Cause Some Trouble Chapter 14
CAUSE SOME TROUBLE
CHAPTER 14-- THE DAY OF BLACK SUN, PART 2
The rebels left camp early that morning. The eclipse wouldn’t begin until late in the afternoon, but they would need to be in position at the fortress by then. Kuei remembered what Quan had said in their final strategy meeting:
“We have to be careful,” he’d said. “There are five watchtowers at the fortress, two at the main gate and three more around its perimeter wall. And then there are the exterior walls to account for-three of the damn things, one extending out from each of the three perimeter towers. They go for miles and miles over the landscape, punctuated with watchtowers every mile or so, so we can’t go around ‘em. And we can’t reach the fortress’s front gate without crossing at least one of them.”
Now they all stood on the road leading up to the cave outside the rebels’ valley. Quan looked over his troops; he gestured to the two units of Earthbenders and non-Bending warriors in front of him.
“First wave, move out,” he ordered. The two units turned and disappeared into the trees.
Kuei and Zafirah were in the second wave, which meant their time wouldn’t come for quite a while. They were standing near the back of the group. Shen and Daiyu were up at the front, with Quan. All of them were decked out in camouflage; they wore dark greens and grays, and they had streaks of dark paint on their faces. Zafirah was armed with her sand bag and her new dagger; Kuei had a war club that Quan had given him from the rebels’ armory. Shen had declared Kuei to be a quick learner, but Kuei still felt more comfortable with the war club than with his fists.
“When all else fails, stick with what you know best,” Shen had told him.
“Second unit, let’s go!” Quan barked. The remaining rebels set off down the road. Kuei shot a look at Zafirah as they moved silently through the forest. She was walking rather close to his side, he noticed. But if she was nervous, she didn’t show it. All he saw on her face was fierce determination. Her jaw was set firmly and her eyes practically burned. He certainly wouldn’t have wanted to be on the receiving end of that fury. The green and gray paint made her look like some warrior Spirit, he thought-dark and vengeful.
He, on the other hand, was probably nervous enough for both of them. He wasn’t entirely convinced that they were going to pull this off. They had much fewer people on their side this time, for one thing. In the desert, Qamar’s messengers had rallied a few hundred Sandbenders to their cause. Here they had around fifty rebels, and they were up against a heavily fortified military base. There was a reason why the Fire Nation hadn’t taken General Fong’s fortress until now. The rebels did, however, have one significant advantage that Fire Nation troops lacked: Earthbenders.
He glanced at Zafirah again and found her looking back at him. She gave him a thin-lipped smile and held out one slender hand to him. He took it and she squeezed his fingers reassuringly. He smiled back and gripped her hand in return. The nerves settled somewhat. The two of them had already seen Fire Nation forces defeated once-they knew it was possible, and they knew it could happen again. The rebels could win this. They had to win.
Soon they reached the inky black mouth of a tunnel; it was the entrance to a system of passageways leading through the heart of the mountain. These tunnels would take them beneath the exterior walls… right to the front gate of the fortress. Kuei’s stomach lurched in trepidation as the rebels moved forward into the mouth of the tunnel. Torches flared to life throughout the group as the daylight disappeared behind them. There were only a few torches between them-at the head, sides, and end of the group-so Kuei trod carefully.
The back of his neck prickled as they walked. The further they went, the more eerie the tunnels became. The air was perfectly still, not even a whisper of a breeze to stir it. They all walked as silently as they could; even so, their soft footfalls echoed strangely. Every sound had an odd, flat quality to it. He and Zafirah exchanged uneasy glances.
At last they emerged from the tunnels. The passageways had left them on the far side of the northwestern exterior wall, hidden within the trees at its base. The fortress lay to their left, looming high above them.
A third unit split from the group now, heading off to their assigned post. The rest of the rebels continued on. They were within sight of the watchtowers now, so every footstep had to be taken with care. They crept through the trees at a painstaking pace, pausing at every cracking twig or crunching leaf. Finally they reached their destination-the sheltered spot beneath the bridge leading up to the base’s front gate. They settled into place without a word spoken amongst them.
Breaking down the gate would be easy enough. Under Fong’s control, the front gate would have opened the way gates did in Omashu and Ba Sing Se-by Earthbending. But that wouldn’t work for the Fire Nation, obviously, so they had blasted a hole in the wall and covered it with a gate of wood and iron instead. Yes, it would be quite simple to break through that gate.
Getting past the armed guards, on the other hand, was another matter entirely.
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One of the nice things about watch duty, Lieutenant Li thought, was that there was a cool breeze that blew up from the ocean. And he had a good view of the sea, too, being stationed atop the northwestern watchtower-though not as good a view as the guys stationed on the towers at the front gate, of course. There were certainly worse places that a Fire Nation colonial garrison could’ve ended up, though. Good thing Captain Hideki was such an influential man, to get awarded command of a captured enemy fortress. Li shot a quick glance at Xia, the other guard stationed with him; her back was to him. He quickly lifted his visor and wiped the sweat off his forehead. It was a hot day.
Just then, he heard a funny sort of sound coming from below the watchtower. It was like a soft grinding noise. He approached the edge of the tower and peered over the railing. His eyes went wide. A platform of white rock zoomed up the side of the tower, with six dark figures riding atop it! Li opened his mouth to shout an alarm, but before he could get a single sound out, one of the figures threw its arm up-the last thing he saw was the rock that shot up and struck his helmet. He crumpled to the floor.
