by The Tale of Aang; Azula; Toph; Sokka; Zuko; Katara (retail) (epub)
Why is there so much fur in the river? Of course! They must have finally realized that the beast is shedding, and that this is how we have been following them. They must have tried to wash off the creature’s excess fur in the river so it would no longer leave an obvious path for us.
So then why is there a trail of fur leading away from the river to the east, when those broken branches show that the beast went the other way? Ah, someone must be using his brain, but he doesn’t know who he’s dealing with.
“The Avatar is trying to give us the slip,” I told the girls.
Obviously, some of his group went in one direction, while others left some fur to give me the impression that they had gone the other way. I see that some of the fur along the eastern path is clinging to high branches. That means it was dropped from the air. If the beast went west, then the only one who could have flown east to drop the fur and mislead us was the Avatar himself—I had seen him fly on his glider back at Omashu.
This called for a change in plans.
“Ty Lee, Mai, you two head west, in the direction of those broken branches, and keep your eye out for the bison,” I said. “I’m certain it went that way. I will follow this trail to the east, where I am sure I will find the Avatar!”
As my girls took off on their mongoose-dragons along the trail heading west, I rode mine heading east. How noble of the Avatar, willing to lead me away from the others to protect his friends, at the cost of his own freedom. And how foolish, too.
After following the trail for most of the day, I came to a deserted town. The sun was low in the sky and cast long shadows onto the abandoned buildings. There, in the center of the empty town, stood the Avatar, alone. I dismounted and walked toward him slowly.
He’s smaller than he first appeared when he ran from me in Omashu. Brave Avatar, we shall soon see what you are made of.
“All right, you’ve caught up with me,” he said boldly. “Now, who are you, and what do you want?” he asked.
I find it amusing that he tries to sound so tough, but he has the voice of a child! He has no idea who I am. I’ll have to give him a little help. “You mean you haven’t guessed? You don’t see the family resemblance? Here’s a hint.”
I covered my left eye with one hand, then spoke in a low, raspy voice. “I must find the Avatar to restore my honor.”
But there was no reaction. Boys can be so pigheaded about trying to maintain a tough exterior. “It’s okay. You can laugh. It’s funny,” I said.
But he didn’t laugh. He was no fun at all. Instead he asked seriously, “So now what?”
Fine. Be that way. I can play the serious warrior better than you. “Now it’s over,” I replied. “You’re tired, and you have no place to go. You can run, but you know I’ll catch you.”
I didn’t think he could look any more serious than he already did, but he narrowed his eyes and stared right at me. “I’m not running,” he declared.
Very well. Let’s just get to the point. “Do you really want to fight me?” I asked.
“Yes, I really do,” replied a low, raspy voice from behind me.
“Zuko!” the Avatar cried, as shocked to see my brother as I was.
Well, well, well. A lovely little family reunion. Nice work, Zu-zu. I truly did not know that you have been following me. And I thought I’d have to track you down once I captured the Avatar. But now you have saved me the trouble. “I was wondering when you’d show up, Zu-zu.”
The Avatar giggled. “Zu-zu?”
Of course this really annoyed my sensitive big brother. Zuko turned to me, his fists clenched, his eyes fierce.
“Back off, Azula,” he said. “The Avatar is mine.”
Oh, brother of mine, haven’t you learned that I don’t take orders from you—and I don’t intend to start? “I’m not going anywhere, Zuko,” I said.
The Avatar began sneaking away as though he thought he could take advantage of the conflict between Zuko and me. He is underestimating us. I immediately turned to face him and assumed a combat stance. Zuko did the same.
I can sense the Avatar’s nervous energy. He’s not sure who will attack him first or whether we will team up against him. Zuko is also fidgety. He’s trying to hide it, but I know too well that he taps his leg nervously when he is worried. He has done this ever since we were kids.
I now have the unexpected opportunity to confront Zuko and the Avatar together. But who shall I deal with first? I have to make a choice.
