fire & lightning

chapter thirty-two

Nothing much has changed since the invasion first started, except for the fact that Hakoda was badly hurt and Katara needed to stay behind with him. Sokka and i headed back to the battlefield to see that we're still in the same zone, our team still trying their best to take our enemies down, but more Fire Nation soldiers are appearing by the minute.

Sokka, Toph and i were hidden by a broken tank, trying to come up with a new plan since our leader was absent.

"Dad!" Sokka startled me. I looked into the direction he was concentrating on, seeing Katara and Hakoda making their way towards us. Hakoda was still in bad shape and Katara was helping him walk.

"You're on your feet again!" I exclaimed as the three of us approached them.

"Yes, thanks to Katara. I'm in no shape to fight, but maybe there's another way i can help." Hakoda gently sat down, Katara helping him.

"Everything is going smoothly and the eclipse hasn't even kicked in yet." Sokka explained the situation to his father.

"Let's hope our luck holds out."

"Katara, you're distracted." I noticed. "What's wrong?"

"Yeah, is that Aang?" Katara looked up at the sky and squinted.

"What?" We all copied, seeing Aang return to us on his glider.

"Please tell me you're here because the Fire Lord is a big wimp and you didn't need to eclipse to take him down." Sokka begged as Aang landed in front of us.

"He wasn't home, no one was. The entire palace city is abandoned." Aang informed us.

"Oh no, they knew." My face turned pale. Why didn't i expect this?

"The Fire Lord is probably long gone, far away on some remote island where he'll be safe during the eclipse." Aang theorized.

"No, i think i know where he is." I gathered everyone's attention. "He's in a secret bunker, no doubt. But, i'm not too sure how to get there. Toph needs to help me and use her earthbending to find it."

"Okay, The Mechanist gave me this timing device. We have ten minutes until the eclipse." Sokka pulled out a small electronic from his pocket, taking a good look at it. "Ten minutes to find the Fire Lord."

"We can still do this! We can still win the day." Aang's positive attitude returned, and it was affecting the rest of us.

"Wait, if they knew we were coming, it could all be a trap. We should use the time we have left to get everyone out of here safely." Katara made a good point, making me rethink the plan.

"Everyone who's here today came prepared to risk everything for this mission. If there's still a chance and hope, i think they would want Aang to go for it." Hakoda stated his opinion.

"What do you think, Aang? You're the one that has to face the Fire Lord." Sokka put all of the pressure on Aang. "Whatever you decide, i'm with you."

"I've gotta try." Aang agreed to stay, making me feel hopeful, but also scared.

Next thing we knew, Aang, Toph, Sokka and i mounted Appa as he took us to the high spot of the volcano surrounding the palace ground, hoping there we can find a way into the Fire Lord's secret lair. Katara stayed behind to be with Hakoda and the two of them will take care of our team.

"Do you feel anything?" Aang questioned Toph as we dismounted the bison.

"Yup, natural tunnels crisscrossing through the inside of the volcano." Toph used her hand to feel the earth around her.