Xia spun around just in time to see six camouflaged people leap over the railing of the tower. Her fists flew up to Firebend but it was too late: as soon as their feet hit the floor, stones flew up from beneath her and wrapped around her hands. One of the dark-clad figures ran over and quickly knocked her out.
At the northeast tower, two more sentries fell to dark-clad intruders.
In the southeast tower, Sergeant Hisao turned just in time to see his fellow sentry come at him with a knife. His body hit the floor and the spy waved down to the Earthbenders at the bottom of the tower. Now only one more obstacle stood in their way-the watchtowers by the main gate.
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They could see it clearly, coming from the northwest guard tower. Three flashes of light off the blade of a dagger, then two, then three more. That’s the signal! Kuei thought. He remembered it from Quan’s final strategy meeting. That sequence meant that the first wave was complete. The three perimeter watchtowers were theirs. Now it was their turn.
But then something else happened: clanging bells resonating from inside the base. They’d been found out!
“Now!” Quan roared. The rebels thundered out from beneath the bridge and stormed the gates. Kuei ran alongside Zafirah, his pulse pounding in his ears. The Earthbenders at the head of the column thrust stone pillars up from either side of the bridge-giant spears of rock that crashed through the gate and tore it to splinters. The rebels charged through the dust cloud. For a moment, Kuei couldn’t see a thing; then they were through the debris and into the main courtyard of the fortress.
Fireballs streaked down from the watchtowers by the main gate and there were soldiers pouring out from the barracks. But Quan’s plan was already in motion: six Earthbenders at the rear of the rebel force ran to the two watchtowers, planted their feet firmly against the ground, and thrust their palms into the stone. A loud rumbling filled the air and the oncoming Firebenders paused.
Fractures split the stone around the Earthbenders’ hands-they turned into deep cracks that raced up the length of the towers. Kuei heard the guards’ cries of panic from above as the stone crumbled beneath their feet. The Earthbenders shoved forward, a low rumbling filling the courtyard as the cracks widened. The towers pulled away from the wall, with the groan of shattering stone growing louder and louder. The towers and the wall around them collapsed, falling away from the fortress. They toppled into the forest beyond the front gate.
Kuei stood, transfixed by the sight. He’d known about Quan’s plan, but seeing it happen was something else entirely. He’d never seen such a raw display of Earthbending power before. Suddenly, he was feeling much more optimistic.
Then the moment ended and the Firebenders came to their senses. Their enraged shouts rang through the air and they charged. The rebels gathered together, bracing for the attack. Kuei and Zafirah glanced at each other, nodded, and took their fighting stances. He raised the new club; Zafirah tugged open her sand bag and gripped her dagger in her right hand.
And then the Fire Nation soldiers were upon them and everything turned to chaos. Just like in the desert battle, the noise was deafening. Shouts and screams echoed across the courtyard. And then there was the sound of Firebending itself-the sharp crack of a fireball erupting from a soldier’s fist.
Arrows and rocks hurtled down on the Firebenders from the captured watchtowers, and the Earthbenders at the edges of the rebel force unleashed a show of Bending skill unlike anything Kuei had ever imagined. Pillars of rock roared up, launching Firebenders into the air. Stone slabs shot out of the earth to block fireballs and spears. And those at the center of the group stayed on their guard, tensed and ready. They knew the plan-they had to stay together as a group. If they scattered, the Firebenders would overwhelm them with sheer numbers.
“Forward!” Quan shouted from the center of the group. “Press ahead!” The rebels started to move again, towards the central command tower, struggling ahead one hard-won step at a time. The Firebenders pushed them back though. They surged against the rebels and drove them back towards the gate. He looked up at the sun; there were so many Firebenders, and the eclipse seemed so far away…
The Firebenders surrounded them now. The rebels bunched in on themselves and rock shields rose up around them. Fireballs rained down on the shields, shaking them. When one shield crumbled, another shot up to take its place. Then-a cry of pain, and one shield fell along with its maker. The other Earthbenders scrambled to close the gap as the soldiers fired through it.
“Keep the shields up!” one of the rebels shouted.
“Earthbender scum!” screamed a Firebender, both fists hurling fire at the rebels. Kuei saw the rebels near the gap struggling to get away-not all of them made it. A rock wall shot up in front of the soldier, cutting off his attack before anyone else could fall. Kuei’s blood ran cold; was this the end already? They couldn’t hold out much longer…
One last crack rang out, one last spurt of flame crashed against a rock shield, and then… silence. The sky grew dark, as though it were twilight. Nervous chatter sprang up amongst the Firebenders, turning to panicked shouts. And now a new kind of chaos began as the Firebenders fell back. It was the rebels’ turn.
The Earthbenders raised their arms; with a deep rumble, walls of earth sprang up between the rebels and the Firebenders. With a flick of the Earthbenders’ hands, the walls raced outward, forcing the Firebenders back across the courtyard. A battlecry rose up from the rebels; Zafirah joined in beside Kuei, shaking her dagger in the air and shouting to the skies. Firebenders spilled around the rock walls and charged at the rebels, armed with spears and with fists that were still quite deadly, even without their fire. The rebels fanned out, with a wall of rock at their backs and the tower ahead of them.
“Get to the tower!” Quan screamed over the noise. “Press forward!”
The sounds of battle rang out again-metal striking against metal, against flesh. The Earthbenders tore up the courtyard in a flurry of stone spears and shields.
