Chapter 17: Miscalculations
"We turned against,
The world we know.
Now our destiny will be decided.
We have to send,
our brothers in arms.
With pain in our hearts
We watched them go.
Will they return?"
"Truth is we had, no choice.
We'll try to shield those we can.
No better world,
let this end.
Mothers cry, our boys die
But we'll stand
Till the end"
"Till the End" by Within Temptation
"This can't be right! There's no way!" Sokka was screaming.
"I checked it five times. I'm afraid it is correct." The Mechanist replied looking grave.
"We'll be fine won't we?" Mari asked her face close to panic as she looked at Ursa.
Ursa shook her head looking close to tears. "We're at least a week away. That's including fighting through the pass."
Aang heard the flap of the tent and looked over at Katara and Zuko being lead in by Toph.
"What's going on?" Katara asked him.
Aang sat silently for a moment before answering. "The Mechanist figure out the exact date Sozin's Comet will reach us. It's five days away and we're seven days away from the palace."
Katara went pale.
"No!" Zuko snapped. "There has to be something we can do." Always refusing to accept defeat he stomped over to the map and studied positions and landmarks.
"I'm with Princey. We have earthbenders can't we dig around the troops stationed in the pass? Or fly over the mountains? Anything to get us to the Palace faster?" Toph asked.
"The mountains reach an altitude that most of us can't handle." Mari stated. "Aang and Pathik might be able to handle it from living on mountains but most of us aren't use to that. Plus it would take months to dig or fly the army over them."
"What about a smaller team?" Sokka asked. "If a smaller group can infiltrate the Palace maybe we can skip the troops entirely."
"Your little gang could manage it." The Earth King added. "You managed to break into my Palace, surely you could break into this one."
"The Fire Palace is not as straight forward as the Earth Kingdom's or the North Pole's." Ursa said. "I'm sure things have changed since any of us were inside it."
"But!" Aang piped up. "I know for a fact Zuko's lucky at breaking into places."
Zuko scowled. "Yeah but I haven't been very successful about breaking out."
"We don't need to break out though. Just in so we can capture the Fire Lord." Aang pointed out.
"We still need a way to the Fire Palace guys." Katara said.
"Well. Anyone have ideas?" Mari asked.
Everyone looked at the map and slowly start shaking their heads. Even Sokka grumbled about the Fire Palace being to well placed for anything but a direct assault.
Zuko looked around at everyone seeing nothing but despair slowly crushing in.
Except on Iroh. Who was tugging his beard.
Traveling with his uncle had taught Zuko that Iroh only tugged his beard when he was in deep thought.
"Uncle?"
Everyone looked at Iroh who started to frown. "I know one other way into the Fire Palace."
"Well why didn't you say so?" Sokka asked.
"Because I think it is to dangerous. I barely survived it myself."
Everyone went quiet as Iroh pointed to a spot on the map roughly two days travel from their position. "There is a cave system that runs from a small opening here to right under the Fire Palace."
"Why do you say it's so dangerous?" Mari asked.
"Because the caves wind around an active volcano, and it is rumored to also go to the Spirit World."
"What?" Hakoda said in shock.
Iroh nodded. "There are many such places in the world where the borders between them are all but gone. The Spirit Oasis is one. If you swam far enough into the pool you would come out in the Spirit World. Since humans need to breath however it is quite safe from trespassers. They all have inherit defenses. In this one's case it is a maze of tunnels along with the volcano...and other things."
"Well we just want to get through to the Palace. Can we do that without getting into any of the spirit stuff?" Sokka asked.
Iroh pulled on his beard. "I believe so. Provided you don't get lost. There is no map for that place."
"I think we'll be able to manage." Toph said with a grin. "I can figure out which way to go easily."
Iroh nodded. "You all do have a few things on my foolish attempt through them." He chuckled.
It was decided that the small team would consist of Aang and the others. Iroh was staying behind to lead the assault through the pass and with luck they would meet up with them in at the Palace before the comet arrived. It would be close provided that nothing slowed Aang and the others down in the caves.
Zuko however was bothered by Iroh's blunt refusal to lead them through the caves.
"Uncle what aren't you telling us?" Zuko asked later as he gathered a bag and his swords.
Iroh kept his face as blank as possible but Zuko saw an almost mad look in the old man's eye. "If I go into those caves Zuko. I will not be coming out."
"Why? What happened to you in there? Why were you in..." Suddenly Zuko realized. "Your legendary trip into the Spirit World. I thought that was just a story?"
"It is just a story. I never made it to the Spirit World. I would've died long before reaching it."
"But you want to go back. I can see it in your eyes, like something pulls you."