I fired at Zuko, knocking him down. He returned a fireball as the Avatar tried to fly away. I dodged Zuko’s strike while blasting the Avatar out of the air. He came instantly crashing back to the ground.
For a moment, Zuko and I teamed up against the Avatar, but I took advantage of our temporary alliance to once again attack Zuko. The strategic options presented in a three-way battle are quite intriguing. Still, I must remain alert to the movements of both of my opponents.
Zuko and I both hurled an enormous fire blast at the Avatar, but he flew into a nearby abandoned building, soaring up into the rafters. Zuko and I followed him into the building and discovered him floating on an air sphere. I shot a bolt of lightning at him, and as the sphere dissolved, the Avatar leaped to safety.
I will torch the entire town if I have to, but these two will not escape! I turned my attention back to Zuko for a moment. The force of my fire blast knocked Zuko out into the street. Then I turned back to the Avatar.
He ran into another building. I fired burst after burst of fire, which sliced pieces of the building away bit by bit. I now had the Avatar trapped.
I took a moment to savor the victory. The Avatar is mine. Nothing can change that! I sauntered into what was left of the building, and started a blaze that raced toward the Avatar. The look of terror on his face was priceless!
Seeking to prolong the moment, I drew back my hand slowly, preparing to unleash the final blow. Suddenly a thin stream of water slapped my hand down. Then the same water whip lifted the debris off the Avatar and released him!
Who dares to interfere with me?
“Katara!” the Avatar shouted.
I turned around in time to see a girl running from the building. Ah, she had been at Omashu with the Avatar. Well, this Waterbender will feel my wrath too!
I dashed after the girl, but the tall boy who travels with them also surprised me, attacking me with a boomerang. I stumbled backward.
But even working together, the Airbender, the Waterbender, and the boy with the boomerang posed little problem. I quickly regained my footing, then returned fierce fire of my own. That’s when the ground began to shake violently, knocking me off my feet. This time I landed facedown in the dirt.
“I thought you guys could use a little help,” said a voice from behind me. I scrambled to my feet and spun around.
The Earthbender! She has joined our little party. And she is not the only one. Iroh is here too! I knew that wherever Zu-zu was, Iroh would not be far behind.
“Uncle!” Zuko cried, sprawled on the ground.
“Get up,” Iroh said, helping Zuko to his feet.
Let’s see now, six against one. Over-whelming odds. I almost feel sorry for all of them. I feel as if my senses are heightened
by this challenge. Attacks came from all
directions—Earthbending, Airbending,
Waterbending, and Firebending. I dodged them all, returning fire of my own with raging fury.
Then the group started closing in on me. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw that they were backing me toward a wall. Hmm … this will require just the right move at precisely the right time. But first I must distract them.
“Well, look at this,” I said. “Enemies and traitors all working together. I’m done. I know when I’m beaten. You got me. A princess surrenders with honor.”
I began to bow slightly, then quickly straightened up and blasted Iroh in the chest with my most powerful lightning strike. Down he went. Then the others reacted precisely as I knew they would.
I quietly slipped back to my mongoose-dragon and rode back toward the river. I wanted to find Ty Lee and Mai to plan our next move … but as it turned out, our next move came and found us.
Chapter 4
The city of Ba Sing Se is the capital of the Earth Kingdom. It is where the Earth Kingdom ruler lives, and is the center of culture, education, finance, and agriculture as well.
My father and uncle knew that if Ba Sing Se fell, the Earth Kingdom would fall. If the Earth Kingdom falls, the Fire Nation will complete its destiny and control the entire world. Ba Sing Se is the key. Iroh tried years back to invade the walled fortress, but failed miserably. He didn’t take the Earthbenders’ defenses and their resolve seriously enough, and it cost him dearly.