Spear-wielding Firebenders broke through the front ranks of the rebel forces. Kuei yelled and just barely ducked the spear that thrust at his chest. He swung his club, more on instinct than strategy. It connected with the haft of the spear and knocked it aside. The soldier spun it like a bo staff and Kuei leaped back out of its path. He struck the haft again as the spearhead drove at his face, and then he grabbed hold of the spear, just like Shen had shown him, and twisted. His enemy was supposed to lose his balance-but the soldier wrestled the spear haft away from Kuei. He swore inwardly. The soldier whirled the spear haft towards his knees, meaning to knock Kuei’s feet out from beneath him. Kuei jumped into the air and the haft swung harmlessly beneath him. The soldier dropped his guard for just a moment, surprised, and Kuei dashed into his reach and swung his club. It clanged off the soldier’s helmet and he dropped.
“Nice one!” Zafirah cheered from next to him, busily fending off another spear-wielding soldier.
“Uh, thanks,” he said back, stunned. He hadn’t even planned that! Another soldier charged at him. Kuei deflected the first spear thrust. He wasn’t quite so quick on the next swing-the soldier spun the spear around, lashed out, and the spearhead sliced into his side. He fell back with a cry of pain, clutching the wound. He felt blood trickling between his fingers.
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Zafirah saw the spear strike Kuei from the corner of her eye. He staggered back with his hand pressed against his side.
“Kuei!” she shouted, panic flashing through her. But then the man in front of her ran at her again, spear raised. She twisted out of the way, but this soldier was a quick one; he recovered, turned to face her again right away and twirled the spear. Zafirah was starting to wish Daiyu had given her a bigger sand bag. She Bent sand from the pouch and sliced it sideways against the spear haft. It knocked the soldier off-balance enough for Zafirah to wrench the spear from his hands. She gave it a whirl and smacked the haft of it across the soldier’s stomach. He gasped and reeled back, and she dropped him by ramming the butt of the spear against his helmeted forehead.
Zafirah turned quickly and saw the other soldier taking aim at Kuei, ready to finish him off. She Bent a stream of sand and scattered it beneath the other soldier’s feet; he took another step and she jerked her fists back. The sand flew out from under him and he toppled to the ground. She was on the soldier in a heartbeat, cracking the hilt of her dagger upside his head. She Bent all the sand back to he pouch and dashed over to Kuei.
“Let me see it,” she said flatly. He nodded and she led him over to the shelter of the rock wall at the rebel group’s rear. He’s still on his feet, that’s a good sign, she told herself.
He pulled his hand away from the wound. She gently peeled back the bloodied, torn cloth of his shirt, cringing at the gash across his pale skin. Kuei winced as she put her fingertips on either side of the wound, checking it carefully. It was a shallow cut, thankfully. She sighed in relief and patted his shoulder.
“You’ll be okay. Blood makes it look worse than it is,” she told him. “C’mon, let’s get out there and smash some Firebender heads!” The two of them left the rock wall and pressed through to the front of the group. The rebels had tightened their ranks up again, making a solid column marching towards the central tower. They knew that they needed to take out Captain Hideki and his officers in order to take the base.
“He’ll be at the rear of the Fire Nation troops,” Quan had said. “I figure the highest-ranking officers will be close enough to direct the battle, without risking their own lives in the fighting.”
The fireless soldiers came at the rebels from all sides, but they couldn’t break into their ranks again. Earthbenders defended the column, raising up rock shield and throwing the soldiers back. And they couldn’t do much about the rebels still up in the watchtowers, either, raining down stones and arrows on their heads. That wall belonged to them now; nobody was getting up there but Quan’s people. They were one step closer to winning.
“There!” Quan bellowed from the head of the column. Zafirah looked up and saw Hideki standing atop the terrace at the tower’s base. Soldiers lined the steps leading up to the terrace, all the way down to the courtyard. The rebels roared and doubled their pace. Hideki shouted an order to his soldiers, but Zafirah couldn’t hear it over the noise of the fight.
The spear-carrying soldiers in the courtyard tightened up their ranks around the rebels, trying to force them back with the weight of their numbers. But their Earthbenders were one step ahead of the soldiers; deep trenches opened up under the front lines of the Firebenders and down they went, tripping up the soldiers behind them as they charged blindly ahead.
And then they were at the tower. It loomed high above their heads, Fire Nation flags fluttering from balconies on each level-flags that they were going to tear down, Zafirah thought with a fierce grin.
Up on the terrace, Hideki shouted an order to his soldiers. Zafirah couldn’t hear what it was over the noise of the fight. But she damn well saw what happened next: Hideki turned around and ran into the tower, six soldiers following behind him. Zafirah grabbed Kuei’s sleeve.
“Did you see that?!” she hissed to him, outraged.
“Yes,” Kuei said grimly. “I didn’t take the Captain for a coward when we dealt with him last.” They weren’t the only ones who’d seen Hideki flee.
“The Captain’s getting away!” Quan roared. “Let’s show him how we deal with cowards in the Earth Kingdom!” The rebels sent up a battle cry and charged up the steps. The soldiers who’d lined the steps stood firm at first-but not all of them had spears, and it was them against a horde of very, very angry rebels. And of course, they were all standing on stone stairs. The Earthbenders at the front of the column shook them off the steps quickly, and now they’d added another choice bit of property to the ground that Quan’s troops held. The entrance to the tower was theirs.
And not a second too soon, either-a loud crack echoed across the courtyard and a plume of fire roared over their heads.
“The eclipse!” Kuei exclaimed. Zafirah shot a look at the sky and saw the sun edging out from behind the moon.
