The Sea of Ice (Sun and Moon Book 2)

Chapter 37 - Mind-Cell

            “Are you sure about this?” Zuko looks over at Twila uncertainly, and I can’t help but do the same.

            “Really, Twila, he seems kind of…”

            “Harmless.”

            She looks at us, her eyes hard. “Corr is not harmless. He is one of Araden’s fiercest fighters. He has the rare power of controlling his environment with his mind.”

            I frown. “So he can bend with his mind?” So… there are others like Lia? She’s not the only one? I feel a spark of hope.

            “No. He does not ‘bend’ as you humans think of it. He can move objects simply by thinking of moving them. He is very dangerous. If he is the one who has captured Aang, this situation has just gotten worse.”

            The hope crumbles, but I have to push it away. I have to worry about Aang right now. “So what do we do? You said this is where the thoughts were coming from. Maybe he’s just a dissenter.” Zuko looks hopeful as he says the words--despite our need to find Aang, I can tell he doesn’t want to go up against more weird Araden powers.

            But… “Koko.” He looks at me, his amber eyes going wide. I sigh. “I don’t want to fight these people if we don’t have to, but… this is our only lead. And we HAVE to find Aang.”

            He nods. “All right. We’ll wait until he leaves, then we’ll search the house.”

            “But that could take hours. I can simply search the house with my--”

            “No. Didn’t you say most Araden’s have blocks around their houses? He’ll know if you use your powers.” Zuko says, frowning at Twila.

            “And besides, I get that you’re super powerful or whatever, but I’d still rather search the house myself.” I cross my arms, leaning back against the pillar we’ve been hiding behind.

            “You do not trust me.”

            I don’t say anything, and Zuko sighs. “You’ve been a great help to us, but all this spirit power stuff is still new. Give us time.”

            Twila huffs and looks away, but she doesn’t say anything else.

**__**

            “I miss mommy.” Lia slumped into a chair across from Iroh. She looked so sad that Iroh’s heart hitched.

            “I know, little one. But she’ll be back soon, wait and see.” He sipped his tea and glanced out the window. The shop wouldn’t open for another hour, and the early morning sunlight gave the empty teashop a golden glow.

            “But it’s been so long!”

            Iroh reached over and put a hand on top of her head. “I know, little one. I know.” His mind strayed to the letter Kamil had sent. After all this time, could it be true? Could Ursa have lied?

            Was Zuko not his nephew after all?

**__**

            Aang breathed evenly, as always. Deep in the recesses of his mind, he floated on a sea of calm. He saw in his mind’s eye a ball of spinning light, and it kept his focus. It kept him alive. The light was his entire world, it consumed his mind.