Iroh's face went stern. "Yes. The cave is something akin to a drug if you go far enough. It's defense is in making it so you never want to leave. I had help to get me out, and even then I did not want to leave. I wanted to stay...with my son..."
For the first time in a long time Iroh truly looked like and old man. His spirit seemed somehow diminished in the reminder of that cave. Zuko then realized that Iroh had gone into that cave hoping to bring Lu Ten back from the grave.
"I'm glad you made it out alive Uncle." Zuko told him. "We'll be careful. I promise."
Iroh nodded and did his best to ignore the sinking feeling in his gut.
Goodbyes were strained at best. No one wanted to think of the fact that they might not see their loved ones again. There was no more time for rest or just one more day of freedom. They had to move.
It took a day to gather what they needed. The group flew out as early as possible wanting to reach the cave before nightfall. The opening was harder to find then they had thought. Plants had grown over it and if Iroh had not given them a map they might have missed it completely. As it was two precious hours were wasted while they found and cleared the entrance.
They decided to camp for the night outside and tackle the cave itself in the morning. According to Iroh, it shouldn't take them longer then a day to transverse the caves themselves.
Everyone but Aang shuddered at the cave. Everyone could feel something about the cave that made them not want to go in.
Aang however felt different.
"I can't explain it." He told Katara. "I feel like. I'm home."
The next day they bid Appa a tearful goodbye. Aang had the hardest time and Momo refused to leave Appa at all.
The great bison flew off back to towards the camp with the lemur, hoping to see their friends on the other side of the pass.
They descended into the tunnel easily enough. Aang and Toph lead the way with Aang holding a small flame to light the way. Sokka and Katara came next with Sokka holding a torch, Mari and Zuko brought up the rear with Zuko holding another flame.
About two hours in Toph froze. "This is weird. The rocks are changing."
"What do you mean?" Sokka asked.
"They've flattened out. More like a floor in a building then a cave floor."
Ever curious Aang knelt down and blew away some dirt. "Hey, she's right. Look at this stonework."
"I've never seen work like this." Katara stated.
"I have." Mari and Zuko said at the same time.
"It's in the older parts of the Palace on occasion. Never thought we'd see any here." Zuko finished.
"I've seen it in older cities. Ones that have been around for...well millenniums." Mari added.
"This is all very interesting but we need to get moving." Sokka stated.
They continued on. Occasionally seeing other bits that made it seem like they were in a building more then in a cave. The occasion column, doorway, and sometimes even brick walls surprised them all.
They finally came to a large domed room.
"This looks like some kind of shrine." Aang said.
"Look like a perfect place for lunch to me." Sokka added already hankering down with some jerky.
Katara took the torch from were Sokka had stabbed it between two rocks and looked about curiously. "There's pictures on the walls. Like in the Lover's Cave." She bent and studied them. "These look a lot older though. I can't tell what they're suppose to be showing."
Aang was staring at a partial picture before him. It was the picture of a woman but her eyes were jet black and she held was looked like a broken yin yang in her hands. The sight transfixed him and he felt a bit of fear staring at her.
"Aang?" Mari asked poking him. "You ok?"
"Huh? Yeah sorry."
Mari looked at the picture. "Hey, these red dots falling on her have symbols on them."
Curious Zuko came over and looked. "Is that suppose to be blood?"
Katara came up next to him and stared. "This picture is really creepy. Look at her face."
"Yeah I get the feeling you'd never want to mess with her." Sokka said. His own curiousity having gotten the better of him.
Everyone feeling throughly disturbed by the picture went back across the room and sat eating their lunch quietly. Zuko found himself staring at the picture again and again.
"Something wrong?" Katara asked as they started to pack up lunch.
"No...well not really. I can't put my finger on it. Sometime about that picture."
Katara looked back at the black eyed woman. "It's just disturbing. I think everyone it kinda disturbed about seeing a woman who looks ready to kill you standing in a rain of blood."
"But why put the symbols for the elements on the blood? And why is she holding a broken yin yang?"
Katara shrugged. "Who knows. Maybe this is a shrine to an evil spirit or something."
Zuko frowned. While the picture was definitely disturbing and plain creepy he didn't get the impression of evil off it. He shoved it all the the back of his mind as they pick up their packs. They had a long hike ahead of them.
For a second he swore the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. When Zuko looked behind him there was just the picture, staring right back at him.
"What do you mean you don't know which way to go!?" Sokka yelled.
"I mean I don't know which way is up. Neither tunnel goes up." Toph snapped back.
"Guys come on. Fighting isn't going to help us." Aang stated.