“Get us some cover!” Quan ordered. The Earthbenders leaped into action-they demolished the steps leading up to the terrace and brought up huge shields of rock around the sides of the terrace, protecting the rebels.
Quan turned, looked around at his people and gestured to ten of them standing in front of him. “All of you, there, get into that tower and get Hideki. Bring back his head if you have to! We’re gonna force a surrender out of that jelly-spined dog,” he ordered. Zafirah realized with a jolt that she and Kuei were in the group he’d just pointed to. So was Shen, Kuei’s sparring partner.
“Sir,” Shen said, “What about the rest of our people? Those walls won’t hold forever.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Quan said. “We’ll hold a stalemate till you come back. Now go!” Zafirah and Kuei exchanged wary looks, and then they followed the rest of their team into the tower.
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Kuei couldn’t help but shiver as they walked into the tower. His last memories of the place were unpleasant, to say the least. This was where he’d been separated from his beloved Bosco; it was where his identity had been revealed and he’d nearly lost his only friends. He still didn’t know what had become of his bear, a fact that pained him greatly. Nor did he know where Basam was, which hurt just as much, if not more. He remembered Quan’s plan to spring the prisoners from the nearby prison, if they won the battle here. He could only hope that Basam would be there.
A quick look in Zafirah’s direction showed him that she wasn’t any happier than he was about coming back here. Her eyes were narrowed, her lips pressed into a thin line; her right hand tightly gripped the hilt of her dagger. He noticed that her face paint was patchy now, most of it having come off somehow. What was left was streaked with sweat.
Kuei looked around, taking stock of their situation: they stood in a circular chamber; on the left, Kuei saw the staircase that led to the upper levels of the tower. He saw now that there was a staircase behind it as well, going down beneath the floor. He wondered what they might find in the subterranean levels of the tower-perhaps a certain cowardly captain? He spotted a Fire Nation helmet a few feet from the door; had Hideki dropped it there while fleeing?
The tower was eerily silent. Light streamed through the wide windows surrounding the circular chamber; it didn’t help the apprehension that had settled in Kuei’s stomach, though. The stinging pain in his side didn’t help matters, either.
“There’s a secret exit beneath this tower,” Shen said quietly, his katana held at the ready. Kuei jumped a little at the sudden sound of the teenager’s voice. “Hideki might be looking for it. He might not know it’s there, either, so… you five, head upstairs. The rest of you, come with me downstairs.” He pointed to Kuei, Zafirah, and two other rebels whose names Kuei couldn’t recall. They headed down the stairs as the other five climbed further up into the tower.
They walked right into an ambush. Hideki’s six soldiers were waiting for them in the wide hallway at the bottom of the staircase. Four of them unleashed a torrent of fire that filled the passageway. Zafirah grabbed Kuei’s arm and yanked him out of the way, while Shen and the other two ducked. But one of the two wasn’t quick enough. She screamed in pain as the flames hit her full-force. Kuei’s stomach churned at the smell of burning flesh, and his heart clenched for the unfortunate woman. They didn’t have time to mourn their fallen compatriot, though.
The flames dissipated and Shen ran at the soldiers with a sharp yell, katana raised. Kuei and Zafirah followed on his heels, along with the third rebel. Luckily for them, that third rebel was an Earthbender. Her hands flew up and with a flick of her wrists, the two soldiers in front of her sank up to their waists in the stone floor.
Kuei raced towards the Firebender on the far right. The soldier kicked a fireball at Kuei’s feet and he leaped over it. He could feel the heat of the flames licking at his heels. The soldier’s right fist struck outward for another shot-Kuei swept his club around, caught the Firebender’s wrist from beneath and knocked his hand upward. The fireball flew over Kuei’s head and hit the ceiling. The soldier’s left fist snapped up for an attack, but Kuei’s arm met his midway in a block that would’ve made Shen proud. He disengaged the club from the soldier’s right arm, stepped to the right and whipped it around. The club smacked across the soldier’s gut, right where his breastplate ended. The Firebender gasped, slightly winded, and Kuei went for the finishing blow-only to find his attack blocked!
The soldier snarled, grabbed Kuei by the front of his shirt, and threw him against the wall of the passage. The back of his head connected painfully with the stone wall, and a stinging jolt shot through his wounded side. He started to fall forward as his knees weakened, but the Firebender held him up. The soldier drew back his fist, point-blank Firbending distance from Kuei’s face. But then the soldier cried out, his limbs going slack as he fell to the ground. A spear stuck out of his back. Kuei looked up and saw Shen, who gave him a curt nod and then went back to the soldier he was fighting.
To Shen’s left, he saw that Zafirah was locked in combat as well. The Earthbender was busy fighting another soldier, and the first two were still stuck in the ground…which just left the soldier in front of Kuei, who sneered and charged at him.
Kuei brought up his club, doing his best to ignore his injury and the throbbing in the back of his head. The soldier wielded a jian sword, its edges gleaming in the light of the fire blasts filling the tunnel. The soldier swung his blade in a downward stroke-Kuei blocked it, tried to disengage for an attack and couldn’t. He and the soldier both glanced up; the jian’s blade had bit deep into the wooden club and was stuck there. The soldier growled and yanked on his sword, and it was all Kuei could do to keep his grip on the war club. And then he couldn’t keep his grip anymore and the club flew out of his hands.
The soldier yanked on the club, but it stuck firmly in place. Kuei smiled, more than a little smugly. The smile vanished when the soldier tossed the sword aside and took a fighting stance, fists raised. Kuei took a breath and mirrored it. It was time to put that training to use. Shen’s words echoed in his head-taking the offensive.
