. "Are you—"

As if triggered by her voice, a scream ripped free of his throat and he charged at them.

"No!" Yuzo ran out from the fog, silver barrier glowing, and tackled Atsuo to the ground. "Stay down! Just stay down, damn it! You're going to get yourself killed!"

All Mai could hear was unintelligible sounds—snarls and grunts and the whimper-like sobs of a wild thing. It was sad. It was like listening to the cries of an animal gone rabid.

"Help me!" Yuzo pleaded. "Help me keep him down! I need to use my hands to talk to him!"

"Kid, that boy wants to kill you," Cheng said flatly. "He wants to kill all of us."

"He doesn't! He's just being controlled! I know Atsuo and he'd never willingly hurt us!"

Mai's brow creased. Maybe that was true, but there was something different about the way Atsuo attacked them. It didn't seem like he was seeing hallucinations because of the fog, even if he didn't have one of the silver barriers to protect him. He just … attacked.

"I'll help." Suki crossed to him and gripped Atsuo's shoulders.

Yuzo nodded to her in thanks, though they both still struggled to keep the thrashing boy down. He was going to break free again at this rate.

Mai sighed and knelt by Atsuo's feet, taking a firm hold on his legs. "He'd better not burn me."

"With any luck, I'll be able to snap him out of this before he can hurt any of us," Yuzo responded.

She said nothing and simply watched as he began signing in a flurry of silent words. Atsuo strained more for freedom, crying out as if in pain.

"Damn it, Atsuo," Yuzo hissed. It was obvious he was trying to stay calm, but she could tell he stuffed up sometimes with his signing when he shook his head and seemed to shove at the air as if to push a word aside. "Look at me! Look at what I'm saying! I know you can understand!"

Atsuo just lurched more against their hold and croaked out something barely distinguishable. Mai didn't understand, but it made Yuzo let out an anguished sound.

"I won't!" he cried, trembling and grabbing Atsuo's face to force him to meet his eyes. "I won't kill you! You can break free from this! I know you can!" He signed the words as well, hands trembling and tears worming free of his own eyes.

Mai held onto Atsuo's legs grimly. "Look, talking isn't working. There has to be another way to help him."

"What?"

"I don't know." Frustration edged her voice. "I'm not a sage, and you're the one who's supposed to be some special fire healer. You do something!"

"I-I can't. Messing with the mind is dangerous. That's what we were always taught and—"

"Your boyfriend's mind is already messed up! He's begging us to kill him even as he's trying to kill us! I don't think you have the luxury of worrying about the potential risks now!"

"She's right," Toph said, coming to stand beside them. "Whatever is controlling him is too strong to break with words alone. I think you're going to need to use fire healing."

Yuzo shook his head. "You don't understand. If I make one mistake, I might lose him completely."

"If you don't try, I think you're going to lose him anyway," Mai said without missing a beat. "Look, Zuko did something similar for Shizue and this other lady when they were brainwashed by the Dai Li. He freed their minds. That means you have the same ability. You just have to trust yourself."

Yuzo swallowed. "Prince Zuko is a natural. He just … gets what to do. I can't do that. I've never done anything like this."

"Then do you plan to leave Atsuo this way?" Mai demanded. "Because if we let go, he's just going to attack us again. He'll keep on attacking until he can't anymore. Is that what you want?"

Yuzo's bottom lip quivered. He closed his eyes, looking so small and young and not at all like the fierce boy they had come to know while travelling together.

"Hey," Suki said softly. "It's okay to be scared. You love him and you don't want to hurt him. That's understandable."

"I just … I always let him down." Yuzo lowered his head, the loose parts of his hair falling forward to veil his face. "I swore I would protect him. I swore that he would be safe with me, but I failed. I let him fall into Shen's hands. I let him become this way. Now I can't even—"

"You can!" Mai said firmly. "You have the ability! You just have to try!"

Yuzo glanced at her for a heartbeat before looking down to meet Atsuo's gaze. His hand trembled as he held it out for Atsuo to see, two fingers curled to leave his thumb, pinkie and forefinger raised. Then he took a firm grasp on Atsuo's head and his eyes began to glow.

Mai and Suki kept a strong grip on Atsuo so he couldn't break free. He still thrashed and snarled and whimpered, driven by whatever was ordering him to attack. It was horrible. This whole situation was horrible, even for Mai who had never considered herself overly sentimental. It wasn't as if she knew Atsuo. Yet even then, even for all her blunt words, her heart felt heavy and she willed with all her soul that the healing would work.

