The Origin of Roh-Shan

F: Rescue

"Taatu." Kota whispered.

He just stared at the wall.

"Will you please say something?"

The boy was completely broken. And Kota was near her breaking point too. She couldn't reach the Spirit World again, and her dreams no longer involved flying. Her dream locations never repeat; it's something new every day. But her past few dreams were all in the exact same place: this room, looking at herself from the opposite wall.

There really was no escape.

She curled up into the corner, still mindful of her injured ankle, though she mostly couldn't feel her foot anymore. She pressed her head against the wall, looking towards the window. She could see the precisely-scratched tally marks along the wall.

She drifted into dreamland, which now only consisted of this room. She had a visceral feeling that she was never going to see anything other than this room. There was no sun anymore, just blue. In her dream, she saw a shadow outside the window. Metalman coming in to make another cut. But the shadow turned into two. And more. Surrounded by a soft orange glow. A snout stuck into view.

And then she heard voices.

She sat up straight to realize her eyes were already open, and she watched in fear as big white paws tried to get closer to the window, but only ended up pushing more sand in.

"Back, boy."

A human face peeked into the window, squinting and holding out a lantern, then their eyes went wide. "They're here!"

Two feet stuck in the window, and a whole airbender followed. He looked ecstatic, before taking in the sight.

More shadows moved around the window.

"Hold up you guys." He called back.

A middle-aged female airbender dropped in. She didn't look nearly as shocked as the younger boy. "It's alright Chen, just stand down a minute, okay?"

He nodded grimly, his eyes adjusting to the dim light enough to finally see all the blood.

The woman caught his expression. "Go outside. Send Panuk in, okay?" She took the lantern from him and set it in the middle of the floor.

He nodded again, then turned away and blew back out the window. There were more voices outside.

Kota could only watch. More than half of her was convinced she'd just advanced from dreams to hallucinations.

The woman took a step toward her and crouched down, getting on her eye level.

Panuk dropped through the window a second later. The woman motioned him to Taatu. He gasped, seeing the blood-soaked shirt and more puddles of flood on the floor, and staining the skin of his hands. Kota looked the same. Panuk strode toward Taatu, dropping to his knees in front of him. "Taatu, my boy. Can you hear me?" He felt around Taatu's neck for wet blood, but there wasn't any.

The woman turned her attention back to Kota. "Hey. Are you Kota? It's okay. My name is Gao-Se, we're here to get you out." She extended her hand for Kota to take.

Kota just stared at her. She wanted to take her hand. Can you feel hallucinations?

Gao-Se reached down and took Kota's hand.

The contact brought all of Kota's doubts crashing to the ground. She squeezed Gao-Se's hand and felt tears spring to her eyes. She started shaking as tears fell, like a cold shiver that wouldn't stop.

Gao-Se slid closer and pulled Kota into her arms. "It's okay, shh. We got you."

A loud metal snap! made Kota jump, but she realized it was just Panuk cutting Taatu's chains with a pair of bolt cutters. After a few more snaps, he moved onto hers.

Taatu still hadn't acknowledged anything. His eyes were open but he didn't move.

Panuk cut the chains that held her to the wall, but didn't get the ones around her wrists just yet. He tucked the bolt cutters into his robe and scooped up Taatu. "Let's go. Quickly."

Gao-Se handed Kota out the window, and the brief loss of contact nearly sent her spiraling. Gao-Se climbed out the window right behind her and held her again, keeping her off the bad ankle. A large tongue licked the side of her face, and smelled like wet dog.

Seeing the expansive landscape was far too much. After over a week of having her entire world extend just ten feet in either direction, adjusting her vision and mind to see long-distance was completely disorienting. She made out the shapes of several sky bison before she just shut her eyes and clung to Gao-Se. She didn't open them again until they were in the air.

She felt Panuk cut the chains around her wrists, and finally opened her eyes. Two more bison flew alongside theirs, with more airbenders in one, and Ennis in the other, panting happily. She took a deep breath of the fresh, salty air, and watched Panuk toss the chains over the saddle, into the sea.

She sat up on her own and pulled slightly out of Gao-Se's arms, although the woman kept a hand on Kota's back protectively. "How did you find us?" She croaked.

Panuk pulled some things out of a small bag, and offered her fruit and fresh water in a canteen. He smiled gently. "Word travels fast in the Spirit World."

"You got the message? I didn't say where I was, though."

"Pahuac, the airbender you found in the Spirit World, recognized the work of Metalman." He said gently, his voice lowered. He gestured to his neck.

Metalman. The words sent a dull metal clunk of boots through her brain like a shiver.

"But we had more help. Spirits and humans who have a strong connection in the Spirit World can often find each other in the physical world as well."

Kota frowned in confusion. "The leaf monkey?"

Panuk nodded toward the front of the saddle. There was nothing there at first, but a spirit faded into view. A familiar deer, with sparkly-white swirling patterns.

For a moment, it terrified Kota as it was a symbol from her dreams.

Gao-Se caught her apprehension. "Don't worry, it's not a dream. I assure you it's real."

Kota tried to relax again. Panuk had covered Taatu in a blanket even though it wasn't cold out, and was rubbing his back nonstop. "Are either of you seriously injured?" He asked.

Kota hesitated, then nodded, keeping her chin low so as not to stretch out the scabs on her neck. "His right thigh. I don't think it's causing this though." She gestured to Taatu's frozen state while Panuk checked his leg. "It happened I think on the second night. But he was talking to me up until this morning."

"He might just need some time." Panuk nodded, looking at the boy with a heartbroken expression. "I should have had someone awake on guard that night. I'm so sorry."

"What about you?" Gao-Se asked. "Are you hurt?"

"Just my ankle. It's not too bad." She avoided mention of their necks. It still felt wrong. A half-healed broken ankle and a stab wound to the thigh are normal injuries; things that can happen. The superficial slices on their necks were identical and obviously created on purpose. She felt like it was something she'd personally done wrong. It nauseated her. She forced those thoughts away. "Where's Roh?"

"I don't know." Panuk said. "Last I saw she came by the Embassy looking for you, took Ennis, then dropped him back off, and left again. The earthbending boy was with her, and another boy with darker hair, and another girl that looked just like her. Does she have a twin?"

Kota gave another low nod. "Yeah, and the dark-haired boy might've been my brother. When was that?"

"Three or four days ago--"

He was cut off by a loud BANG, and off to their right, the daytime sky sparkled with fireworks. But it wasn't a holiday display. The red color was unique to the Fire Military. It was a warning shot.

~//~