Kuei feinted towards the soldier’s face; the soldier went to block, leaving his side exposed. Kuei went for a kick to the soldier’s ribcage-it landed! But the soldier hardly seemed to feel it, merely grunting and staggering back a step or two. And then he recovered and retaliated. Kuei matched him with blocks and counterattacks, but it was no use. The soldier was much more used to this than he was, and he had armor. Kuei was hard pressed to find vulnerable points-and his fists ached from missing and hitting the soldier’s armor.
And then the Earthbender joined the fight, trapping the soldier in solid rock. Kuei nodded his gratitude to her, his throat too dry from the heat of the tunnel to speak. He looked around and saw Zafirah nearby, looking tired but unhurt. Shen hadn’t fared so well. The teenager slumped against the wall, clutching a bleeding gash in his leg and sporting a burn across his torso. Kuei, Zafirah, and the Earthbender were at his side in an instant.
“Go after Hideki,” the boy hissed painfully. “Get that coward back here, if he hasn’t run off already.” Kuei wanted to protest, but the Earthbender spoke up before he could.
“I’ll bring Shen back to the others; you two go and look for the Captain,” he said to Kuei.
“Oh, don’t you worry,” Zafirah said darkly. “If that son of a dung-sucking beetle is still here, we’ll find him all right!” She grabbed Kuei’s sleeve again as she stood up, dragging him upright. He shot one last look at his sparring teacher, and then the two of them picked their way past the fallen soldiers and headed off into the tunnel. Kuei grabbed his club as they went, somehow managing to disengage it from the sword. He entertained the idea of keeping the blade, but then thought better of it. He was under no illusions about his marginal skill as a warrior.
While the main passageway was fairly wide and well-lit with green crystals, the side corridors were much less so. They were quite narrow and the crystals lighting them were spaced much farther apart. He and Zafirah walked through them in tense silence, their hands on their weapons.
Their winding path led them to another main corridor eventually. As they neared the corner at the far end of it, they heard footsteps coming down the hall that intersected it. Alarmed, Kuei grabbed Zafirah’s arm and pulled her into the shadows of a side corridor to their left. It was a tight fit, barely wide enough for one person to walk through. They huddled within its confines, hardly daring to breathe. Kuei craned his head to the side, peering into the dimly lit hall as the footsteps rounded the corner. And then the person walked past their hiding place. It was Hideki!
Kuei turned back to Zafirah to make sure she’d seen the Captain as well, but then he realized just how narrow the corridor was. He and Zafirah were squeezed in practically nose-to-nose, just a few inches separating their bodies. His hand was still on her arm, as well. Kuei’s mouth went dry, all thoughts of the mission fleeing from his mind. All he could think about was how close she was. The green crystals from the hallway beyond them cast a soft glow on her paint-smudged face. Their eyes met and he couldn’t have looked away even if he had wanted to. Her lips parted slightly, and he saw redness rising on her cheeks. Kuei was all but holding his breath now. Her chin tilted up just a little. Kuei found himself leaning forward, ever so slowly-
He jerked his head back, flustered. After taking a second to gather his wits about himself, he nodded towards the corridor. She blinked owlishly, her cheeks getting even redder as she nodded back. His heart hammered in his chest as they slipped out of the side corridor. There would be time to feel embarrassed about this later-as he undoubtedly would, he thought ruefully. He just hoped he hadn’t offended her. Right now, they had a job to do.
They crept down the passageway after Hideki, following the faint sound of footsteps ahead. After a few minutes of walking, their course brought them to a small, rectangular chamber. It had wooden crates lining the walls and stacked in the middle of the space-a storeroom, perhaps. The chamber sat at the intersection of four side passageways.
Kuei saw Hideki rise up from behind a crate to Zafirah’s left. “Look out!” he exclaimed. Zafirah turned, dagger drawn, but not quickly enough. The Captain knocked the blade from her hand with a well-aimed kick. She cried out in pain as his foot struck her hand. Kuei charged at the Firebender, missed his first attack, and then Hideki sent him flying back with a solid punch to the chest. He collided with the stacked crates and tumbled backward over them. The crates toppled over with him as he fell, crashing down around him. He hit the ground, pain jolting through his wounded side, and two of the crates landed on his arm and shoulder. He lay there for a moment, stunned.
The Captain whirled around as Zafirah rushed at him with a sand cloud drawn from her pouch; he met her attack with a burst of fire, forcing her to drop the cloud and dodge. Rage flared in Zafirah’s eyes and she flew at him with her bare fists. She landed a punch to the Captain’s chin, but her triumph was short lived. She punched again and Hideki seized her fist in midair. His other hand grabbed her shoulder and he drove his knee into her stomach. She let out a sharp gasp, the wind knocked out of her. Hideki spun her around, twisting her captured arm behind her back.
Kuei recovered and shook his head, clearing his thoughts and squirming out from under the crates. He clambered to his feet, badly bruised but without broken bones, but he was too late. Hideki took a pair of metal handcuffs from his belt and latched one side of them around Zafirah’s right wrist. In the blink of an eye, he had both of her wrists cuffed.
Zafirah thrashed in his grip, then threw herself backwards at him. She knocked Hideki off-balance for a moment and ran-she barely made it three steps before he recovered. The Firebender seized the end of her braid and yanked her back, eliciting another pained cry from her. He wrapped her braid around his fist once, twice, and hauled her back against himself.
