Freedom

Chapter 60: The Sacred Tomb of the Fire Lords

Zuko's moments were fleeting.

He ran fast, hearing the sounds of battle from behind him. But as he ran, they slowly faded away. Aang, Sokka and Toph kept Azula at bay, at least long enough for him to get lost in the disarray of the palace.

He kept running, even when he could not hear the sounds of air and earth behind him. He closed his eyes trying to picture all of the maps in his mind. There was only one place as a child, he didn't dare go. His father would have killed him on the spot for daring to trespass on such sacred ground.

It was why it was the perfect place for Ozai to be hiding.

Aang sent an air blast forward, sending the Dai Li agent into the wall behind him. He searched for his friends, finding them in similar predicaments. He raced to help them but caught Azula's eye. She stepped back from the battle, letting the Dai Li do her dirty work while her bending was useless.

But Aang caught her and she knew it too.

Azula darted off down the hallway with Aang hot on her heels. Dai Li created stone walls to stop Aang on his path but he quickly moved through them. Sokka and Toph followed only a few steps behind.

Azula ran up the wall, jumping along the metal beams in the ceiling. Aang sent air blasts towards her, missing by only inches each time. She had some of the gracefulness of her friend Ty-Lee, but the deadliness of her friend Mai. She evaded their blows every time.

Every time, she missed their attacks but made no attempts to fight back. The battle was one sided.

"Guys stop!" Toph yelled. Aang and Sokka turned to her, "She's just trying to waste our time! If we don't get back to the troops before the eclipse is over, it will be a lot harder to get everyone out alive"

Azula stopped, putting her hands on her hips, "Not true, I'm giving it my all" she put her hand over her heart, swearing her truth.

Sokka nodded, "You're just playing with us!" He yelled. Azula rolled her eyes, "I believe that's what the blind one just said moron. And for those who can't see me, I'm rolling my eyes"

"I'll roll your whole head!!" Toph screamed back at her, stepping forward like a gemsbok bull ready to attack. Aang grabbed her arm to stop her, "So what do we do? Just ignore her?"

"She doesn't have her bending, she can't attack us" Sokka reasoned, "We don't have a choice, we need to get back to the troops like Zuko said"

Azula sighed, "It's a trap ya know..." but when the trio continued to walk away, she knew she had to cut deeper. She smiled a wicked grin, "So, Sokka's your name, right? My favorite prisoner used to mention you all the time"

Sokka stopped walking, but didn't turn around. His heart fell into a pit in his stomach, knowing there was only one person she could be talking about.

Zuko took a deep breath. He looked up at the wooden carvings of dragons and fire etched into the tall door in front of him. The door had been there as long as his ancestors sat on the throne.

The Sacred Tomb of the Fire Lords.

He pressed his way inside, the door giving way to his weight. It was never locked. There was no reason to. Even the enemies of the Fire Nation knew better then to disturb the dead.

The room was tall, only being lit by firelight. It was entirely made of volcanic stone, the black rock glimmering against the firelight. It was constructed by the first Fire Lord and was centuries old. But Fire Sages kept the tomb pristine.

Zuko looked up at the ceiling, seeing the depictions of dragons giving bending to the first firebenders. It was something he had only heard stories about in school.