Since Iroh’s failure, my father has been obsessed with taking Ba Sing Se. His war minister and generals have been working for years on a device to break through Ba Sing Se’s fortified outer wall—an enormous drill. When I learned the drill was completed and on its way to the city, I knew that this would be the means to make up for my recent difficulties in capturing Iroh, Zuko, and the Avatar.
How sweet that I will be the one who finally completes the capture of Ba Sing Se. I will take command of the drill and lead the Fire Nation to victory. I will deliver the crushing blow that takes down the city and destroys the Earth Kingdom in one powerful assault. Once Ba Sing Se is in my hands, all else will become irrelevant. The Earth Kingdom will be ours, and the war will be over quickly—with my father in his rightful position as ruler of the entire world.
Mai, Ty Lee, and I caught up to the drill a short distance from Ba Sing Se. I immediately took command from the war minister, who had been leading the attack. He boasted that the drill would easily break through the outer wall of Ba Sing Se in a single day. Then he showed me the device.
The drill stood one hundred feet tall and was actually made up of two parts. The drill itself, which would bore an opening in the wall, was completely encased in a metal shell. The drill was connected to the shell by a series of braces, and the shell was impervious to any known substance or force.
I am thrilled! The drill is an incredibly efficient tool encased in armor that cannot be pierced. This machine is virtually unstoppable, and with it I shall begin the final phase of the Fire Nation’s world victory!
I continued toward Ba Sing Se. The war minister remained with me and my crew, who ran the enormous contraption.
My father had also sent a fleet of small tanks to accompany the drill, in case we met any resistance. I laughed as I peered from the drill’s command bridge at the tiny tanks, which looked like children’s playthings flanking us on either side.
The view from the command bridge spread out before me as we approached the city. At my first glimpse of our target—the outer wall—the thrill of conflict swept through my bones. I live for conquest and success, and this time I will not fail my father.
“This drill is a feat of scientific ingenuity and raw destructive power,” the war minister said as the wall drew closer.
He certainly does love his mechanical monstrosity. But his boasting grows tiresome. “Yes, so you’ve said,” I responded.
“Once it tunnels through the wall, the troops accompanying us in the tanks will storm the city. The Earth Kingdom will finally fall, and you can claim Ba Sing Se in the name of your father. Nothing can stop us,” the war minister continued.
Ty Lee leaned over my shoulder and peered out the window. “What about those guys down there?” she asked.
I followed her gaze and spotted a platoon of Earthbenders lining up in the path of the drill.
The war minister snorted his contempt for Ty Lee’s concern. “Please. The drill’s metal shell can handle any Earthbending attack.”
He is really starting to get on my nerves. I need to cover all possibilities. I will take no chances. “Oh, I’m sure it can,” I said. “But just to be on the safe side—Mai, Ty Lee, go take the Earthbenders out. I want nothing standing in our way.”
“All right!” Mai cried as she and Ty Lee headed for the exit. “Finally something to do!”
I watched as the Earthbenders created a huge column of rock directly in our path on the battlefield below. The grinding tip of the drill pierced the rock tower, easily pulverizing it into dust, and the drill rolled steadily forward.
Well … perhaps the war minister is correct in his complete confidence in the machine. This may indeed prove to be an easy task. Father will be so impressed with me!
Ty Lee and Mai slid down the outside shell of the drill and leaped toward the Earthbenders. Mai flung daggers to provide cover for Ty Lee, who bounced and tumbled her way to a large man—obviously the Earthbenders’ captain. One by one, she struck key pressure points on his body, first blocking his bending ability, then causing him to collapse onto the ground. With their captain defeated, and Ty Lee and Mai gaining the upper hand, the Earthbenders quickly retreated. The girls slipped back inside the drill, which rumbled on, unimpeded, inching closer to the wall.
“This drill is so slow,” Mai complained, falling back into the seat to catch her breath.
“Slow!” the war minister exclaimed. “Breaking through the outer wall of Ba Sing Se took General Iroh six hundred days!” he continued. “We will do so in one.”
Mai shrugged. “Whatever.”
