Book 1: AIR

CHAPTER 5:

THE NORTHERN RAIDERS

Mizu threw back on her fleeces and parka and knelt at the edge of the small pool where the koi fish took up their circular routine. She tossed the blanket aside and lay on her back, staring into the endless blue sky with white blotches floating peacefully through it. "This is the life." Mizu said as she rolled over to her side, facing away from the pool. "It's only sad that my parents aren't here." She sat up and reached into her shirt. She withdrew a small strand of hair with a large white and blue bead at the end. She stared down at it as the memories flooded back to her.

She could remember a spirit of sorts when she was young. It was faceless and looked like a large centipede with grotesque legs. She remembered her mother's face, dark and beautiful. She remembered her father with his black hair and dreadlocks and a small beard that hung low to his chest. She remembered walking and running on a solid piece of real earth, not the ice caps that had frozen tightly together. And after that she couldn't remember much more other than being in this winter wasteland. What had happened to her parents? Who was that spirit that she could recall so clearly? She tucked the beaded hair back into her shirt and got up. "I'm going for a walk." She said to the spirits. "Make this day one of remembrance." She didn't even need to ask them for that. The remembrance was just a couple of miles off shore, waiting among the boats filled with soldiers.

The captain grew anxious as they made their way through the ice field surrounding the north pole. Oars dug into the freezing water and men heaved to drive their boats forward. A last check was made on ammunitions and the men were prepped on what they may see when trying to take out, what was in essence, a little girl. "Zhong must be off the deep end." The captain mused as he stood at the tiller, a small piece of cloth between his hands. "They are only children in spirit. Maybe we could have just asked them to stop or to surrender and be captured."

"I don't see why you are so phased by this, Captain." one of the first mates replied as he helped the Captain's hand turn the tiller slightly to the right. "They are powerful beings no matter what. They must be stopped, by whatever means necessary."

"But he sent assassins after the boy! Assassins!" The Captain stood up in both anger and terror. "The poor child won't even know what happened."

"And that's how I'm sure he would have wanted to go anyway." The first mate pushed the Captain back into his seat. "Now please, Zhong is not a man to cross in the ways of peace. He will do anything to get it and doesn't care who gets squashed in the way of it. It is best to do our duty now and take out this girl that was seen water bending up here."

Mizu walked up towards a ridge where the air was frigid. She put a hand in front of her and the air vanished. It was as if she was walking along a normal beach or pathway on the mainland. She jumped and threw her arms out and around her. The ice vanished and whipped itself into a tall column in front of her and toppled forward, making a bridge for her to cross. "The spirits have defiantly smiled on me." Mizu said with a small smile upon her face. She may have no idea as to what happened to her before, but this gift was meant for her, she could tell. She had a small hop in her step as she crossed her small bridge. This was only broken when the bridge shattered beneath her, the unfortunate victim of a catapult on a boat very close to the shore.

Mizu fell a couple of feet. She threw her arms out and tucked her legs up. Air surrounded her and lowered her gently to the ground. She looked up to see some men knocking arrows. She covered her face and gave a small kick, causing snow to from a dome around her and then freeze into ice, successfully protecting her from the barrage. She let it drop and earth propelled her skyward as she flipped back up to the ledge she had previously been on. Another catapult let loose and shattered some ice above her. She gave a scream and dodged to the left, fire coming out of her hands and causing the ice to melt.

She ducked into a passage way and narrowly missed another arrow aimed at her life. She kept running until she could see the gate to the oasis ahead. Past the other gate and off shore another group of boats waited. She gave a defeated cry and watched in horror as her once peaceful hideaway as set upon. Men were running with long spears in front of them, men with swords behind them. Flaming pieces of cloth fell in the oasis and scorched the grass surrounding the calm pool of water, the koi fish none the wiser as to what was happening around them. "Get out of my haven!" Mizu shouted as she sprinted through the gate and thrust her arms out. A large blast of energy sucked itself towards her body and then flew out, pushing anything in its path away. Men tumbled over each other and the boulders were stopped in midair, hanging there as if on an invisible wire. Some ships in the water rocked and one capsized.

