The graphic novel "Avatar the Last Airbender: The Search" comes out on March 20! I'm so excited! The story will revolve around Zuko and Azula...how perfect! I cannot wait!
Chapter 12:
Azula was angry. Angry and bitter. It felt like every minute of the day was filled with resentment, though toward whom or what she could not quite place.
She detested the fact that she was in the midst of a load of enemies. Enemies of her father, and enemies of the Fire Nation. Her pathetic brother was there to witness her weaknesses, as well as a whole group of filthy peasants. The darned Avatar was there, and she could not even lay a finger on him due to her injuries.
Azula felt regret for not killing Zuko when she had the chance. She regretted not stopping him on the Day of the Black Sun, when he had made his escape from the Fire nation. She regretted not shooting the avatar a second time with lightning back in Ba Sing Se, just to ensure that he was dead.
If only I had done it, Azula ground her teeth. If only I had not let father down.
Every time the water tribe girl changed her bandages, Azula wanted to close her eyes. She did not want to look into the blue eyes of the wench that glared at her with loathe. More importantly, she did not want to get an eyeful of the terrible, ghastly red scars that marked her torso in angry, jagged streaks. Her father, Ozai, had scarred her for life. Not only that, but he had banished her until she completed her duty of killing Zuko and the avatar.
I am on the same level as Zuko, Azula thought to herself with horror. No, I'm even lower than him! Zuko had received a burn on the face and was banished until he returned with the avatar. Azula was dealt burns that were ten times the volume, and was banished until she returned with the avatar and Zuko. The more those thoughts circled around in her head, the sicker and sicker she felt.
Stop it! Azula snapped to herself. Stop thinking such ridiculous thoughts! She told herself that Ozai had punished her accordingly, and that his actions were justified. She deserved the burns, for she had brought it upon herself due to her weaknesses.
I wish father hadn't done that to me, Azula constantly felt an ache rising in her throat. Furious, she tried to smother it, and push it down. But every time her thoughts strayed to the Agni Kai that had taken place a few days ago, raw emotion would begin to bubble up in her throat. What made it worse was the her stupid brother suspected the truth.
Azula was lay there on the saddle of the bison, tied up in a pit of misery. She knew when she was not welcome, and swore that when she was healthy enough, she would escape and then come back later to take the lives of Zuko and the avatar. Only then will father take me back.
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It was pitch black, in the middle of the night. Azula felt herself being wrenched out of sleep, and a sense of alarm prickled her spine. Rustling noises made its way to her ear. Azula became more alert as it dawned on her that there was a large group of people rapidly approaching the camp.
"Everyone wake up!" Toph's voice penetrated the air. "We're being surrounded," she heard the girl cursing quietly about how she had not detected it earlier.
Azula painfully managed to sit up in the darkness. She squinted her eyes, and saw vague dark shapes moving around them.
"Who is it?" Katara whispered.
"I don't know," Toph replied. "A whole group of armored people...about thirty of them!"
By now the Gaang was up and about, getting into fighting stances. Zuko created a ball of fire which he suspended in the air to light up the clearing. Immediately, the Gaang saw a horde of people encircling them, clad in dark metal plates. They wielded a large range of weapons from spears, to swords, to bows.
"Who are you?" Sokka demanded. The group of people did not have any identifying crests or emblems, nor did they wear any uniform. Their outfits looked like they were hastily thrown together, as if the individuals grabbed whatever they could find and wore it.
"Hand over all your valuables, and we just might let you live," one of the men in front growled.
"Not happening," Zuko retorted. He blasted a fireball at the man, but a sturdy wall of earth shot up from the ground and deflected it.
"They're earthbenders!" Toph exclaimed. "I'll take them!" She shifted the ground beneath the feet of the assembly of people, causing them to lose balance. Some of the men sent bulky boulders flying at her, and Toph smashed them to bits with ease.
Katara summoned water from the river nearby and enveloped the ankles and feet of the people, freezing them to the ground. Much to her surprise, however, the water instantly turned to liquid.
"There's a waterbender here as well?" she gasped. On cue, blades of ice whizzed through the trees. Katara narrowly dodged them but received shallow cuts on the shoulder.
The band of thieves attacked all at once. They launched their spears and knives, and Aang thwarted their path with a powerful blast of air. In moments, the enemies were on top of them. Katara battled relentlessly with a waterbender and Toph with the earthbenders. Zuko, Aang, and Sokka were preoccupied with the rest of them. Shouts rang through the air, and bodies went flying as Toph displayed her earthbending prowess.
Suddenly, heavy metal chains shot through the air and draped over Appa's body. The sky bison roared with frustration and attempted to take off, but the bonds held him fast.
"Appa!" Aang yelled.
