I spun around and punched fire at him. He ducked and jumped into the trees, disappearing.
Good strategy.
I continued running as fast as I could clutching the stitch in my side. Suddenly,I was hit again from above and my run broke as I stumbled to the ground, rolling.
"You'll never win," I yelled, suckling air through my teeth as the cuts all over my body stung from the fall.
"I've already won," Jet smirked and I jumped to my feet, kicking up an angry tornado. It met its target, buying me time to jump into a tree and use firebending to shoot myself through the air, flying towards the light outside the forest.
"Look what you've done? Firebenders are all bad. I told you!" Jet yelled ad a hook grabbed onto my ankle. My flight, interrupted, stopped in the middle and I was dropped into the leaves below. I looked over my shoulder and realized that all the trees behind me were charred and black.
"I only did it because I was forced to!" I cried, landing on my arm heavily and I realized the cut on my arm had been reopened. It was painful just seeing it.
"That's no excuse. Your nation is merciless."
"Look at yourself, you idiot!" I screamed. "Why are you so ignorant? You're doing what you blamed us for!"
"Desperate times call for desperate measures." He pinned me to the ground.
"Oh, shut up!" I bellowed, and punched him squarely in the nose. Picking up my flight again I blasted my way through the trees towards the mountain and actually made it.
I stopped my crazy fire thing and fell to the ground right before they realized I was a firebender. All heads turned towards me. "Have you seen my friends? Jet sent me here to send them a message."
"What?" The Duke asked. "You're not supposed to be here."
"Oh it's okay. I know all about the plan and I'm totally cool with it." I smiled widely. Honestly I was the worst actor in all the nations.
"Really?"
"Yup. Now Xiaoli?" I asked, trailing off.
"Over there." They looked at me curiously, pointing to the top of the hill/mountain.
I began my climb when I heard a bird call.
Oh no.
I was going to be pulled down right now.
Bird calls went back and forth so I realized I had to do something fast.
"ZIAN! ZUKO!" I screamed at the top of my lungs repeatedly until my voice was hoarse. Finally, one of them popped their head over the edge but I noticed that the Freedom Fighters were coming together, angry.
"GET HER!" Pipsqueak ordered. Zian created a rock ledge that flew me up to the top and I leaped off.
"Zian, where's Zuko?"
"No idea."
"Zian, stop. Don't do anything with the rocks."
"Why?"
"I'll explain later." I grabbed his arms. "But for now, keep all the Freedom Fighters off the mountain."
"Uh, okay."
Zian ran to the edge and made this giant umbrella-like thing, curved inwards so it was impossible for anyone to climb over it.
"Good. Now help me find Zuko."
I started to run around, calling Zukos name. Or at least stuff close to Zukos name
"Zuko.! You fool, where are you? ZUKO THE TIME WE NEED YOU, YOU DISAPPEAR!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. Suddenly, a flameball exploded past my shoulder. "What the—"
"What's wrong now?" a low voice asked from behind me.
"Zuko!" I yelled in relief, the tightness in my chest disappearing. "No time to explain. You, right. Jet, bad. We, GO."
"I—"
"Do something!"
"You got yourself stuck in this mess. Now get yourself out."
"Okay, Zuko," I practically begged, "You were right and I'm sorry. I should've listened to you but I was too stubborn."
Zuko stared at my face for a second and then said, "So where is he now?"
"Trying to climb up. We need to get out of here."
"You figure out something. I'll hold them off," Zuko said, brushing past me. He ripped off his mask and pulled off his straw hat.
This was embarrassing.
I was so wrong not to have listened go Zian or Zuko. This was mostly my fault for not leaving on time. Okay it was all my fault. But people made mistakes, right?
Now to find a way out before we were trapped here forever.
Zian could somehow earth bend us out of here. He could make an earthen ship or maybe he could blast us out of here. But I had a different idea.
"Hey Zian, harden the rocks under us so they'll be really hard to break," I commanded.
"What'll that do?"
"They'll never be easy to move. The village will be safe from Jet."
"Whatever you say."
Zian flattened his feet on the hard rock floor and tightened his arms and the large rocks molded into each other, and so it was probably impossible to move it without an earth bender for at least the next thousand years.
He looked up at me. "How do we get out of here?"
"I dunno." I shrugged. "Dude, I'm winging it don't look at me like that."
Zian ran a hand through his dark hair frustratedly, his forehead beaded with sweat. He let out a loud sigh and put his hands up in defeat.
"Alright, do what you want, he shrugged, "But if we die I swear I'm blaming all of this on you."
"Okay I'll take all the blame," I agreed hurriedly. "But I think—"
"No," Jet suddenly interrupted. "I think Jet wants to talk to you." Zian grabbed my shoulders and spun me around, wide eyed.
And there I saw him, climbing over the edge.
"He's an idiot," I grumbled.
"Tell me about it."
