Daughter of the Moon - Book Three: Fire

Chapter 6: An Unexpected Encounter

- Elara -

I wasn't too sure what I had anticipated after Avatar Yangchen had evaporated into thin air, but I had hoped that it would be more extravagant than what did happen. Or perhaps it would be better to say I had hoped for anything to happen at all. Instead, Aang and I had found ourselves in a crumpled heap on top of the mountain just waiting for our spirits to return to our bodies.

"Now what?" I grunted through gritted teeth; the pain so powerful that I barely found the energy to even turn to look at Aang.

"I don't know," Aang gasped as he somehow managed to pull himself to his feet. "I thought that we would go back to the mortal realm as soon as Avatar Yangchen had left."

"Me too," I admitted as Aang helped me to my feet, the two of us surveying our surroundings for an explanation or an exit. "I wonder what's holding us back..."

Perhaps it would have been better for that question to be left unanswered.

"Did you really think that I was going to let you go so easily?" a deep, gravelly voice snarled as wisps of darkness crept up the mountain side, the violent click of thousands of claws carving their way into the rock.

"What was that?" I asked as I shuddered closer to Aang.

The boy's face paled as he frantically looked around for the source of the mysterious voice. "It's Koh!" he cried as he tried to collect himself. "He found us!"

No sooner had Aang explained our predicament than a horde of dark spirits pulled their way over the lip of the mountaintop, their battalion slowly tightening their formation around us as their smog constricted the light. And from the depths of the void, I could hear the scraping of scales against the mountain as the clicking came closer.

"Keep your face still," Aang huffed quietly as he grabbed onto my arm for support. "If you show any emotion, Koh will steal your face."

I did my best to wipe my face clean of any expression as Aang had ordered, but between the agonizing pain I was feeling and the dominating fear that was clouding my judgement, I found that I was physically unable to hide my distress. And I was falling apart at the seams.

"Aang, I can't do it!" I said as the air seemed to grow thin. "I...I..."

"Get behind me!" Aang yelled as I fell to the floor, and I made sure to keep my head down as I cowered behind the airbender.

And then he appeared. I didn't need to see it. I could feel it. Koh the Face Stealer.

"We meet again, Young Avatar," Koh began as he circled around us, the dark spirits chanting vile things as they awaited his command. "I knew it was only a matter of time before I was granted the opportunity to add another Avatar to my collection..."

"I'm afraid you won't be stealing any faces today, Koh," Aang answered carefully, somehow managing to stay cool despite the pain and fear he was surely feeling.

"I would beg to differ," Koh said as he inched closer. "It seems as if your friend is having a rough time there, and...my, my...it has been too long since I have last captured a Moon Warrior..."

Aang subconsciously stepped closer to me as he continued. "Stay away from Elara."

"I don't think you get to have a say in the matter," Koh argued, and that was all the spirits needed to jump into action.

The ring of darks spirits collapsed, and Aang and I were violently ripped away from each other as the cold clutches of hundreds of hands and tentacles constricted around our bodies, the dark masses forcing us to opposite ends of the cliff as they suspended our faces towards the sky to look upon their master.