Avatar Rose: Justice

Ch.20: The Braided Shadow

Nathan's POV

I freeze a little, but recover quickly. "How many are there?" I pull a little water out of my satchel.

She grins slightly. "Let's go see!" she exclaims, bursting up from the ground, fire powering from her fists and of course, taking me with her.

"Wha- DAMMIT ROSE!"

She only gives a tiny smile.

We flail through the sky and she summons a bunch of shadows to catch us but I grab onto a building with my water on my own. Immediately I get tackled. Fire burns my ear and I roll up to see some fire nation troupe, his eyes wide with rage slam down on top of me. I dart to the side and form an icicle dagger off my hand, effectively skewering him through the chest. Blood runs down my arm and soaks into my cloak.

Nathan you idiot! What are you doing, killing?! Just bloodbend them!

I jump down and join Rose. Rowan rushes over while Gwen darts over my head.

"There's around 300 of them, they jumped in air-raider style using some kind of aircraft. The air benders somehow didn't pick up on it," Rowan explains quickly. He looks straight at me. "Nathan, how many people can you control at once?"

Ganshen flashes before my eyes. "I've done about 2000 before but right now I can squeeze out 50."

"That's more than enough. Gwen says to take only 20 prisoner. If they don't surrender, we're killing the rest."

"Alright."

My eyes wander over to Rose. Her eyes seem to light up at this news. Her purple eyes.

I surround water over my arms and fling myself up onto the roof of a building. After staking out 20 soldiers, I grip them all and call down Liesel, who's circling above. She quickly ties them up and her twin chucks them all into a building, conking each of them over the head with a hammer. Not to kill them, of course, but to put them out.

In the meantime I survey the destruction. Four buildings have been blown up. It stinks of bodies and blood soaks the ground. Gwen and Rose are really going at it, though Gwen looks furious while Rose looks like she's enjoying herself at a tea party. Approximately 90 enemies remaining.

I know she's perfectly fine fighting alone but I can't help myself from jumping in there after her, forming two ice swords just before landing. My grip tightens on both. Sweat rolls into my eyebrow. Flames scorch my right shoulder. I turn. Slice. Duck. Block. Bloodbend. Get her to kill her comrade. Kill.

No regrets.

My eyes water from the sheer heat in the air. I look over at Rose, and my heart skips a beat.

Swift as wind, she attacks a girl who had her hands raised above her head, fingers spread. The soldier's head rips off, and rolls to the ground, her spine sticking out of her body. Saliva rolls out of the corner of her lip.

Suddenly my tongue tastes an awful lot like vomit.

Gwen spins around. "ROSEMONDE!" she screams.

Rose scoffs.

"Oopsie Daisy."

I tackle her to the ground and her eyes go wide. I slap her across the face. "Where is she?" I yell. "What have you done with Rose?!"