Kissed By Fire

Part 13: Premonitions

Back in the igloo, Anut lay once again on her back, a soothing voice spoke to her.

"I have to remove them, I'm sorry." She sat up and saw, instead of an unagi, an albino koi fish was plucking off her toes, and its voice did not belong to the red-eyed spirit. "When things are dead, you have to let them go."

Reflected in the koi's black eyes, Anut could see the image of her mother dancing in a yellow sundress. "But-but I can't let her go," she said, tears flowing down her cheeks.

"If she is dead, you must let her go. If you cannot let her go, she is not dead."

With a blast of pure heat, the igloo melted away, and the fish disappeared. A hand reached down and grabbed the front of Anut's shirt, pulling her up into the air and onto the back of a... dragon?

"Roku," she whispered, craning around in her seat to catch a glimpse of the old man.

"Stay put, child, we don't have much time." The wings of the red dragon flapped like massive sails on a ship, and Anut forced herself not to look down, worried she might get dizzy. "I need to see you."

"We are seeing each other."

"Not in a dream, this plane is too fluid, to easily penetrable. You must come to my temple on the solstice." He pointed to a crescent island, but they passed so by fast she could hardly make it out. Anut managed a glance over her shoulder, only to see a massive crow flapping behind them, its eyes like glimmering rubies. "Don't worry, young one, she can not hurt you, not yet at least. She is not strong enough."

"Who is she, Roku? Why is she following me? And what does it have to do with my-" Out of nowhere, the old man pushed her off, sending her plummeting towards the earth. She expected the dream would end then, but it didn't. Her body created a massive crater in the ground, dust flying everywhere. "Mother," she finished with a cough.

Standing up, she tried to figure out why she hadn't woken up. What else did this dream have to tell her?

"Anut!" The voice calling her name sounded familiar, masculine, sage: Iroh. He was naked save for a towel, trapped in a cage made from rocks. She sprinted up to him, but couldn't break through the bars. "Have I ever told you why they call me the Dragon of the West?"

"We don't have time for the old man's stories." Behind her was the crow, its wingspan wider than a Fire Nation ship, the voice the same as the unagi.

The bird dove at her, talons sharp as daggers, but before it could reach her a blast of fire shot it backwards, burning off Anut's hair and skin, but she didn't mind the pain, as long as it kept the demon crow as far away from her as possible.

Waking from these nightmares became more and more painful each time. Her dreams had never been like this before, not in the Abbey or the circus, and certainly not during her childhood in Rah. 

Anut climbed out of the covers, shivering so hard her teeth chattered. What was causing the chill time? Tea would help, and, luckily someone had left a cup of jasmine on the dresser, and it was still hot. She lifted the cup in her trembling hands. Staring down into it, she could swear she saw the eye of Avatar Roku staring back at her. He was probably screaming at her to head to the crescent island. She wished he would've listened to her for longer, that way she could explain that she had no freedom, no choices; she went where Zuko took her, end of story. 

The tea did nothing to thaw the ice in her veins, despite how delicious it was. Wait- delicious tea? Iroh! How could she forget about the kind old man, especially when he was in such terrible danger? 

She pulled steel-toed boots over her thick socks, and also a crimson cloak with a hood to hide her distinctive hair. She doubted it would do much to protect her identity from anyone who'd ever seen her, and the guards would undoubtedly notice someone a foot shorter than them wandering around the ship, but helping Iroh was more important to Anut than her safety.

As soon as she left her room, her body began to return to normal temperature, and she could breathe easier, solidifying that this was the right thing to do. 

Anut had barely made it onto the deck when an arm snaked around her waist. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Zuko hissed in her ear, pulling her into the shadows. 

"Oh good, you're here, I need your help. Iroh's in trouble."

He scoffed dismissively. "He's soaking in the hot springs, he's perfectly content."

Anut took his face in her hands, looking him dead in the eyes. "Zuko, every single vision I've shared with you has come true in some form or another. I haven't lead you astray once, so why do you still doubt me? I saw your uncle being held captive, please believe me!"

After a moment, he removed her hands from his face, taking a step back. "He's been gone for a long time. I'll take a few men and make sure he's okay."

"Let me come with you."

"Absolutely not, out of the question."

"But I can help."

He shook his head slowly. "You'd only slow us down."

She stared at his retreating figure for a moment before chasing after him and grabbing him by the back of his armor, stopping him in his tracks. "Please don't leave me here alone."

"You'll be perfectly safe," Zuko said, turning to face the redhead. "Go back to your room."

Anut shook her head slowly. "I can't, I..." How could she explain the need she had to go out and find Iroh? How could she put into words the deep, painful cold she felt in her bedroom? She couldn't; he wouldn't understand. "In my dream, I saw Zhao as well. I don't want to be separated from you."

Zuko growled, clenched fists steaming. Once he'd steadied himself, he reached out and pulled her hood up farther till it covered half her forehead. "Keep this up, if you can. Not that it'll make much of a difference if we run into Zhao."