Ty Lee suddenly pointed out the window at a cloud of dust rolling toward the drill. “Hey, look at that. It’s so … poofy. You know. Poof.”
What is that? Is there something hidden within the cloud? I can’t imagine it could be something that would pose a serious threat to this machine.
“Don’t worry, Princess,” the war minister said smugly. “I’m sure it’s nothing. Just a harmless cloud of dust.”
A few seconds later the cloud vanished, as if the drill had run right over it.
Maybe he was right. Perhaps it was simply a harmless dust cloud. Some trick of the wind. We continued forward, unhampered.
Suddenly the entire machine began to vibrate and hum. We shook and bounced for a few seconds, and then a high-pitched whirring sound cut through the dull din of the vehicle’s motor.
We are in! The drill has hit the wall and begun its work, boring its way into the city. The assault on Ba Sing Se is under way at last!
“Congratulations, crew!” the war minister shouted into a metal pipe that served as the drill’s communication system. “You can start the countdown to victory!”
However, a few minutes later the war minister’s declaration proved to be premature. A bell rang, indicating an incoming message for the war minister on the communication system. In a panicked voice, a crew member informed us that an engineer had been ambushed, his plans for the drill had been stolen, and one of the braces that held the outer shell to the drill had been cut.
Sabotage! Somehow, someone has gotten into the drill and is trying to stop us from the inside! So that harmless cloud of dust was not quite so harmless after all. We must stop this threat before it spreads.
“Ladies, come with me!” I commanded, not even bothering to look at the war minister. I will deal with him after I finish handling this fiasco, for which I’m willing to bet my throne that the Avatar is responsible.
Ty Lee, Mai, and I hurried to the section of the machine between the drill and the outer shell. There, as I expected, we found the Avatar and his companions attempting to destroy another brace.
Very clever, Avatar. You may have snuck in here hidden by a dusty cloud, but you will never leave this drill alive! You have interfered with my plans for the last time.
I hurled a sizzling blast of blue fire at the Avatar, but he and two others dod
ged my attack. Then they split up. The Waterbending girl and the other boy ran one way, the Avatar in the opposite direction. I did not see the Earthbending girl with them.
“Follow them!” I shouted to Ty Lee and Mai. “The Avatar is mine!”
The Avatar disappeared around a bend. I followed up the chamber and emerged outside to find him Waterbending slashes into the metal armor at the top of the drill.
I unleashed a burst of flames at the Avatar, but he spun, and pushed my attack aside with his Airbending. He was also ready for my next attack, countering it with a huge gust of wind that swept toward me.
You are good, Avatar. But not good enough!
I launched myself over his airburst and landed beside him. Then I fired a swift series of short fire bursts one after another. But the Avatar slapped my hands aside with a whip made of water.
Impressive. His Waterbending skills have grown. But as everyone knows, fire evaporates water.
I focused my next blast right at his water whip. The whip sizzled into steam and vanished into the air. Just then, a flurry of rocks swept up from below, pelting both of us.
Earthbenders were attacking from the ground!
The Avatar redirected all the rocks at me, and I planted myself facedown on the surface of the shell to avoid them. After the rocks had passed me, I snapped back to my feet and blasted more fire at the Avatar. But he quickly formed more rocks into a wall, which deflected my flames. So he does have Earthbending skills as well now.
Thrusting each hand forward, the Avatar punched rocks at me. But I have come across attacks of this nature before. I drew myself up into the crane stance. Balancing all my weight on one leg, I kicked the incoming rocks away with the shin guard on my raised leg, all the time moving closer to the Avatar and tossing fire at him.
Unable to counter my relentless onslaught, he moved backward, toward the drill.
There was nowhere for him to run! But I had no time to gloat. The Avatar suddenly drew loose rocks to him and formed a shield around his arm. He swung his rock gauntlet quickly and struck me in the stomach. Reeling backward, I spun around before regaining my footing. Just as I turned to charge at the Avatar, he was gone!
