The Highest Bidder
Chapter Thirty-Four: The Spirits' Revenge
As the assault continued, I felt my ability to simply accept the war start to dwindle. Even though I personally detested the event, I had a hunch that I wasn't the one who trying to stop the armada. General Iroh told me that Shen Si Ling was the bridge between pure mentality and a spirit possession; it was understood then that the spirit was seeing what I was seeing. I was convinced that Shen Si Ling was using me as portal, sort of like a representative. My tolerance for the annihilation of the Water Tribe was waning, though I had a hunch that Shen Si Ling wanted me to throw all my patience out the door so that she could set the balance. By setting the balance, I mean turning into a world judge and killing Zhao. Or maybe that's what I wanted to do. Whether or not the Mind Spirit wanted to take control of me and make me her hand, I fought it.
During my journey with Iroh, he made me realize that my temper was not exactly what I thought it was. Yes, I have a nasty temper, but I actually can tolerate quite a few things before I blow up. But Iroh made me realize that I was the eyes of Shen Si Ling. It was more complicated than I had believed it to be; and even though this just added to the 'wow' factor about my powers, I wished on another level that I had never been touched with such a blessing. I fought a spirit who knew the natural order of right and wrong, and I fought her for the wrong reason: to save my own ass.
Four massive fireballs arced over the Water City walls and into the city. Daybreak had slashed the chances of the Waterbenders' survival in half. The outer walls were breached by a second team of Fire Navy ships, and more fireballs were launched deep into the occupied portions of the city. Infantrymen covered from head to toe in armor exited the ships and charged inside the walls of the city, assaulting each warrior on sight, and chasing women and children into the center. Fire Nation war rhinos crawled out of the hatch of the ships and scaled the land. A rank of heavy, black Fire Nation tanks barreled through the snow, firing as they advanced to the secondary wall. Several fired massive grappling hooks into the secondary wall; they penetrated the other side and the Waterbenders on the defense scattered as the tanks reeled back their hooks and pulled the wall of ice down. Fireballs from the ships behind us shattered several pieces of the rest of the secondary line of defense, sending Water Tribe warriors and Waterbenders into a heap of snow and in the line of fire. The citizens scattered like frightened little ants to get out of the way as the Fire Nations soldiers marched on without delay.
I turned away, feeling the gut-wrenching tear in my stomach. By this time, I knew that I was fighting a greater power. My mind seared from an irritating pain that had started after the secondary wall had been torn down. Iroh, who had been standing beside me, held my arms as I turned; he already knew what I was facing—and who I was trying to keep away—his eyes met mine.
Iroh whispered encouraging words of counsel. He set me against the railing, where I bent over them, feeling as sick as a dog.
Zhao took notice.
"You seem to be coming down with something," said Zhao uncaringly.
"She's battling more than just a hot temper, Admiral," said Iroh softly. He stepped away from me, and continued. "I don't need to remind you that we have a time limit. If we don't defeat the Water Tribe before the full moon rises, they will be undefeatable.
Zhao smiled evilly.
"I assure you that I have everything under control. I intend to remove the moon as a factor."
"Remove the moon?" Iroh said incredulously. "How?"
I looked at Zhao disgracefully,
"You make me sick."
He looked at me nonchalantly.
"Mura, maybe you should lie down. This is a lot to take in for such a young girl."
I scoffed and straightened.
"'Young girl'?"
Before I could finish, a door opened behind us, and a Fire Nation soldier wearing an outdated uniform appeared. He threw off his helmet. He wore Water Tribe warrior make-up, and had extremely blue eyes.
"Admiral Choi!" he said, pronouncing the Admiral's name wrong, "Prepare to meet your fate!"
It was actually quite a pathetic assassination attempt; it would have been more effective if he hadn't said anything. However, I had to give him small effort as he charged at Zhao with the long spear in his hand. Zhao casually threw him overboard. The boy screamed and splashed in the water. Iroh looked over the railing, shook his head, and turned back to Zhao.
I was taken off guard. I didn't see any need to continue my point, so Zhao continued as the boy and I hadn't interrupted.
"As I was saying…" said Zhao. "Years ago, I stumbled upon a great and powerful secret…the identity of the Moon Spirit's mortal form."
"What?" Iroh gasped, shocked.
I shook my head, knowing exactly where he was going with this. All this talk about destroying the Water Tribe, solving a 'moon problem'. And I hated his plan.