Kuei readied his club and prepared to charge again… and then Hideki whipped a small, curved knife from his belt and raised it to Zafirah’s throat.
“No!” Kuei shouted, blind panic gripping him. He lunged forward, hand outstretched. But Hideki jerked Zafirah’s head back and pressed the wickedly sharp blade against her skin. Kuei froze in place, rooted to the spot. No, no, no, Spirits, please, no…
“Surrender, Earth King, or the sand rat dies,” Hideki said evenly.
“Kuei, don’t you dare listen to him!” Zafirah snapped. Hideki yanked sharply on her braid and her voice broke off with a shriek of pain. Kuei’s insides twisted at the sound, and he cursed himself for not being a strong enough fighter to defeat Hideki.
“The battle is lost, I must accept that,” Hideki said to Kuei. “You and your rebels have bested my soldiers, as appalling as it may be. My reputation will be in tatters when word of this reaches the Capitol, but with you in my possession I might still be able to salvage something of my military career.”
“What is it that you want, Hideki?” Kuei demanded, anger and panic swirling together in the pit of his stomach. Spirits, please, don’t take her from me… he begged silently. Don’t let her die at the hands of this damned coward!
“Hand yourself over to me, as my prisoner, and I will let your sand rat go,” Hideki said. “There is a Fire Nation port a few miles from here, and I know a way out of this fortress. We will return to the Fire Nation, I will present you to the Fire Lord, and then you will be publicly executed.” Kuei shuddered in cold fear. Hideki paused a moment before continuing.
“If you refuse,” he said, “Or try to run, I will slit her throat. Believe me when I say that I will kill her without a moment’s hesitation. So, Earth King, what will it be?”
“Kuei, don’t-“ Zafirah ground out. Hideki pulled on her braid again.
“Another word out of you and you’ll lose an ear,” he told her firmly. She paled beneath her smudged face paint and clenched her jaw.
Kuei’s eyes met Zafirah’s-they were wide with a mix of fear and fury. An image flashed through his mind of those bright, vibrant eyes going blank and empty, of that dagger cutting deep and her blood spilling-
“I surrender,” he said bluntly. It was an easy choice, mainly because it wasn’t a choice at all. Letting Zafirah die was simply not an option.
The faintest flicker of a sneer crossed Hideki’s face and he turned to look at his captive. “Did you hear that, Sandbender? Do you understand what has just transpired? I hope that you do; I hope that your savage mind can comprehend this. He’s just traded his own life for yours. Do you understand that? A king has sacrificed himself for a dirty, barbaric, worthless-“
“She is worth a hundred of you, Hideki!” Kuei shouted, clenching his fists. Zafirah’s eyes widened. “I’ve already surrendered, you’ll get what you want, now let her go!”
“Oh, I don’t think so. Not quite yet. She’s going to accompany us for a while, to ensure your cooperation,” Hideki said coldly. “Now kindly drop your weapon, step in front of me and walk down the corridor to your left. Kuei glanced over at it-it was the other side of the wider passageway that had led them here. With a heavy heart, he let the club fall to the ground and headed into the tunnel.
It was dark in the corridor; the crystal nearest to the threshold had been broken at some point, leaving very little light. But there was one thing he saw quite clearly, despite the darkness: there were people in the passageway. He sucked in a breath, tentative hope springing up in his chest. He could just make out vague, shadowed forms hiding against the wall of the corridor, though he couldn’t have said how many. He hesitated-who were these people?
“Why aren’t you walking?” Hideki demanded. Kuei thought quickly and then made his decision.
“I’ve surrendered to the enemy and now I’m headed off to my death. You’ll have to excuse my reluctance,” he said sardonically. He walked cautiously into the tunnel. Whoever these mysterious people were, surely they couldn’t make this situation any worse than it already was. Hideki followed, and they made it about five steps into the tunnel before everything changed again.
Kuei heard the clank of metal against metal and a sharp yell from Hideki. He spun around, just in time to see the Captain reel back from the shadowed form of a man. Whatever the mysterious person had done, it was enough to make the dagger fall from Hideki’s grasp. Kuei flung himself at Hideki with a furious shout, pulled the Firebender away from Zafirah, and tackled him into the wall. Hideki grunted as his head struck the stone. Kuei pulled back his fist and punched the man right in the nose. It broke with a crack and pain throbbed in Kuei’s knuckles.
Kuei stumbled back, feeling a surge of shock at what he’d just done-he’d broken a man’s nose! But he pushed it aside, knowing that their job still wasn’t done. And then two more shadowed figures stepped away from the passage wall and took charge of Hideki, grabbing his arms and pulling him back towards the chamber. Kuei let them take him; they couldn’t have been on Hideki’s side, if they’d allowed such an attack on his person. Kuei had another problem to worry about.
He found Zafirah in the darkness of the tunnel and gently grabbed her shoulder. “Are you all right?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” she said shakily. He guided her back into the chamber. As soon as they stepped back into the light, they both froze in astonishment.
“Hey, you two,” Basam said with a grin. There was dead silence for a moment, and then Zafirah shrieked and threw herself at him, handcuffs be damned. Basam pulled her into a tight hug as she broke down and sobbed into his chest. Kuei smiled, warmth bubbling up inside him, and went to fetch the handcuff keys from Hideki. He freed her arms and she immediately wrapped them around her brother, hugging him as though afraid that he might vanish again.
