The Sea of Ice (Sun and Moon Book 2)

Chapter 34 - Breathless

CHAPTER 34 - BREATHLESS

            The five people, arranged in a semicircle in front of us, seem forbidding and cold. Their strange chairs and rings are at odds with the simple room and their similar appearances. They say nothing, just look at us.

            I shift awkwardly on my feet. Their fangs are throwing me off--I don’t know how to act around them.

            “We’re looking for the Avatar. We know he’s here, and we’re not leaving without him.”

            I blink at Zuko. Apparently he isn’t intimidated by these strange spirit-beings. I nod, trying to back him up. The woman in the middle frowns, a barely there expression that is gone as quickly as it came.

            “Send for Asara’s Daughter.”

            “Who’s that?”

            They don’t answer Zuko’s question, and no one says anything else for what feels like hours. Finally, the huge doors behind us open, and when I turn around I see Twila.

            “Twila! Where’s Aang?”

            The pale girl frowns and shakes her head. She bows elaborately to the circle of robed people, then motions for us to follow her. I glance over my shoulder as we follow her through the doors; the woman is glowing blue. Zuko pulls me through and the doors slam shut, and I shake off the strange creepy feeling that’s crawling across my skin.

            “Who were those guys?”

            “The Elders.” Twila’s voice is clipped and quiet, even in the empty halls we walk through.

            “Okay, and who are they?” I smile at Zuko--he took the words out of my mouth.

            He looks surprised, but returns my smile. As we walk, his hand finds its way into mine. The feel of his warm skin on mine sends my heartbeat through the roof, but I don’t let go of him.

            “The Elders are our leaders.”

            “So… what was that all about?” I feel my internal strength returning now that we’re away from the creepy ageless people.

            “The Elders are having a Council meeting to decide what is to be done with you.” She looks over her shoulder at us, frowning. “Humans are not allowed in Araden.”

            “But Aang--”

            “Is the Avatar. It is entirely different, Princess. Now be silent.” She pushes through another set of doors, and we step outside. I’m too shocked to respond to her order. Zuko and I went to sleep in the tunnels, and woke up in a room with a bunch of creepy fanged people.

            Stepping outside, I feel my breath swept away. This place… it’s… beyond anything I’ve ever seen or imagined. It’s… beautiful.

            Beside me, Zuko is looking around with as much awe as I feel. We glance at each other, our eyes equally wide.

            His hand tightens in mine, and we follow Twila through her city under the sea.

**__**

            Lia laughed, spinning through Iroh’s fire with ease. She responded with several lightening fast blasts of her own; while he was still dodging those, she moved from firebending to waterbending. Streams of water lifted from the ground beside Iroh, coming at him from both sides. He jumped backward and the water followed him--then two more fire blasts from her feet came straight at him.

            She was bending water and fire simultaneously! It was amazing. Iroh sent two funnels of fire spinning at the little girl; at that moment, a messenger hawk landed beside him. He held up a hand, stopping the match, and leaned down. He pulled the letter out of the canister, and opened it quickly. Strangely, it bore no ribbon.

            He read the letter once, then twice, then three times. He still couldn’t believe what he saw. It couldn’t be true… could it?

            Kamil’s note at the end told Iroh not to return to the Fire Nation, not yet. Not until Zuko did. Iroh looked at Lia, bending water with one hand and fire with the other, her laughter still echoing in the courtyard, and knew that he would have to wait even longer than that. He would have to wait until Katara returned for her daughter.

            Then he could go to Zuko. Then he could fix this terrible mistake.

            Because it had to be a mistake.

Didn’t it?

________

Yaaay! For some reason I'm having trouble wriitng this part. I don't know why. I'm trying to work through it. I only have nights to do it, since I'm at the convention all day long, but I'm working on it, I promise. Enjoy, five comments!