"Aang we're in serious trouble though. Bad enough the compass we have is going nuts, but with Toph unable to tell which way to go how are we going to find our way out?" Mari asked. She shook the wildly spinning compass again hoping that it would make it stop spinning.
Everyone was afraid. The compass had started acting up over an hour ago but Toph had been able to see the tunnels fine. Now they had a tunnel going left and a tunnel going right. According to Toph they were practically identical.
"We'll go down the right one." Sokka said. "I got some string we can use to make the path back if we need to."
Zuko frowned. "I don't think it's a good idea to go wondering in these caves. We don't want to go near the Spirit World."
"Relax, we'll be fine. We got the Avatar with us. I'm sure Aang can get us out of any spirit trouble we might get into." The warrior replied.
Zuko scowled, replaying Uncle's words in his mind. Logically though, with the Avatar being the bridge between the worlds, they should be fine...
"Alright but I'm all for coming back here if the Avatar gets even the slightest feeling of being near the Spirit World." Zuko consented.
Katara took Zuko's hand and squeezed. "We'll be alright Zuko."
The group started walking again. Toph and Sokka brought up the rear unwinding the string, Aang and Mari up front to deal with spirits, and Zuko with Katara in the middle.
They'd been walking barely another hour when Mari piped up. "Is it me or is it getting harder to see?"
Katara looked about. "Actually I noticed that too. We must be near the surface if we're getting fog."
"Told you we had nothing to worry about." Sokka stated giving Zuko a smug look.
Zuko ignored him and followed the airbenders. The grey fog kept getting thicker making him hold on to Katara's hand more.
He growled slightly when it started getting hard to see the back of the Avatar's head. "I can't see."
"Neither can I." Toph stated.
"We know Toph your blind." Sokka stated in an annoyed tone.
"No I mean I really can't see. It feels like I'm standing in sand but I have feel solid rock under my feet." She snapped.
"Zuko we need some more light please. Why did you turn down the fire?" Katara asked letting go of Zuko's hand so she could feel her way to Toph.
"I don't think it matters much Katara." Aang said. "We can't see in this fog."
"I'll say," Mari added. "You could stick a sword in this and I think it would stay."
Zuko looked about, he was having the oddest sense of deja-vu. He expected Sen to pop out of the mist any time now.The mist made him think of...
If the physical and spiritual worlds were a coin, you'd be on the side.
"We're not near the surface." Zuko said in horror. "We need to get out of here now!"
He'd barely finished the his sentence when the fire in his hand winked out. He swore he heard Toph scream and Katara yell for him before the fog seem to close him off from the world.
Becoming truly blind wasn't new to Toph. It happened every time they flew on Appa. This time however there wasn't the reassuring soft fur and breathing animal for her to cling to. She was completely blind and quite possibly completely alone for the first time in her life.
She did her best to shove her fear down. If she could find a wall maybe she could get an idea of where she was.
Putting her hands out she stepped carefully. The last thing she needed was a broken leg from tripping over a rock.
As she walked she became away that she was slowly regaining her ability to feel the vibrations. "Guys! I'm ok! It's like there was some weird block or something."
No one answered and as she walked Toph became very confused. She wasn't in a cave anymore, she was in...
She barely manage to get out of the rock's way as it flew past her head.
"The Boulder thinks that the little blind girl needs to go back to her classes."
There was a crowd cheering. Taunt and encouragement being called out.
This isn't right. I thought I was suppose to be with...who was I with? Wasn't I doing something?
The Boulder's next attack knocked Toph off her feet. She was still in the ring though.
"That's it! I'm gonna kick your butt again!" Toph yelled at him.
She felt Boulder cock his head to the side in confusion. "I don't know what dream you had of beating the Boulder little girl but you'll find reality much harder!"
"Katara! Aang! Toph! Mari!" Sokka yelled as he fumbled in the mist. He barely manage to control his panic and keep from yelling for Zuko. He'd never live it down if he yelled for him.
Turning around Sokka suddenly ran into something. A hard, cold, and yet wet something. Groaning Sokka rubbed his head where it had connected with the wall.
Wall? I thought I was in the middle of a cave?
"Are you alright?" Someone asked. Soft hands closing over his own.
"I'm ok, I just..." Sokka's words froze on his tongue as he stared at her. "Yue?"
All around him was the buildings of the Northern Tribes. The water was running clean and free of Fire Nation soot. Yue was looking at him with a worried look.
"You must have hit your head really hard. We should probably take you to the healing huts." She said.
Sokka shook his head. "This is...all wrong. What's going on?"
Yue gave a firm but gentle pull towards the huts. "We were taking a walk. You were telling me about your travels and was to busy to notice the wall in front of you." She giggled a bit like she always had when he'd been clumsy. "I tried to warn you but you were a bit busy talking about fighting two pirates at once."