The Captain was in utter amazement as to what had just happened. "Sir…" one of his men said timidly. "What are we up against?"

"I'm not sure." The Captain responded in the same amount of fear in his voice. "Still, Zhong would propose we set upon her from all sides, drive her out." And that was exactly what they did.

Mizu ran to her igloo, a small space with everything she had made in her stay at the northern wastes. She knelt down as she heard more catapults aim for her. "Spirits, I know that my life was forged by your hands. As an act of mercy, let me live. Let this day fade from my mind and let my life resume. You gave me this power to use and single me out. You wanted me to have this gift for a reason. You sent that comet to this earth for a reason. You wanted the world to feel what power it has. Now, as one whom you have singled out as special, let me have victory. Let me live." No one heard her. Fate was master here, the spirits could not interfere if they had even wished to.

Mizu got up and paced around her igloo. She heard more shouts of men and catapults fling their fiery or rocky death to her home. "Why is this so difficult for me?" Mizu asked herself as she grabbed her head. "All my life I've been alone save those two fish who do nothing but swim in an endless circle. Maybe I've put too much faith in the spirits. Maybe…it's time for me to shape my own destiny." Mizu stood straight and grabbed her things. "I'm sorry." She put the pack over her back and made sure her fleeces and parka were securely on.

She ran outside and began running down the slopes towards the shore. Her eyes widened when she saw the ships shifting to cut her off. The only way was to retreat into the blizzards further in the north pole and risk hypothermia and death. No. This was her first test. She held her breath and crouched. She heard men run behind her and saw more out of the corners of her eyes. She gave a laugh and, as the energy was sucked into her from all things around her, she burst forward in a forceful pulse.

She was gliding over the water, not one drop of it daring to touch her. She went faster and the energy pulses became more powerful, sending her flying even faster through the blockade. "She's…she's…"

"What?" the Captain asked. "What is she doing now?"

"She's gliding over the water. It's parting for her, she's not even touching it!"

"Where is she heading?"

"She's…heading straight for us!"

Mizu has completely lost thought of where to go; only that she had to go somewhere else. In this haste, she had miscalculated her course. She was now heading straight towards the largest ship of the croup, the Captain's. "Oh no!" She leaned back and twirled her hands around her body and thrust forward, pushing her arms out.

She stopped for a moment as she thrust out, but was soon gliding along again.

The wood had bent to her will and now formed a perfect hole through the hull of the ship. It rocked dangerously in the water as Mizu passed through. She rocketed out of the back and was gone in a flash of fire as it spiraled back toward the ship. It sliced the large vessel in half and the ends tipped into the sea. All of the crew tumbled into the icy water as another ship raced to pick up the abandoned crew. The Captain climbed aboard first as another sailor wrapped a blanket around him.

"Where should we go sir? Follow her?"

"No, she's long gone by now." The Captain stared off to where Mizu had vanished. "It is probably best if we just meet back up with Zhong and see how his expedition went. He'll have a strategy on what to do." They turned to their tillers and made for the shore, trying to avoid the icebergs that had decided to enter upon to fleet.

Mizu was whizzing along above the water, speeding towards a continent that had suddenly appeared. She made one last giant pulse towards it and then sunk into the water that had yet to touch her body. She sunk downwards into the depths and began swimming towards the surface, energy rocketing her out and into the air. She made to stop herself and the ground beneath her smoothed as she landed. "So, this is where I will stay." Mizu said as she got up to her feet and looked around, the sea behind her and a large landscape blocked by rigid cliffs. She walked to one that overhung a ledge beneath it. She hung a blanket down in front of it and began to set her things down. "Don't think I should get too cozy with those people out there." Mizu looked out of the blanket towards the north pole. "Still, I'm on my own now. Time to start my own life."