"They would be silent, precise. And feared by all. They became known as the Dai Li."
―Avatar Kyoshi to Aang
🔥🔥🔥
Inside, guards waited for us.
"Stop right there!" one of them yelled. "You are traitors to the king!"
"No, we come in peace," Aang said, raising his hands. "Just let us speak to him."
Suddenly, the guards parted. I took a step back as a man with a long beard and a stern face walked towards us, looking nothing like the rock-handed guards.
"My name is Long Feng," he said with eerie coolness. "You are in royal territory without permission or invitation, and for that we can arrest you."
"All we need to do is speak to the king." Sokka argued. "Let us talk to him."
"What do you wish to tell him?" Long Feng asked with a smirk.
"We came to tell him about the hundred year war. It seems like he has no idea what's going on, like everybody else here, about it and the attack of the Fire Nation," Katara explained.
So this is why they snuck into the palace in the first place.
"And that lady you sent us, Joo Dee, it seems like there's more than one Joo Dee around here," Sokka said. "They seem brainwashed!"
The smirk slipped off his face. "Dai Li, arrest these traitors."
"No!" Aang yelled, and suddenly, turning his hands in the air, he blew a gust of wind at them, confusing them and buying us time to outrun them. Katara snapped out her little bag and started bending the water inside. With a flick of her wrist, the water snapped forward and whipped everyone.
"Nice job. Now whip some more!" Aang yelled, flying around the room on his air-ball. Toph made her way to the doors but was stopped immediately by more Dai Li. It seemed like they could surf on earth the way others surfed on water. And the scary part was, they moved in unison.
Slam. Rock hands flew out of where their firsts should be, hitting me square in the chest and knocking me backwards off my feet.
"Mei!" Katara yelled, and a wave of water burst out and pushed them back, but they held their ground by burying their feet deep into the earth.
"These guys are undefeatable," Sokka yelled, trying to chop everything with his sword.
"That's not even a word!" Toph replied, struggling with two baddies.
"You should know," Sokka snapped sarcastically.
It seemed like they were ready for us. Ready for Katara's waterbending, Aang's air bending, and Toph's earthbending. And of course, Sokka's "SNEAK ATTAAAAAACK"s. It's like they'd spied on all of us.
Except me.
Should I firebend? Or should I keep it simple and stick to water? I felt more confident with fire, because I practiced so much more, and it fit with my small temper.
Even if we did defeat the Dai Li like this, it would take us ages and by then it would be too late.
Time to make up my mind.
"Aang!" I yelled. "Come here!"
He bended the air, landing gracefully in front of me.
"Aang, there's a reason I came looking for you."
"Um, now's not the time—"
"I know, I know," I said. I explained to him my theory on the spying, and he nodded.
