𝑨𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒎𝒆𝒆𝒕

𝑵𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈

            Chapter Fifty Eight
Elora

The heat of the Fire Nation hit me like a wall as Emi's paws touched down, her landing smooth despite the tension radiating from me. The familiar, almost suffocating warmth was a far cry from the icy winds of the South Pole, and yet, all I could feel was the cold dread curling in my stomach.

I leapt off Emi before she even came to a full stop, my legs shaking slightly as they met the ground. A deep unease gnawed at my chest. Inara and Aang were out there—somewhere—and every second we'd spent in the air felt like a lifetime too long. The thought of what could be happening to them right now twisted my insides into knots.

"We need to move," I muttered, more to myself than anyone else, but I felt Katara and Sokka close behind me. The usual immaturity we shared was muted, replaced by the heavy weight of fear none of us wanted to voice. The silence between us screamed louder than any words.

As we hurried toward the palace, my mind raced, my heartbeat thudding in time with our footsteps. I tried to focus on the feel of the ground beneath me, on the rhythm of my breath, but all I could picture was Inara's face, her sharp, guarded eyes in the hands of an enemy. Aang too—my brother. My heart twisted painfully at the thought of them both being trapped, hurt, scared. My hands clenched into fists as if I could will myself to protect them from here.

"Sokka, Katara," I began, but my voice wavered, my throat dry. I wasn't used to feeling this helpless. We were always the ones rescuing, the ones taking control. This uncertainty, this horrible not-knowing, was like an itch under my skin I couldn't scratch.

"They'll be okay, Elora," Sokka said, his voice steady beside me. He wasn't joking, wasn't smirking like usual, just speaking the words I needed to hear. But it didn't make the pit in my stomach any smaller.

"They have to be," I whispered, more to convince myself than anything.

The palace loomed ahead, a hulking silhouette against the fire-lit sky. I barely noticed the grand arches or the Fire Nation guards as we rushed through the entrance. All that mattered was finding Zuko, finding answers. Every second was an agony of not knowing.

Before we could make it to the war room, a voice interrupted our frantic pace.

"Took you long enough,Flame head."

I whirled around, and there, leaning against a pillar as casually as if this were any other day, was Toph. Her lips twisted into a half-smirk, arms crossed over her chest like she hadn't been waiting long at all.

"Toph?" Katara's voice was thick with disbelief. "You're here already?"

"Yeah," Toph drawled, pushing off the pillar. "Zuko sent a hawk. Republic City isn't that far, you know. Some of us don't need to ride on giant fluffy cow to get places."

The usual banter felt jarring against the pounding in my chest. I couldn't engage in this, not now. Not when every breath I took felt like it was wasted. Not when I still didn't know where Inara and Aang were.

"Where's Zuko?" I cut in, my voice sharp, barely masking the tremor behind it.

Toph's smirk faded, her expression becoming more serious. "He's in the war room. They're gathering intel."

Without another word, we were moving again, but this time, Toph led the way. My nerves frayed with each passing second, my thoughts spiraling. How long had it been since they were taken? What were they going through right now? The idea of Inara—strong, fiercely independent Inara—helpless, or Aang, who always believed in peace, facing some unknown threat, made me want to tear the world apart to find them.