"I was a young Lieutenant serving under General Shu in the Earth Kingdom," continued Zhao. "I discovered a hidden library, underground in fact. I tore through scroll after scroll. One of them contained a detailed illustration and the words 'moon' and 'ocean'. I knew then that these spirits could be found—and killed. And that it was destiny to do so."
"The spirits are not to be trifled with!" Iroh said angrily.
"Yes, yes," Zhao patronized, "I know that you fear the Spirits, Iroh. I've heard rumors about your journey into the Spirit World. But the Ocean and Moon gave up their immortality to become a part of our world. And now they will face the consequences."
"NO!" I yelled furiously.
Zhao and Iroh turned to me.
"This is wrong!" I said, leaning against the railing. As I spoke, I started to feel better physically. "You can't do this to the Spirits—we all rely on the balance. You can't just kill any spirit whenever things don't go your way. In case you haven't noticed, Zhao, you don't need to kill anyone: your Firebending troops are doing it for you!"
"Well, well, well," said Zhao, "you're starting to sound like General Iroh."
"I'm not just blowing air out of my mouth," I retorted. "The Fire Nation is at an advantage right now; there's no need to kill anyone—or any being."
"I know that you're quite spiritual, and it's admirable, but I'm afraid that you have no say in this matter." Zhao said with finality.
I felt a surge in my gut; it was like a force was trying to climb its way up my stomach and spill out of my mouth. I fought it, but it hurt my head all the same time. Iroh turned to Zhao,
"Commander Mura is more spiritual. She is touched with the spirit of the mind, Shen Si Ling. The spirit knows what's happening. You are angering the spirit, Admiral, by talking about killing the Moon."
Zhao didn't look too concerned.
"Well," sighed Zhao, "I suppose Shen Si Ling will see just how easy it is to kill a spirit in mortal form. Then if something should happen to interfere with my mission"—he approached me with a cruel smile—"I guess I'll kill Shen Si Ling's mortal form as well."
I stared at him.
"You wouldn't dare…" I hissed, glaring at him.
Iroh pulled me away from him to stop a fight.
"Mura is still upset, Admiral," said Iroh gently. "Keep in mind that Prince Zuko was killed."
Zhao nodded.
"I suppose the death of a…boyfriend…would make a telekinetic angry at me."
"Why don't you try to Firebend at me," I challenged foolishly. "Then you can see just how angry I am at you."
Zhao smiled, apparently amused.
"She's quite lovely," he muttered then he turned to observe the cause. Iroh set me away from Zhao under the roof of an open cabin. He blocked my view from the battle field, attempting to keep whatever patience that I still had under lock and key.
"I know that you're fighting her," said Iroh appreciatively, "but—"
"This is wrong, Iroh," I emphasized again. "This is not meant to happen. He'll kill the Moon Spirit. Iroh, I can feel it; she's getting angrier by the minute. If he does this—if he kills her, I don't know what I'll do…seriously."
"Just get a hold of yourself!" said Iroh. "And don't challenge Zhao. That was a foolish thing to say. You should count yourself lucky."
"I want him to attack me," I hissed. "Then at least my conscience is clear. Come on, you really don't think he should live, do you?"
"Mura."
"What? It can't be wrong; or else this Mind Spirit wouldn't be giving me a headache and make me feel like I want to throw up in my mouth…"
Afternoon passed. Evening passed. And then the full moon rose again. The war continued over the beleaguered Water City. Fire balls blasted the residential section in front of a citadel. The secondary wall had been fully compromised and the Fire Nation troops and tanks poured through like a red and yellow ocean. Water Tribe citizens ran through the smoking streets as tanks smashed through everything in their path. The Waterbenders fought back, drawing power from the moon. Although the defense was neat and quick, what brought my attention to the battlefield was a Waterbender who squared off alone against three tanks; he shredded each tank with jets of ice. He crippled the Fire Nation soldiers who surrounded him, encasing them all in blocks of ice. As more approached him, he raised a water tornado, much like Aang back in the South Pole. He rode at the pinnacle of the tornado and brushed aside the fire bolts of the Fire Nation troops and threw sheets of ice at the soldiers.
Zhao ordered for us to saddle war rhinos. We entered the fray. Zhao held a map to the Spirit Oasis, where the Moon and Water Spirits resided. A massive tank was thrown in front of us and landed in the snow.