"What about the moon? I mean you can't just stop being the Moon spirit."
Now Yue was looking at him like he was crazy. "Sokka what are you talking about? Are you sure your not bleeding?" Deciding not to let him argue she manage to pull his face down enough so she could inspect his head.
Sokka winced and closed his eyes against the pain from the prodding. If this is some illusion caused by the spirits then why does my head hurt so much? Sighing Sokka opened his eyes to find himself staring at Yue's bare neck.
"Where's your necklace?"
"What necklace?" Yue asked letting his head go.
"Your betrothal one. The Hahn made for you."
"I'm not engaged Sokka. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to go walking with you if I was."
This isn't real, it's some kind of trick. It has to be. Sokka told himself as Yue lead him alone to the healing huts.
Although he kept telling himself that this was all some trick Sokka mind wasn't agreeing with him. Surely he'd been imagining things. Like Yue being the Moon spirit. Still...
Wasn't I doing something important?
Mari fumbled quietly in the fog. Surely it would clear in a few minutes and she could find everyone then.
"Gotcha!" Someone yelled and grabbed her arms.
She let out a squeak and then stared at a familiar, yet unfamiliar face.
The last thing she'd been expecting was to see an eight year old Zuko behind her.
"Your it!" He stated and ran.
Crawling out from under the bush Mari looked about. There was her mother and Ursa chatting away without a care in the world. Azula was cartwheeling with her two cronies...
Sudden dread speared through Mari and she ran over to the pond. Turtle-ducks scattered as she shooed them away to stare at her reflection.
She was ten again.
"Mari your suppose to chase me." Zuko stated glaring at her. "What's wrong?"
"What's going on? Why am I ten!?" She yelled.
Zuko stepped back from her looking startled. "You turned ten last week."
"Sweetie what's the matter?" Her mother said as she came over with Ursa.
Mari looked about in terror. She didn't want to be ten again, she didn't want to go back to living in fear of her father. "I don't want to go back." She all but screamed.
An understanding look crossed her mother's face. "Oh honey. It's ok. We're not going back. Don't you remember?"
Mari shook her head in confusion.
"Remember we came here last night. I asked Ursa to help us get away from your father. She said we could live here. Forever if need be." Her mother told her.
Mari frowned. Her mother had been to proud to ask for help. What's going on?
"Isn't this great?" Zuko asked her in an attempt to reassure his friend. "We'll be like siblings. We'll get to play tons of pranks on Azula constantly!"
"Zuko!" Ursa scolded.
Mari couldn't help but laugh. She was safe and sound away from her father and with her loved ones. What could possibly be wrong with the world?
"Zuko!" Katara called out. "Zuko!"
"Katara?" Someone called.
Shading her eyes against the sunlight bouncing off the snow Katara turned around.
"Who are you calling for Katara?" Her mother asked her.
"Mom?" Katara couldn't help but stare. "But...you died. The Fire Nation raid..."
"Oh dear, have another nightmare about that?" Her mother asked as she hugged her daughter.
Katara pushed away. "No! It's true! I was there when it happened!"
"Honey it was just a dream." Her mother said. "Much like this Prince you keep telling me about. Did you dream of him last night too?"
Katara's mind struggled. "I wasn't dreaming...I wasn't..." He was real...wasn't he?
"What did he look like again?" Her mother asked. "Maybe we'll find you a husband who looks just like him in a few years." She teased.
Katara couldn't help but giggle, even as her being told her something was off. She was with her mother though, what could she be missing when she had her family right there. She couldn't remember what that prince looked like in her dreams anyway.
"Katara? Katara?" Zuko yelled. When no one answered he turned around intending to start looking.
Only to stare at a shocked group of old men, one of which was standing. There was a large map on a table with marks showing troop movements.
Why are they staring at me?
Suddenly Zuko realized where he was as his back got very warm.
Everyone looked over as the Fire Lord stood up. "My son has made a grave point General Shu. I recommend you figure out another tactic that does not require sacrificing loyal soldiers."
What...that's not what happened...
"Prince Zuko are you ok?" Iroh asked looking worried. "You've gone very pale."
"I...don't...feel well." Zuko whispered.
"Your excused then my son." Ozai said. "We can't have the next Fire Lord being sick now can we?"
Zuko all but stumbled out of the war room with his heart pounding and Iroh practically holding him up.
"Uncle what's going on? Why didn't father make me fight in an Agni Kai?"
Iroh gave Zuko a confused look. "Why would he fight his own son over that? You were right and the General was wrong. Besides, my brother would never do such a thing."
