Risho of the Black Snow (ATLA Fanfiction)

Chapter Thirty: Operation Ember Island: Part Two

      Without the ball or net or anything, Chanda and Risho took off down the beach. Risho instinctively whipped out her flames. They trailed behind her like bird-butterfly wings as she ran. It left the world behind her in full colour. A considerable distance ahead of her, Chanda had pulled out his dagger. She pretended not to notice the desperation in his voice as he called for Azar.

Risho's breathing grew thready, but it was not for exhaustion. They'd taken care of that in her gym and firebending classes. Her mind kept telling her that anything that happened to Azar would be her fault. But her kidnappers promised they were good...hadn't they? They wouldn't hurt two non-benders.

...Unless the danger wasn't her kidnappers.

...Unless they'd lied to her.

She felt stupid now for trusting them. When she'd spoken with them, she was still groggy from the poison they'd used to immobilize her. Could her judgment have been impaired? Could they have been lying to her the entire time and she couldn't detect it? What if they were trying to trick her? To use her, like everyone else did, for their so-called quest for piece. Ishan wanted her abilities for medical research. Firelord Azulon as a weapon. If the Earth Kingdom knew about her, they'd want her just as badly. She didn't even know who her kidnappers were- what they'd do for their cause.

They didn't want her to be a weapon for either nation.

...Would they kill her to prevent it?

If they didn't want the weapon used...what would stop them from destroying her? Risho decided that she wouldn't resign to trusting them so easily. They may be helping her for ulterior motives. She put a hand to the tile they'd given her- still sitting, undiscovered, in her pocket where her kidnappers had left them. She'd made sure to wear the same pair of pants today. She'd have to look at it later. She'd have to find time to be alone... she wished that idea didn't terrify her.

Risho slowed her pace so she could catch her breath as Azar's little form appeared on the beach. He was standing, his finger stabbing the air in front of the ocean. He was saying something that Risho couldn't hear through the pounding in her ears.

Ahead of her, Chanda came to a skidding halt. "You're kidding me, Az." His voice dripped with annoyance.

Azar tried to draw their attention to the water again. "It moved," he said, "I swear! It came up, like it was being pulled!" Azar was making the movements with his arms, like he was a waterbender himself! Grudgingly, Risho admitted to herself that he would have made a great bender, had he been born so lucky. His firebending forms were better than hers. "And then it came back down again, like splooosh! See, look! You can still see the ripples."

"The ripples are probably from your movement. You're just afraid, Azzie. There are no waterbenders here, okay?"

Risho's mouth took control of the situation again without her permission. "And if there were, there would be nothing to be afraid of." Both heads swiveled to face her. It was not a very patriotic thing to say...for the Fire Nation, at least. That wasn't what she meant. Risho stuttered to fix it, but Azar beat her to it.

"My dad says that a woman in the Water Tribe prison kills rats for fun. I'd say that's a person to be afraid of, Risho." He had his arms wrapped around each other, like he was trying his hardest to keep warm. In a tropical climate.

"That's not what I mean," she tried "I mean, I can firebend.... your parents can firebend. Your mother's a master, your father's a solider. Together, I'm pretty sure we can take a lone wolf."

"But mom and dad aren't-" Chanda was cut off by a sound like a stone being dropped into water. A loud plop that denoted the surface being broken by something heavy. The three of them looked around.