Zhao turned to me as I hoisted myself over the back of a rhino.
"If you deter my way, I'll see to it that I end you myself."
I frowned at him.
Zhao turned to his men on his mount,
"We'll be following this map to a very special location. And when we get there, we're going fishing."
"Admiral," I said, trying to muster the patience that I still had, "I implore you to stop right now, while you're ahead."
"Noted," he snapped at me.
I shook my head irritably. He looked at me sternly.
"Clear the way, Mura."
"Commander…Commander Mura," I muttered tiredly. I pulled the reins of my rhino, which grunted as I pulled him to the front line in front of Zhao.
If I didn't protect Zhao, I was targeted from behind and in front of me. The Water Tribe didn't know that I was actually rooting for them. Even if they did, I didn't have a choice. If I didn't throw people out of my way, I would be hit by snow or ice. And if I left my post, Zhao would Firebend, and I wouldn't have time to dodge. So I followed orders, much to my discontent.
As we charged to the oasis, I flung bodies out of my way: some landed in unoccupied territory, out of the way; others weren't so lucky. Zhao stayed directly behind my rhino as he instructed to me the directions to the Spirit Oasis. We were at a dead end, in front of a wall. I dismounted my rhino; Zhao and his soldiers followed suit.
"This says that it should be right here," said Zhao, suddenly frustrated.
"If it's blocked, it means we shouldn't be inside," I told him coarsely.
He grunted irritably and pushed me aside. I gasped when I fell into the cold snow. He lit a fire in his hands and melted the snowy blockade. It melted on contact. My eyes widened as I saw the beautiful patch of grass, surrounded by a steady stream of water. What was more stunning was that the air was warm.
A fellow Fire Nation soldier helped me to my feet. We entered after Zhao, who didn't waste time observing the new surroundings. He reached for my hand and roughly dragged me to the middle of the oasis. Inside the small pool, the koi fish swam together in an eternal dance, Tui and La: push and pull, yin and yang.
"Zhao," I said, prying his hand off my arm, "you've found them. They're innocent animals. Let them be."
"And stomp all this effort into the ground?" he said. "You're insane."
Zhao reached for the white fish.
"Zhao, no! No, you can't—"
Even as I tried to stop him, tried to stop his hands from grabbing the Moon, he whipped around and smacked me hard in the face.
"Get off me, witch!" he said roughly.
Behind me, the Fire Nation soldiers glanced at each other uncertainly. My right cheek burned. Zhao took out a bag and gathered the white fish into it. My mind buzzed, and I suddenly felt weakened. Above us, the moon turned into a bloody red. I glanced at the pool helplessly to see that Tui, the Water Spirit, circled frantically in his home, searching for his lost companion.
"I am," said Zhao boastfully, as he had fulfilled his dream, "a legend now! The Fire Nation will for generations tell stories about the great Zhao who darkened the moon! They will call me Zhao the Conqueror! Zhao the Moon Slayer! ZHAO THE INVINCIBLE!"
I crawled to my feet.
"Let it go," I said, staggering. "You can't kill her, Zhao. She's a Spirit, a part of us. A part of you and me. Let it go."
I gestured, and the bag struggled in his hand. He glanced at me, then the bag, then back at me. He chuckled as the opening of the bag trembled in his hand.
"You're trying to use your powers on me, Mura? I guess you seem to forget that your concentration suffers greatly when you're in pain." His hand ceased my throat. "I'll kill this Spirit; and then I will kill yours, Commander Mura—AH!"
His hand released me as a flying lemur attacked his face. I fell to the ground, gasping for air.
"Get it off! Get it off!" Zhao cried out.
The lemur flew off as the guards surrounded Zhao to help him. The lemur landed on an outstretched arm—Aang's arm. Appa, the flying bison, landed and his riders slid off its back. Sokka, Katara, and Aang squared off against Zhao and his men. The princess of the Water City, Yue, hid behind Sokka, frightened.
Sokka and Katara glanced down at me only momentarily. The confusion was settled in a matter of a minute when I tried to get up, and Zhao kicked me hard in the stomach.
"Don't bother," he said to me, then turned to look up at Aang. He held a knife in his free hand; he extended it the bag where the Moon Spirit fought against her prison.
"Zhao! Don't!" Aang cried out; he dropped his staff and raised his hands in surrender.