"He did do such a thing! Can't you see..." Zuko's words died when his fingers touched smooth skin.
Walking over to a window Zuko stared at his dim reflection. He was fourteen again, with not a single trace of his scar.
"Zuko you are obviously over excited. Come let get you to your room and you can rest. We can send your mother in with some dinner when your feeling better."
But Mom left, ran away. Father burned me. Wasn't I suppose to leave? Wasn't I suppose to go look for something?
Iroh lead him down the halls to his room. "Don't worry Prince Zuko. You'll have time to learn about war later. You should be off chasing pretty girls at your age." He chuckled.
Zuko tried to focus but his mind kept telling him all was well. "Don't be silly Uncle. Girls are crazy."
Aang had heard Zuko's yell about not being near the surface. We went the wrong way.
He stood ready to face whatever spirit came at them. He was startled when an airball shot out of the mist and rammed him in the gut.
"Oh...that hurt. I feel bad that I did that to Sokka." He groaned.
"Aang are you ok?"
He blinked up at two old, yet suddenly young friends.
"Bumi? Kuzon?"
Bumi grinned. "Ah he's fine. Although I think I'll say on the ground and away from that Air ball game."
"I'm with you." Kuzon stated. "Aang why are you looking at us funny?"
Slowly Aang sat up and looked around. They were standing in the middle of the Southern Air Temple. Bison flew everywhere and grazed, playful lemurs stole food from unattentive airbending students, monks caught and disciplined unruly ones.
Outsiders weren't allowed though. Not without permission...
"Come on Aang you said you were gonna show us around." Bumi said. "Otherwise I vote we go back to Omashu and play on my Super Slide."
"Hey I bet we can break a record for getting down with my firebending!" Kuzon said with a mischievous grin.
"Guys." Aang finally managed. "What about the war?"
Both boys gave him funny looks. "What war?" Bumi asked.
"The whole Fire Nation attacking war!" Aang said. "They kill off all the Air Nomads and I'm the Avatar."
"You must have hit your head or something." Kuzon stated. "I think if the Fire Nation was going to attack I'd be the first to know, and I haven't heard anything about that."
"Yeah. Besides, how can you be the Avatar? An Avatar would think out of the box more, like me!" Bumi cackled.
Aang fell silent as he looked around. Part of him could almost see what the Temple would look like. He could almost see Gyatso's skeleton in his mind.
His mind however had other ideas. Why think of such sad and depressing thoughts when reality showed differently? Who would want to be in a world of suffering, pain, and war when they could stay right were they were and be happy, forever.
Aang opened his mouth to agree with his friends that maybe he had hit his head when he saw her. Steel colored hair whipped around her angrily and her face was twisted in a frightening way, almost as if she was in pain. Black eyes seem to stare right though him.
Everyone was walking past like they couldn't see her. As if she didn't exist at all.
"Aang what's wrong?" Kuzon asked.
The monk didn't reply. Instinct screamed for him to run and he wasn't about to argue. Aang turned around having every intention of running but found his way blocked by the woman.
She started at him. Looking almost apologetic. "I'm sorry Aang." She said.
She moved faster then he'd thought possible. Two finger plunging into his hear and pain burned through him, forcefully making him think of the time Azula had shot him in the back.
Aang pushed at her, trying to get away as the world seem to shatter into a million pieces. She had an iron grip on his shoulder and refused to let go as he seem to degrade into a biting and clawing animal.
The pieces of the world seem to flow past him. Pictures of memories that were and yet were not his. He saw Roku in his temple. Kyoshi on her island. Kuruk, Yang Chen...
Aang flew like he was falling down a well of memories from every Avatar. Almost as if he was Collecting them as he went. It seemed that whatever caused this was getting angry as he went though, the memories slowly becoming more and more painful and sad.
It was the last flash that confused him. It didn't feel like his at all.
There was a brown haired, blue eyed man laying on the ground. He was dead. A black haired woman was clinging to him, sporting a number of nasty looking wounds herself.
"Promise us it won't happen again." She was saying. Tears dancing in gold colored eyes. "Never again..."
Another woman stood over them. Her hair was also black and her eyes were strange but also had tears in them. She stared at her hand, horrified but she nodded. "I promise...Never again..."
Aang was startled to find himself staring in those odd colored eyes.
The woman from his last vision sat in front of him. Her hand still on his chest.
She wasn't looking at him though. She was looking at something else.
"Show no emotion at all." She whispered as she stood up.
Aang heard an odd clicking sound as he also stood.
"We met again Avatar." A disturbing voice said.
Aang took a deep breathe and turned. "Hello again Koh." He said in as neutral a tone as he could.