CHAPTER 45: Fire rising
"In the end, the fire could burn us or ignite us into an unstoppable force."
Nii's heart raced as she realized the gravity of the situation.
Apparently, the Boiling Rock was a high-security Fire Nation prison that held very dangerous criminals, some of which were known to be Ozai loyalists, and any disturbance there could mean trouble of the highest order.
She could tell by the look on Zuko's face that this was bad.
Very bad.
If Phoenix King loyalists were behind the explosion, they needed to act fast.
As in right now.
The official meeting had been adjourned, and both the Earth King and the Northern Water Tribe Chief had left the palace. The Southern Water Tribe Chief, Hakoda, who apparently was Sokka and Katara's father, had chosen to stay.
He wanted to help them in whatever way he could at the Boiling Rock.
Sokka's expression was taut with worry, after he had relayed the details to the group.
"We clear? We need to move fast - very fast," he rushed with furrowed brows, as he turned his gaze to Aang. "Aang, who's on Appa?"
Aang's eyes reflected the urgency of the moment, and he nodded grimly.
"Appa can't take all of us," he said as his eyes rushed over the different faces of their team. "I'll take Nii and Zuko with me. The rest of you, get on the airship. We gotta go now!"
Nii's mind whirled with confusion and concern, and she just stood there with big, fearful eyes. She felt her breathing quicken, as she exchanged a brief, anxious glance with Zuko, who then nodded in silent agreement at Aang.
"Stay sharp, everyone!" Sokka crackled before the team split up. "We'll meet there soon!"
Nii had no idea what was going on.
The whirlwind inside of her seemed to cloud her thoughts and fog her ability to process what was happening around her, so she just complied and followed Aang and Zuko as they ran for the courtyard.
Her heart raced as they were running as if for their lives, and while it beat like a wardrum in her chest, she felt chaos, anxiety and dread pulse through her veins that further impeded her ability to think clearly.
Aang's hand was clasped tight around her wrist, and he was running so fast that he almost dragged her along behind him.
It hurt her wrist, but she did not want to tell him.
There were bigger issues at hand here.
The weight of the unknown threat loomed heavy over them, as the three of them made their way onto Appa's back.
Nii clung tightly to the saddle as Appa took flight, and the rush of wind against her face made it hard for her to breathe.
They soon soared through the sky with impressive speed, the urgency of their mission palpable.
She felt the wind clear away some of the brain fog that she experienced back at the palace.
"We need to move swiftly when we get there," Zuko said with a tone that carried urgency, his expression intent. "If anyone tried to free loyalists through an explosion, it means they're desperate. The first thing we need to do is get to the coolers and make sure they're intact."
Aang nodded solemnly.
"Got it," he simply stated, his eyes fixed on the horizon.
As Nii looked down over the landscape below, her eyes widened at the sight of great fuming volcanoes rising majestically from the earth below, their peaks veiled in wisps of steam and smoke.
Their presence was both awe-inspiring and unnerving at the same time, their simmering power a reminder of the earth's raw energy. She could feel the heat radiating from them, a testament to the restless forces at work beneath the surface.
It reminded her of the dragon she had dreamt about a couple of nights ago.
She wondered if the Boiling Rock was a volcano too.
She imagined what it would look like, and how soon the others would get there on the airship as they were all heading for the same dangerous destination.
What if there were actually Phoenix loyalists there?
What if they were going to fight?
Nii gulped down.
"Aang?" she tried, but her voice was barely a whisper in the wind that rushed by them, and it seemed neither Zuko nor Aang heard her.
"Aang!" she yelled, but her voice came out high pitched, more like a frightened scream, and it caused both of them to look at her with wide eyes.
"Why did you bring me?" she asked in a small voice that was just perceptible enough for them both to hear.
Zuko looked at Aang who seemed to have been paralyzed by her question, his eyes wide with fear as if he had not entirely realized that he had actually brought her along with them till now.
It looked like he stopped breathing for a short moment.
"I can't fight," Nii continued on, fear heavy in her heart, while Zuko lifted his hand to bite at the skin on his thumb. "I can't do anything there."
"Uh…" Aang breathed while blinking his eyes a couple of times, as if he was trying to find an answer to her question but without luck.