"We'll make loads of money for selling this big guy," one of the thieves snickered.
"Azula's still on there!" Zuko called out.
The expression of the man in front of him turned into curiosity. "...Azula? Could it possibly be...?"
Azula heard the chains thudding heavily on the saddle as the bison beneath her shifted and roared. She could feel the large animal trying to lift itself off the ground, but with no avail. Shouts came from the men, and more chains snaked around the furry beast.
Damn it! Azula thought. I need to get out of here...quick! She gathered up her scanty amount of strength and scorched her way through the ropes that bound her. The blackened coils fell from her ankles and wrists, and Azula was free for the first time in days.
When the army of thieves saw bright blue fire erupting into the air, their jaws dropped open. There was only one firebender in the entire world who was able to generate those characteristic flames.
"It's the Fire Nation Princess!" they hollered with excitement adorning every word. "Get her! I'm sure the Fire Lord will pay a heavy ransom to get his dear daughter back!"
Azula snarled. Just who do those scumbags think they are? She clambered out of the saddle, through the gap between the chains, and then slid down Appa's side. Her feet touched the ground, but instead of stopping there, the rest of her body followed as her legs completely collapsed beneath her. Azula bit back a curse as bolts of pain shot throughout her body.
Zuko saw his sister's flames, and knew that she was trying to make an escape. In his moment of distraction, a solid piece of rock struck him in the chest. Zuko was thrown back against a tree, and his head violently snapped back against the thick trunk. His vision blurred for a moment, and Zuko sagged, dazed.
Meanwhile, Sokka was slashing and hacking vigorously at the warriors in front of him. His boomerang flashed back and forth. Sokka's skills as a fighter was only slightly above average, and it wasn't long before he found himself struggling. The thieves cornered him, and one of the men slammed a heavy ax upon his boomerang. The two blades clashed, and Sokka was forced to his knees. The others took advantage of this and jammed his boot into Sokka's ribs. The water tribe boy gasped and crumpled to the ground.
A brawny man grabbed Sokka by the arm and hoisted him up on his shoulders. He turned and jogged into the shadows of the trees.
"Where do you think you're taking him?" Katara screeched. She bolted in the direction that Sokka was being carried.
"Katara!" Aang called. He thought about going after her, but Appa's earth-shaking growl stopped him in his tracks. The bison was being roughly tied up by steel chains. The earthbenders created waves on the rocky ground the rapidly transported Appa far away.
"Toph, I'm going to save Appa," Aang announced. He snapped open his glider and took off.
"I'll handle things here," Toph yelled after him. She punched her fists in the air, summoning jagged pillars of stone to impale the attackers.
Zuko slowly hoisted himself up. His head spun, and he felt disoriented. In the corner of his eye, he saw a dark shape lunge at him. Zuko released a jet of fire from his hands, but the figure dodged it and roughly seized Zuko's throat, tackling him to the ground in the process. Zuko's windpipe was nearly crushed, but he brought up and foot and slammed it into the chest of his attacker. With a loud grunt, the man fell onto the ground, clutching his torso.
At that moment, Azula was struggling to stand. Someone tackled her from behind, sending her crashing to the dirt. Azula hissed with pain, and then fury.
"What a pleasant surprise, princess," A deep voice chuckled. Azula felt her hands being forcefully yanked behind her, and then restrained with metal chains. This time, she couldn't burn them off. In a moment of rage, Azula shot blue fire from her palms, hoping to land an attack on her captor. Instead, she was rewarded with the sound of jeering laughter. "You're a feisty one, aren't you?" A hard fist slammed into her jaw, whipping her head to the side. Azula's vision doubled, and her mind went hazy.
She was lifted clean off the ground, and felt herself being carried speedily through the forest. Her tender burns received ill treatment, and Azula could only focus on how much her entire body ached. The man dashed through the trees for what felt like an eternity, and then finally paused.
"There you are!" a voice rang out. "Toss her in there with these two, and let's get out of here!"
The thief carrying Azula tossed her like a sack of potatoes onto a wooden cart. She landed heavily on something hard, yet soft at the same time.
"Ow!" Sokka yelped. "Get your shoulder out of my nose!"
"Quiet," Azula hissed. She soon realized that there was a third person in the cart with them. The water tribe girl lay on her right side, with blood seeping down the side of her head. She was out cold.
The three of them were promptly tied to each other by thick coils of rope. Azula knew that she could not burn through them, at least not in her current state. She lay there, tightly pressed against two of the people she hated most in the world. The cart began to roll, sending them off on an unknown destination. Things could not get any worse.
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So Azula gets "stuck" with Katara and Sokka, out of all people...I hope that wasn't too "convenient." ^.^ Review, please!