At long last, Zafirah pulled back from Basam. She wiped her eyes and looked up at him, searching his face. “How did you-what happened?” she asked breathlessly. Then she squinted at him. “And why are you dressed like that?!” Basam’s grin widened.
“We used the eclipse to break out of jail!” he exclaimed. “Oh, by the way, that’s Linh over there.” He gestured to a middle-aged woman with thin, black hair and pale skin. “And that’s, uh… I don’t know her name, actually. She’s a spy for those people that attacked the convoy.”
“Sorry to break this reunion short,” the spy said, “But there’s work to be done. I assume Quan is waiting for this scum’s capture?”
“That’s right,” Kuei agreed. He turned to Zafirah and held out the handcuffs. “Care to do the honors?”
“Pleasure’s all mine,” she said with a toothy grin. “But first…” She walked over to where Hideki stood, held firmly in the grasps of Basam’s two companions, and kicked him hard in the stomach. “That’s for pulling my hair, bastard,” she spat.
As they left the chamber, Basam grabbed Kuei into a lung-crushing hug, clapping him firmly on the back. “It’s great to see you, Kuei,” he said cheerfully.
“You too,” Kuei gasped. “Side… hurt…” Basam released him and cringed at the sight of Kuei’s blood-stained tunic.
“Sorry,” he mumbled.
//////
Quan spun around when the group emerged from the tower, and did a double take upon seeing the three extra people. Kuei almost smiled at the bewildered look on his face.
“Where in the world did you-never mind. Whatever this is, it’ll have to wait,” he growled. He took the handcuffed Hideki from them and pointed a dagger at his neck. “You, Captain, are going to do a little something for us,” he hissed. Hideki remained silent, his eyes fixed straight ahead. The rock shield fell at a gesture from Quan. He pulled his captive forward to the front of the terrace at the top of what used to be the stairs. Daiyu stepped up and stood alongside her commander.
“Soldiers, we have your Captain!” she shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth to be heard. An uneasy hush fell over the Fire Nation troops. Quan whispered something to Hideki, but the Firebender staunchly shook his head. The rebel leader pushed the knife against the Firebender’s throat and he caved.
“Lay down your arms!” Hideki yelled hoarsely. “This battle is over. I surrender!”
///
So there we have it, the day of the solar eclipse! I hope you enjoyed it! Please do tell me your thoughts on it. The next chapter will be an Interlude, covering the post-battle stuff.
Playlist:
1) Let’s War, The Plastic Constellations-Chapter theme for Ch14.
2) Grindhouse [Planet Terror]-Assault on the fortress.
3) Fearless, Jay Chou-Assault on the fortress.
4) Battling the Green Death [How to Train Your Dragon]-The assault continues, and inside the tower.
And the entire How To Train Your Dragon soundtrack. ILU, John Powell! You should have won that Academy Award.
CHAPTER 14-- THE DAY OF BLACK SUN, PART 2
The rebels left camp early that morning. The eclipse wouldn’t begin until late in the afternoon, but they would need to be in position at the fortress by then. Kuei remembered what Quan had said in their final strategy meeting:
“We have to be careful,” he’d said. “There are five watchtowers at the fortress, two at the main gate and three more around its perimeter wall. And then there are the exterior walls to account for-three of the damn things, one extending out from each of the three perimeter towers. They go for miles and miles over the landscape, punctuated with watchtowers every mile or so, so we can’t go around ‘em. And we can’t reach the fortress’s front gate without crossing at least one of them.”
Now they all stood on the road leading up to the cave outside the rebels’ valley. Quan looked over his troops; he gestured to the two units of Earthbenders and non-Bending warriors in front of him.
“First wave, move out,” he ordered. The two units turned and disappeared into the trees.
Kuei and Zafirah were in the second wave, which meant their time wouldn’t come for quite a while. They were standing near the back of the group. Shen and Daiyu were up at the front, with Quan. All of them were decked out in camouflage; they wore dark greens and grays, and they had streaks of dark paint on their faces. Zafirah was armed with her sand bag and her new dagger; Kuei had a war club that Quan had given him from the rebels’ armory. Shen had declared Kuei to be a quick learner, but Kuei still felt more comfortable with the war club than with his fists.
“When all else fails, stick with what you know best,” Shen had told him.
“Second unit, let’s go!” Quan barked. The remaining rebels set off down the road. Kuei shot a look at Zafirah as they moved silently through the forest. She was walking rather close to his side, he noticed. But if she was nervous, she didn’t show it. All he saw on her face was fierce determination. Her jaw was set firmly and her eyes practically burned. He certainly wouldn’t have wanted to be on the receiving end of that fury. The green and gray paint made her look like some warrior Spirit, he thought-dark and vengeful.
He, on the other hand, was probably nervous enough for both of them. He wasn’t entirely convinced that they were going to pull this off. They had much fewer people on their side this time, for one thing. In the desert, Qamar’s messengers had rallied a few hundred Sandbenders to their cause. Here they had around fifty rebels, and they were up against a heavily fortified military base. There was a reason why the Fire Nation hadn’t taken General Fong’s fortress until now. The rebels did, however, have one significant advantage that Fire Nation troops lacked: Earthbenders.
He glanced at Zafirah again and found her looking back at him. She gave him a thin-lipped smile and held out one slender hand to him. He took it and she squeezed his fingers reassuringly. He smiled back and gripped her hand in return. The nerves settled somewhat. The two of them had already seen Fire Nation forces defeated once-they knew it was possible, and they knew it could happen again. The rebels could win this. They had to win.