Please, she begged. Please let Yuzo heal him. Please!

Yuzo let out a small grunt and his brow furrowed.

"C'mon," Toph urged.

The tremors in his hands got worse. Seconds dragged like hours, even as more and more colour faded from his cheeks. Mai knew those signs. He was going to be drained dry at this rate.

"Hey," she said in alarm. "Maybe you should—"

An anguished cry escaped his lips. "Shen!" he screamed, face contorting. "You bastard, let him go! I won't let you have him!"

Mai cursed under her breath. If Shen was involved, there was nothing she could say to make Yuzo see reason. That lovesick, stubborn fool would get himself killed trying to free Atsuo from his half-brother.

"Hey, you!" she tossed over her shoulder at the closest warrior. "Come take his legs."

He obeyed without question. Mai moved swiftly, knife in hand.

Suki's eyes widened. "What are you—"

"Saving these idiots."

Mai rammed the hilt hard into Atsuo's head. He made a surprised, pained little sound before his eyes rolled up and his body stilled. No more thrashing, no more whimpers. It was the most peaceful she'd ever seen him.

"What have you done?" Yuzo yelled, lurching for her like a drunken thing.

"You were draining too much of your chi."

He snarled and tried to swipe at her with what she guessed was meant to be a fireball, though all that came out were a few sparks and flickers. "So you try to kill him? You, you—I'll kill you!"

"Stop!" Toph cried, holding out her arm. "He's not dead. I can feel his heartbeat."

"No thanks to her!" Yuzo stumbled to his knees and glared at Mai. "Do you have any idea what a blow to the head like that can do?"

"Too much strength behind the strike and you'll kill a person; too little and they won't stay down." She glanced at Atsuo, who was already beginning to stir. "There's no doubt I've given him a concussion, but the point is he's in no state to fight us now. I weighed the risks and chose the best course of action."

Yuzo slumped forward, withered and limp like a plant that had been sucked of all its nutrients. "You were the one who told me to heal him. I was so close. I could have freed him …"

"No," she said, voice and expression flat. "You would have killed yourself trying and Atsuo would have remained under Shen's control. Then who would have saved your boyfriend?"

He raised his head slightly to meet her gaze, some of the anger melting from his expression.

She offered her hand to him. "We'll figure something out, but for now I think we have to accept that whatever Shen has done is too powerful to break. It's too dangerous for you to keep trying. The best thing we can do is put Atsuo in a secure place where he can't hurt us or come to harm himself."

"The ship's hold would work," Suki said. "It's made of metal, so he won't be able to burn his way out."

Mai nodded and looked back at Yuzo. "Well?"

He frowned before accepting her hand, letting her help him back to his feet. Or at least part of the way. He ended up falling heavily against her, too weakened to stay up on his own. Mai sighed and looped her arm around his waist to keep him steady.

"You fire healers are all the same," she muttered. "Always pushing yourselves too hard."

He was quiet for a moment. "Sorry."

"What?"

A grunt-like cough. "I … you were right … and I shouldn't have attacked you."

Her expression softened a little, though she didn't say anything.

After a brief discussion, the big warrior who'd replaced Mai in leg-pinning duty offered to carry Atsuo back to the ship. There was no rope to use as a restraint, but Atsuo was a firebender and half unconscious anyway, so it didn't matter too much. As Cheng had said, they'd just have to be swift.

Suki paused as they came to an intersection in the maze-like passages. She glanced over her shoulder.

"What is it?" Mai asked.

"I just hope Sokka and the others are okay."

Mai's heart clenched a little—she'd been trying her best not to think too much about what was happening to those who'd gone deeper into the island—but, even so, she took hope in the fact the silvery barriers were still intact. Someone or something out there was protecting them. Maybe that meant it was protecting Sokka and the others as well.

"They knew what they were getting into," Mai said. "I'm sure they'll be fine. Let's just worry about keeping ourselves safe."

Suki nodded and the group continued to make their way through the fog.

Up in the sky, the full moon still shone brightly.

oOo

Shen let out a small hiss and clutched at his chest. Hina was at his side in an instant, demanding to know what was wrong. His skin had taken on a sickly pallor and he grimaced a little. Azula watched it all with sharp eyes. She couldn't be sure, but it almost looked as if more streaks of grey were shimmering through his hair.

