Watch it Burn

Chapter 33

Dinner had just started, everyone was already there. I had told them to start without me while I got my room together. It had become a little messier than I had liked. I went to pick up my bag when the spirit book that I had gotten months ago in the desert fell out. Every time I tried to read it, something distracted me or stopped me.

I sighed and bent down to pick it up. I felt a cold chill run up my neck, not one I was familiar with. It didn't feel like it was a part of the spirit world but....it definitely wasn't mortal.

I looked around trying to find where the feeling was coming from, book still in my hand. I heard a low growl of something not normal and jolted around. A tall lengthy red, purple, and black...thing stood in the corner. It was almost human-looking but had no face. Its nails were long and sharp and smoke evaporated from it. It almost looked like it had been burned.

It let out a loud screech and I screamed, trying to run. Somehow, it grabbed me. Its hands burned into my skin as I screamed out in pain again.

Then everything went black.

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Zuko's POV:

I looked up from where I sat at the fire, tending to the flames when I heard a scream. The scream sounded just like Amara. I jumped up and ran towards where I heard the shout, worry overtaking me.

'What's wrong? Is she hurt? Is it fire nation?' I thought to myself as I raced into the temple. My footsteps rang through the hallway as I ran towards her room.

I threw open the door and looked around. In the corner, I saw a form lying limp on the stone floor. Amara was pale as I approached her, a thin sheen of sweat covering her skin. Her chest was slowly moving, indicating that she was breathing.

I let out a sigh of relief when I noticed her shallow but steady breathing.

"Is she okay?" I heard someone ask from behind me. I whipped around to see Sokka and Aang, who were watching with wide eyes.

"She's fine," I said, not entirely sure of myself, "just- go get Katara, can't she heal people or something?"

They stood there for a moment, but after a second they slowly started moving, running towards where I had just come from to find the water bender.

I looked around, trying to figure out what happened. I saw a weird book next to her, she must have been holding it when...whatever happened, happened. It was leather, old, and had some strange symbols on it. I knew one thing for sure, whatever it was it didn't come from any of the four nations.

"What's going on?" I heard the waterbender charge in, water already ready.

"It's Amara, I heard a scream and found her like this," I said, moving so katara could get a closer look.

She touches Amara's forehead, trying to feel for a fever. She checked her pulse and her breathing next, finding that both were fine, even if the breathing was shallow. She used her fingers to carefully open Amara's eyes. When I looked, they were glazed over, rolling in the back of her head.

"Turn her over." She told me. I helped turn the warrior over carefully. She quickly checked over Amara, finding no bruises or wounds.

"I don't get it." She said.

"What's wrong?" I heard Aang ask. I looked over and saw everyone in the doorway, trying to see what was wrong.

"She seems perfectly fine besides her paleness, glazed eyes, and breathing. There are many illnesses that could have caused this, but none of them make you faint. Not to mention she would have had a fever if she was sick. There aren't any wounds either." Katara said, bending the water to wrap around her hands. They began to glow as she placed them on Amara's head.