He turned his gaze to the horizon again.
Nii looked down at the hands in her lap.
She could not blame him.
All of the others were great fighters, so she had been told, and there she was - the only one out of the bunch without any fighting skills whatsoever.
Completely useless in situations like these.
"You'll stay on Appa," Zuko suddenly rasped, his gaze hardened with resolve. "Fly high above the Rock, create some confusion, and let the inmates see that the Avatar has arrived. It'll send a message and instill some fear in them."
His instructions were clear and calculated, and it calmed Nii a little bit down, even though she felt uncertain about how to fly on Appa.
Of course, the psychological impact of the Avatar's presence on the prisoners would surely help them a little, as she imagined that many of them very likely harbored either fear or resentment towards the Avatar and the Fire Lord.
She nodded at him, understanding the importance of Zuko's directive.
Aang still did not say anything.
She tightened her grip on Appa's saddle, ready to carry out her part in the plan.
As they drew closer to the Boiling Rock, she could see the rocky island in the midst of a vast, churning sea. It almost appeared as a volcano, but as they came closer, she could tell that it did not hold lava but water that was steaming wildly into the air as if the water was… boiling.
Hence the name, she realized.
In the middle of the volcanic island, a formidable structure appeared. Its design was imposing, with outer walls constructed of dark, volcanic rock, giving the prison an ominous and forbidding appearance.
The prison below revealed signs of the aftermath of the explosion - a plume of smoke rose ominously against the horizon from somewhere on the other side of the prison, and Nii's mind raced with worry.
"Zuko, take the reins," Aang's voice suddenly sounded.
Nii watched the two of them shift places as if they had done that a thousand times before, and Aang gracefully jumped over to her to take hold of her hands, his expression tinged with concern.
"I'm sorry I brought you into this," he said with a solemn look in his eyes. "I promise I'll do everything I can to protect you, but you need to be careful out here while flying on Appa. Don't go too low while I'm inside."
His words carried a weight of concern and responsibility.
She nodded at him with her eyes on his chest.
She felt his hand on her chin, and he tilted her head gently to have their gaze meet.
"Promise me," he said with a grave tone.
Nii blinked at him a couple of times, as she felt a lump form in her throat.
"I promise," she said in a shaky voice. "I'll do my best."
She saw his eyes flicker back and forth from one of her eyes to the other, as if he was trying to reassure himself that this was in fact a good idea.
"If anything goes wrong," he said. "Just fly back to the palace. I'll find a way to meet up with you later."
She nodded again, as she felt the lump in her throat swell and ache as if she was just about to start crying. She gulped down, and forced herself to put on a brave face, but inside she was more scared than she had ever been.
The smell of sulfur filled the hot and moist air around them, and the clang of metal against metal vibrated eerily from below.
Aang leaned closer to her and kissed her lips gently, while he nudged her shoulder as if to reassure her that everything was going to be alright.
She sensed heat travel to her eyes, and she felt relieved when Zuko called his name, so Aang did not see the tears that had gathered in the corners of her eyes.
"Aang, we need to dip."
Nii blinked her eyes a couple of times to hide the traces of the tears that had almost betrayed her brave face, and she saw Zuko and Aang both stand on Appa's saddle, leaving her the seat at his head to grab the reins.
"It's almost just like riding an ostrich horse," Zuko called, before he wrapped his arms around Aang's neck.
As Nii grabbed Appa's reins, she forced herself to smile at them both, but she feared that Aang could see right through her.
As if she had ever ridden an ostrich horse before.
As if she was not scared for her life.
With furrowed brows, Aang turned around and within seconds, he jumped out with Zuko on his back, leaving both of them to twirl with lightning speed downwards to the prison roof below.
Nii looked in astonishment as they gracefully landed down there, and she saw Aang turn around to wave his hand at her, silently ordering her to ascend further.
"Okay, Appa," Nii sighed out as if to steady herself, and she turned her gaze to the giant furry beast beneath her. "You heard him. We need to go up. Let's show them he's here."
She pulled at the reins and as if he completely understood every word she had said, Appa rose into the air with a deep growl that vibrated through her body, causing her to shiver even with all the steam twirling in the air around them.
From above she watched how Aang and Zuko quickly made their way into the prison, and she also noticed that some men were fighting below in the courtyard.