"It's my destiny…to destroy the moon…and the Water Tribe."
"Destroying the moon won't just hurt the Water Tribe. It will hurt everyone—including you. Without the moon, everything would fall out of balance. You have no idea what kind of chaos that would unleash on the world."
Zhao shook his head.
"How would a twelve-year-old boy know this?" he scoffed. He looked down at me. "Is there where you're getting your 'balance' garb, Mura?"
"It's not garbage," I whimpered, holding my stomach, writing in pain. "It's…ugh…It's the truth, you stupid man." I rolled away from him and struggled to my feet. "The Avatar is…the bridge to the Spirit World…He knows these things…Idiot."
"The Avatar is right, Zhao!"
I looked up in some surprise, but relief.
Iroh came into view, pulling down his hood.
"The Avatar and Mura both have links to the Spirit World. They speak the truth."
Aang, Sokka, and Katara glanced at me, perplexed.
Zhao looked at Iroh.
"General Iroh," he said in a bored, lecturing tone, "Why am I not surprised to discover your treachery? It shouldn't, considering the fact that you mentor this witch."
"I'm not a witch!" I yelled angrily, but even the effort in speaking seemed to gut me in the stomach.
Iroh stepped toward Zhao.
"I'm no traitor, Zhao; but Mura has been right all along. The Fire Nation needs the moon too. We all, even Mura, depend on the balance."
Zhao looked at the bag in his hand.
Iroh pointed a finger at him and thundered,
"Whatever you do to that spirit, I'll unleash on you ten-fold!" He assumed the Firebending stance, "LET IT GO, NOW!"
Iroh and Zhao locked eyes for a moment. Zhao faltered, lowering the bag. He knelt and released the fish back into the water. The bloody moon in the sky vanished and faded back it normal color. I felt relief: no pain in my head or stomach, aside from infliction that Zhao had caused me from my beating.
Then horror flashed before my eyes as Zhao was quickly overtaken by a look of madness and desperation; with a cry of rage, he stood and struck the water with a blast of fire.
"AAAAAHHHH!"
For a moment, I had no idea who screamed. I fell to the ground as sudden agony seared through my skull; and the sensation of someone stabbing me in the stomach with a knife swept through me repeatedly. I realized that the person that uttered such bone-chilling screams, the shrieks that pierced the gloomy darkness of the night…
Was me.
Around me, fire surged as Iroh took out the combatants; a retreating figure scurried out of the oasis. Zhao had left, horrified. I clung to the ground for breath, panting as the stabbing continued in my torso, and my mind throbbed with a ringing.
Then the screaming stopped.
The Water City princess cried.
"It's dead…It's over."
I rolled on my back to see that the Avatar stepped into the water. His tattoos and eyes glowed white.
"No," said Aang; his voice was deep and other-worldly. "It's not over."
Aang's body stood in the middle of the pond, arms in prayer. He looked down at the black fish, whose eyes and white mark on his spine began to glow white. Then Aang body dropped into the pond as if the bottom had fallen out of it.
Iroh helped me to my feet.
A monster pulled out of the oasis, wrapped in a huge, incandescent blue water wave. As it towered over the city, I looked up to see the shining middle, and it was the Avatar. We all held the look of wonder at the awesome power that came to life before us. The Water Spirit, a huge Water Iguana, spread its arms wide. Katara, Sokka, Iroh, and I felt to our knees, and bowed to Tui. It passed us and entered the fray.
I glanced at Iroh.
"I'm going to find Zuko," I whispered.
He was somewhere in the city if the Avatar had come back. As I scoured the city, looking for Prince Zuko, I watched the Avatar wash away the Fire Nation troops in the center. The Waterbenders bowed; the Fire Nation troops did not. As I ran through the city, I saw Zhao fleeing over a foot bridge. He exited onto a parapet. I jumped off the side of the icy street and landed in front of him. He turned to see me.
"I suppose I'll just do what I promised." Zhao said with a large smile
He raised a fist, but before he could hurt me again, a blast of fire smacked the wall behind him. Zhao pulled back away from as if I had learned a new power. We looked behind me.
Zuko stood on the wall on the tier above us.
Zhao's face was stunned.
"You're alive?" he said incredulously.
"You tried to have me killed!"