"That child is alive," Shen grunted.

"Child?"

"Yuzo." He exhaled all of a sudden and relaxed his posture. "I knew something was strange. I sliced that boy's throat open myself and watched him choke on his blood, but it seems he worked a miracle. He must have been hiding his energy from me." Shen's voice softened to the barest murmur and he lowered his gaze, pressing his hand to his chest. "Did you know this would happen? Is that why you …"

The silence dragged on. Hina cleared her throat.

Shen straightened, pulling himself together. "Let's keep going."

"But—"

"I must find Prince Zuko."

"But you—"

"Enough!" Shen looked at Hina with cold, deadened eyes. "Do you wish to have your friend returned to you?"

She visibly swallowed. "Of course."

"Then don't question me."

The steel slipped back into her expression and she nodded. Azula glanced between them, silent and watchful like a cat-hawk.

"What was that all about?" Ty Lee whispered, inching closer to Azula.

"The pieces are coming together."

"Pieces?"

Azula said nothing. There was still something she was missing—something that would give her the edge she needed. Shen had used and humiliated her, had even tried his best to break her, but he was wrong if he thought she would give up without a fight. That was the one thing she and Zuko had in common: they always fought back, and they would keep fighting to the end.

oOo

The centre of the island was more like a sunken grove. Jagged rocks entwined with vines guarded the way. Greenery sprouted up here and there, getting thicker and lusher until they came to a clearing that looked upon a pool of fresh water. Zuko and the others didn't dare drink from it.

"Somehow, this place is even creepier than the maze," Sokka muttered. He pursed his lips at a patch of white flowers near his feet, the petals delicate like snow. "Well, what do we do now? Looks like no one's home."

"Um, guys." Aang's strained voice drifted to them from the other side of the pool. "You'd better look at this."

Everyone gathered at the edge of the water. Zuko wasn't sure what he had been expecting, but it wasn't to find a human skull nestled between the white flowers. There were more bones at the bottom of the pool as well—too many to belong to one person. Some were big while others looked like they might have belonged to a child.

Katara stepped back, bumping into Zuko's chest. Her hand found his and squeezed hard. He returned the grip almost convulsively.

"Aang." Sokka's voice cracked. "You definitely can't do any Avatar, mystical mumbo jumbo, right?"

Aang shook his head, shoulders slumped.

Sokka audibly gulped. "Great. That's no problem at all."

An uneasy pause.

"I don't think we should stay here," Hakoda said, then began to pull the two boys away from the pool. "Come on!"

Shizue remained still. "It doesn't matter where you go. The spirit will find you."

Hakoda glanced over his shoulder at her. "What are you talking about?"

"Haven't you realised yet?" She gestured around the clearing. "The island is the spirit. It's in every rock, every leaf, every flower petal. It's everywhere."

A chill crept down Zuko's spine. That did make sense. The strange hallucinations, the way the passages had changed to work against them, the way the spirit's voice had echoed from nowhere and everywhere. The island had been their opponent the entire time.

"But that means it's watching us now," Katara said, pressing right up against Zuko's side. A tremor crept into her voice. "Why? Why is it just watching us? What does it even want?"

"I think it's pretty clear from all those bones," Sokka retorted. "It's going to kill us and hide our corpses somewhere in its creepy garden!"

Aang's brow furrowed. "I dunno. Spirits aren't really like that … I think. I mean, I did meet this one spirit who likes to steal people's faces if they show any emotion, but—"

"Not helping, Aang!"

He winced. "Right. Sorry."

Zuko forced his panic down and turned to Shizue. "You said my mother isn't dead. How do you know for sure? What really happened here three years ago?"

"I told you. The island took her."

More ice slid down his spine. "What does that even mean?"

"See for yourself." Shizue pointed behind him. "She's finally shown herself."

He swallowed, heart thumping against his ribs. Slowly, he turned to see a woman step out from what he'd thought was just a tangle of vines covering the high, rock wall. Her hair was a long mass of knots, petals and leaves. Bruise-like circles shadowed her eyes, and her cheekbones seemed on the verge of piercing her skin. Holes covered her black cloak, the fabric even rotting in parts. Still, no matter how wild and thin she looked, he could never forget her face.

"My son." Ursa held out her arms to him. "How long I've dreamt of this moment."