Freedom

Chapter 28: The Last Ditch Effort

Appa let out a loud roar as his heavy feet thudded against the ground. He came towards them full speed, trying to break up the crowd.

Aang and Toph sprung into action. Toph used pieces of metal around them to hold guards down to the ground, making it impossible for them to move. Aang followed behind, sending gusts of air to guards, sending them flying backwards.

Katara saw the two scanning the crowd, losing them in the sea of red prison outfits.

"Aang!! Toph!!" she shouted, gathering their attention. Aang looked over, picking out her voice amongst the cries of the prisoners and sounds of the battle.

His eyes drew together in worry when he saw her. He was expecting her to be in her disguise still. But while her hair was still straight, she wore tattered prisoner clothes. His face fell knowing they had been discovered, but he knew the battle wasn't over yet. He fought his way towards her, wanting to be by her side.

A guard was heading straight for Katara, prepared to take her down, but Aang blew him aside, ending himself right next to her.

"What happened?!?" he asked her, his voice full of worry.

"Azula's here... she" Katara started to speak, but when she said the girl's name, it reminded her that she was still here. She searched around, as the steam finally began to dissipate, trying to find the girl.

It was easy to spot her as she was heading straight towards them.

"I'll take care of her" Aang spoke, moving into a battle position, "Go get Zuko and get on Appa"

Katara nodded, taking off in the opposite direction. The entire courtyard was sticky with dew from her steam cover, making it easy for her to fight people off. She pulled the water up as she went, pushing people away.

She had to keep moving; the sooner she got Zuko, the sooner they could get out of there.

She climbed up the wooden pile, feeling the hot coals burn underneath her feet. When she finally reached him, he laid stiff against the pole.

"Zuko" she whispered, afraid she was already too late. But when she spoke his name, his eyes flickered open, as if he had simply been sleeping. Katara let out a breath; she wanted to hug him, to thank Agni, Tui, La and every divine being that he was okay. For a moment, the sounds of battle died away. But Katara knew they didn't have much time. She knew Azula would not let them leave quietly.

She reached to him and pulled away the burnt rope. She yanked hard, thinking it would be difficult to move but the second she pulled, it crumbled in her hands.

Katara moved it aside and quickly looked over him, expecting to see the worst underneath. While he did have a few nasty burns, it was nothing compared to what she expected. She looked up at him with confusion on her face.

But Zuko shook his head, "I'll explain later... let's move"

She nodded in agreement, grabbing his hand and helping him down from the pile. He winced every time he moved too fast, but he still pushed himself along, even when Katara tried to help him.

A guard rushed at them and grabbed Katara by the arm, "You two aren't going anywhere!"

His hand lit with fire, causing Katara to yelp as he squeezed her arm tight. But Zuko sprung into action, sending a blast of fire towards him and sending him backward.

Katara looked at him, bewildered. She remembered him saying he was sedated, that he couldn't bend.

"I promise I'll explain later but we need to move" Zuko told her, still holding onto her hand as they moved along. He hoppled as he walked but he still sent back the guards that tried to grab him or Katara.