Zuko launched a few fire blasts at Zhao with a cry of anguish; Zhao dodged, rolling along the parapet wall.
"Yes," said Zhao with much venom. "I did. You're the Blue Spirit—an enemy to the Fire Nation."
"You freed the Avatar!"
"I had no choice!" Zuko replied, as he continued to attack. Zhao broke the fire volley with his hands held together in a wedge in front of him.
"You should have chosen to accept your failure—your disgrace! Then, at least, you could have lived!"
Zhao returned fire. They traded volleys back and forth in the darkness. Zhao kicked him in the shin, and Zuko dropped to the ground. He side-stepped Zuko and came at me.
"As for your pretty girlfriend, she's too weak to stop me; you can watch her gasp for air." Zhao's hand ceased my throat so fast that I didn't have enough time to get out of the way. He smirked at me as he lifted me off the ground. "Where's your spirit now, Mura?"
Zuko appeared behind him; he exploited a shot as Zhao left his chest unguarded. Zuko blew him off the parapet wall onto the tier below; Zhao pulled me down with him. As we fell to the stony ice, Zhao knelt beside my fallen body and returned his grip on me.
Zuko flipped over Zhao's back, and with him, he took my strangler by the nape of his armor and sent him flying into a building. I gasped for hair. Zuko's face was racked with anger. They traded blows.
Then suddenly, the darkness disappeared. I looked up to see that the moon was back in her place.
Zhao's voice dropped in horror,
"No, it can't be!"
The stabbing in my brain peeled off. The familiar surge in my stomach crept to the top of my mouth without a fight. And I stood in front of Zuko, refreshed with new anger. Zuko's eyes widened as Zhao's body was lifted into the air and he struggled against and invisible force.
"W—What…" Zhao gasped in between words. "What…What's going—on?"
I clenched my fist, and Zhao cried out in pain.
A voice that didn't match mine said angrily,
"You murdered the Moon Spirit. Now you will pay the ultimate price!"
Zhao's face turned blue.
However, my forces relinquished as quick as they strengthened. As Zhao fell to the ground, gasping for breath, I turned to see what had distracted the other-worldly form that had possessed me.
A glowing blue followed the trail of the river beneath the bridge, the same bridge that Zhao and I were standing on. I stepped back as a giant hand rose out of the water…
"Tui…" I muttered in realization.
It grabbed Zhao and pulled off the bridge. Zuko ran to the edge and offered a rescue,
"Zhao, take my hand!"
To my astonishment, Zhao tried to reach for it for a moment, but then he draw back, an expression of hate on his face. The Ocean Spirit dragged Zhao under the surface and disappeared. Zuko looked down at the water, expressionless.
I approached him, exhausted.
"Zuko…"
He turned to me.
"What happened…to you?" he asked, indicating my bruises on my face. I could practically feel them.
"Zhao…" I said.
It didn't need further explanation.
We scoured the city for Iroh, who had found a raft of driftwood from the sunken ruins of the Fire Nation vessels. We left the Water City. For a moment, Zuko, Iroh, and I said nothing.
"I'm surprised, Prince Zuko," said Iroh calmly. "I'm surprised that you are not at this moment trying to capture the Avatar."
"I'm tired."
Iroh placed a hand on his nephew's shoulder.
"Then you should rest. A man needs his rest."
As Zuko lied down on the driftwood, I sat down beside him. I looked up at General Iroh.
"How exactly did the Moon come back?" I asked softly.
"The princess was touched by the Moon Spirit. She was given life when she was little." Iroh sounded admirable. "She gave it back."
Iroh asked about Zhao. I told him what happened. Iroh didn't seem to chastise me about it. It was the work of Shen Si Ling, but…now that I think about it…I'm pretty sure that Shen Si Ling only gave me the idea to strangle Admiral Zhao. He taunted me, and then he beat me. If I am guilty for acts of attempted murder, then I am guilty for that.
Well, I suppose that was the end of an era that Zuko, Iroh, and I were recognized as soldiers. This was around the time where Fire Lord Ozai decided that Iroh was a traitor and that Zuko was a failure. In order to find us, Ozai put Azula in charge of arresting us, but we didn't know this at the time.
I guess I'll tell the second part of my tale in the next part of trial…
A/N This is the end of the 'Highest Bidder I'. I will message the reviewers when the sequel 'Highest Bidder II" is up. :) Thanks for reading. And please, review.