Flames were shooting out here and there, and she wondered whether this was a normal day in the prison or whether some of them were actually Phoenix loyalists.
Some wore crimson robes, while others were dressed in Fire Nation armor, and there were also a group of people who wore dark gray clothes and black masks that covered their mouths.
It seemed that they were all fighting each other.
She clenched her fists around the reins.
Suddenly out of the corner of her eyes, she spotted a silhouette of the airship carrying the rest of the team, and Nii could not help but to exhale a deep sigh of relief as she knew that Zuko and Aang soon would not be alone down there.
The airship, sleek and streamlined against the sky, sailed gracefully through the air towards her.
Nii could almost make out the silhouettes of Sokka and Hakoda in front.
Appa let out another deep, rumbling growl, sensing the presence of the approaching airship.
Nii patted his head reassuringly, her eyes fixed on the airship as it drew nearer.
"Don't worry, they're with us," she hushed as the airship neared them.
"How's it hanging, Nii?!" Sokka yelled through the air with a wide grin on his face as they passed her and Appa, and Nii could not help but to chuckle at the absurdity of him cracking jokes while in the middle of this dangerous situation.
Nii watched the airship land, and soon the rest of her friends disappeared behind the prison walls.
She was alone.
"Okay, buddy," she said to Appa after straightening her back a little. "Let's spook these sons of…"
And then, they dipped closer to the fiery menace below.
Nii felt a rush in her stomach as Appa dove down in a rapid descent, and she felt herself panic when she saw how quickly they closed in on the flames that danced in the courtyard.
"Up, up!" she yelled in panic, while she pulled hard on the reins.
Appa growled in a rumble at her forceful command, causing her to furrow her brows.
"Sorry," she whispered to him as they ascended once more. "I'll try to be more gentle."
And after a while she felt like she did develop a sense of how gentle she really had to be with him. She needed to pay a lot of attention to her posture and distribute her weight evenly on his head, or else he was going to move in whatever direction she was leaning.
Also, it seemed like he knew that she was not used to flying, so he sometimes just tilted a little to one side or the other even without her telling him to.
Maybe he remembered her puking violently over his side the last time she was on him.
Nii suddenly realized that she did not feel sick to her stomach.
As in not at all.
She wondered what the reason might be.
Maybe it was because she was - or felt - more in control now?
She suddenly noticed the sound of yelling and shouting from below, and Nii let her gaze fall to the ground below where she could see that the arrival of the Avatar's companion flying above had been noticed, and it seemed to stir even more tension but also apprehension among some of the prisoners.
As they circled overhead, she saw that some stopped fighting and were quickly forced inside by guards. Others seemed to fight even harder, and soon she saw Suki and Sokka in the courtyard, making their way over to some of the men in gray robes.
They had to be the loyalists.
Suki looked like a fierce dancer as she waved through the mass below with elegance and speed, executing swift kicks and agile strikes, each motion purposeful and calculated.
Beside her, Sokka also displayed determination and ingenuity, wielding his sword and boomerang with skilful tactics, utilizing his environment to his advantage and employing unexpected maneuvers.
The courtyard below echoed with the clatter of weapons, the crackling of flames, and soon she heard the sound of water splashing, and she looked to the left to see Katara had joined the fight.
Katara's arrival was like a whirlwind of water and ice.
Nii's mouth fell open as she watched her fight.
With fluid motions and focused intent, Katara unleashed powerful waterbending techniques with water spiraling and twisting around her, forming into sharp ice shards that she directed with precision towards the loyalists.
Suki and Sokka, emboldened by Katara's support, adjusted their tactics to capitalize on the opening created by her bending. Suki's agile strikes and Sokka's strategic maneuvers were enhanced by Katara's bending prowess, creating a formidable trio against their opponents.
The courtyard echoed with the clash of elements - water meeting fire - as the loyalists countered with blasts of flame.
The battle intensified, each side pushing their abilities to the limit in pursuit of victory, and Nii almost forgot what she was supposed to be doing as she watched the show from above.
That was until she heard a loud whooshing sound followed by a rush of heat that seemed to singe the air around her, and she turned her head in shock as she realized that a fireball had been launched in her direction.
The realization hit her like a jolt of adrenaline.
Reacting swiftly, she instinctively urged Appa into action, feeling the bison respond immediately to her command.
With a firm but gentle grip on the reins, Nii directed Appa into a steep dive, before they took a sharp turn to the right, and Nii smirked to herself when they successfully avoided the ball of fire.
However, out of the corner of her eye, she saw another fireball being blasted towards her, and she yelled at Appa before they rocketed into the air, barely avoiding the heat of the flames that wanted to burn them.
Her heart raced with fear as Appa growled, and she felt him move his tail in a rapid movement, sending the fiery projectile shot at them in another direction.
The fireball blasted towards the prison and upon impact, a blaze of orange and red erupted, as the force of the collision reverberated through the fortress. For a moment, it seemed as though the wall would withstand the assault, but then, amidst the chaos, fissures began to appear - hairline fractures racing across the surface like spiderwebs.
The wall groaned under the strain, and with a final, deafening roar, the wall succumbed as chunks of stone exploded outward in a shower of debris, a thunderous cacophony echoing through the air. The once-mighty barrier crumbled into a chaotic heap, revealing another breach in the prison.
As she saw smoke billow from the destruction, Nii then remembered what she had promised Aang, and she wondered whether now was the time to flee the scene.
But just as the thought crossed her mind, she saw Aang come almost flying into the courtyard on what looked like an air scooter, quickly followed by Zuko and Toph.
She saw him look up at her and Appa, and in a fleeting moment, time seemed to stop.
A look of intense, raw fear flashed across Aang's face.
His eyes widened in horror and his mouth fell open as if he was about to yell out for her to be careful but no sound escaped his lips.
As she looked at him, Nii did not realize that another fireball had been sent off in her direction, blasting dangerously towards her and Appa.
Within seconds, Aang's expression shifted, and she saw anger replace fear.
His jaw set with unwavering resolve and his eyes blazed with determination as he seemingly tapped into the vast reservoir of power within him.
Nii watched in awe as his eyes and arrows exploded with a glowing bright light of the cosmos, and he entered the Avatar State, a whirlwind of power and energy enveloping him with a crackling intensity, his entire being glowing with the weight of ancient wisdom and unyielding resolve.
The ground trembled below as Aang swung his arms around himself, channeling the power of the elements, and she then realized that he was creating a barrier of air and energy around her and Appa to deflect the incoming fireball that she had not noticed.
Soon, she felt herself and Appa being transported higher into the air by Aang's protection around them, while she stared with wide eyes as he turned to the loyalists in the courtyard, before a tornado swirled under his feet, lifting him effortlessly into the air.
It was a breathtaking sight for her - a testament to Aang's unparalleled connection with the elements and the sheer force of the Avatar's might.
She had never seen power like that before.
She felt scared and in awe at the same time.
Nii's gaze followed his movements, as Aang maneuvered himself with precise control towards the loyalists and inmates, who were still engaged in battle with the rest of the team.
In a remarkable display of agility and strength, Aang unleashed a powerful gust of wind, almost like a hurricane, that blasted towards the loyalists, knocking all of them off their feet.
Then, he moved his hands slightly upwards in a subtle motion, and in response, the rocky ground of the courtyard rumbled, and as if in obedience to Aang's will, the surface of the rocky floor seismically started to undulate like waves on the ocean that rolled outward from his position.
Aang seemed to easily manipulate the earth beneath them, his expression serene yet determined, and the loyalists were unable to regain their footing in the tumultuous terrain.
Nii was completely awestruck as Toph then suddenly shot forth out of nowhere, and she seamlessly manipulated rocks up from beneath the ground to shoot up and capture the disoriented loyalists within a makeshift enclosure.
Amidst the whirlwind of action below, Aang's blazing white gaze then turned to Nii atop of Appa again.
Their eyes met briefly and Nii could do nothing else but to just stare into his white eyes of raw power, completely taken aback by this side of him that she had not really seen before.
"Go," he simply stated, his voice resonating with the echo of a thousand lifetimes.
It was a directive laced with urgency, causing Nii to simply nod at him, and Appa responded with a powerful beat of his tail, propelling them away from the chaotic scene below, soaring back towards the safety of the palace.