Soon they reached the inky black mouth of a tunnel; it was the entrance to a system of passageways leading through the heart of the mountain. These tunnels would take them beneath the exterior walls… right to the front gate of the fortress. Kuei’s stomach lurched in trepidation as the rebels moved forward into the mouth of the tunnel. Torches flared to life throughout the group as the daylight disappeared behind them. There were only a few torches between them-at the head, sides, and end of the group-so Kuei trod carefully.
The back of his neck prickled as they walked. The further they went, the more eerie the tunnels became. The air was perfectly still, not even a whisper of a breeze to stir it. They all walked as silently as they could; even so, their soft footfalls echoed strangely. Every sound had an odd, flat quality to it. He and Zafirah exchanged uneasy glances.
At last they emerged from the tunnels. The passageways had left them on the far side of the northwestern exterior wall, hidden within the trees at its base. The fortress lay to their left, looming high above them.
A third unit split from the group now, heading off to their assigned post. The rest of the rebels continued on. They were within sight of the watchtowers now, so every footstep had to be taken with care. They crept through the trees at a painstaking pace, pausing at every cracking twig or crunching leaf. Finally they reached their destination-the sheltered spot beneath the bridge leading up to the base’s front gate. They settled into place without a word spoken amongst them.
Breaking down the gate would be easy enough. Under Fong’s control, the front gate would have opened the way gates did in Omashu and Ba Sing Se-by Earthbending. But that wouldn’t work for the Fire Nation, obviously, so they had blasted a hole in the wall and covered it with a gate of wood and iron instead. Yes, it would be quite simple to break through that gate.
Getting past the armed guards, on the other hand, was another matter entirely.
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One of the nice things about watch duty, Lieutenant Li thought, was that there was a cool breeze that blew up from the ocean. And he had a good view of the sea, too, being stationed atop the northwestern watchtower-though not as good a view as the guys stationed on the towers at the front gate, of course. There were certainly worse places that a Fire Nation colonial garrison could’ve ended up, though. Good thing Captain Hideki was such an influential man, to get awarded command of a captured enemy fortress. Li shot a quick glance at Xia, the other guard stationed with him; her back was to him. He quickly lifted his visor and wiped the sweat off his forehead. It was a hot day.
Just then, he heard a funny sort of sound coming from below the watchtower. It was like a soft grinding noise. He approached the edge of the tower and peered over the railing. His eyes went wide. A platform of white rock zoomed up the side of the tower, with six dark figures riding atop it! Li opened his mouth to shout an alarm, but before he could get a single sound out, one of the figures threw its arm up-the last thing he saw was the rock that shot up and struck his helmet. He crumpled to the floor.
Xia spun around just in time to see six camouflaged people leap over the railing of the tower. Her fists flew up to Firebend but it was too late: as soon as their feet hit the floor, stones flew up from beneath her and wrapped around her hands. One of the dark-clad figures ran over and quickly knocked her out.
At the northeast tower, two more sentries fell to dark-clad intruders.
In the southeast tower, Sergeant Hisao turned just in time to see his fellow sentry come at him with a knife. His body hit the floor and the spy waved down to the Earthbenders at the bottom of the tower. Now only one more obstacle stood in their way-the watchtowers by the main gate.
////////////////////
They could see it clearly, coming from the northwest guard tower. Three flashes of light off the blade of a dagger, then two, then three more. That’s the signal! Kuei thought. He remembered it from Quan’s final strategy meeting. That sequence meant that the first wave was complete. The three perimeter watchtowers were theirs. Now it was their turn.
But then something else happened: clanging bells resonating from inside the base. They’d been found out!
“Now!” Quan roared. The rebels thundered out from beneath the bridge and stormed the gates. Kuei ran alongside Zafirah, his pulse pounding in his ears. The Earthbenders at the head of the column thrust stone pillars up from either side of the bridge-giant spears of rock that crashed through the gate and tore it to splinters. The rebels charged through the dust cloud. For a moment, Kuei couldn’t see a thing; then they were through the debris and into the main courtyard of the fortress.
Fireballs streaked down from the watchtowers by the main gate and there were soldiers pouring out from the barracks. But Quan’s plan was already in motion: six Earthbenders at the rear of the rebel force ran to the two watchtowers, planted their feet firmly against the ground, and thrust their palms into the stone. A loud rumbling filled the air and the oncoming Firebenders paused.
Fractures split the stone around the Earthbenders’ hands-they turned into deep cracks that raced up the length of the towers. Kuei heard the guards’ cries of panic from above as the stone crumbled beneath their feet. The Earthbenders shoved forward, a low rumbling filling the courtyard as the cracks widened. The towers pulled away from the wall, with the groan of shattering stone growing louder and louder. The towers and the wall around them collapsed, falling away from the fortress. They toppled into the forest beyond the front gate.
Kuei stood, transfixed by the sight. He’d known about Quan’s plan, but seeing it happen was something else entirely. He’d never seen such a raw display of Earthbending power before. Suddenly, he was feeling much more optimistic.
Then the moment ended and the Firebenders came to their senses. Their enraged shouts rang through the air and they charged. The rebels gathered together, bracing for the attack. Kuei and Zafirah glanced at each other, nodded, and took their fighting stances. He raised the new club; Zafirah tugged open her sand bag and gripped her dagger in her right hand.
And then the Fire Nation soldiers were upon them and everything turned to chaos. Just like in the desert battle, the noise was deafening. Shouts and screams echoed across the courtyard. And then there was the sound of Firebending itself-the sharp crack of a fireball erupting from a soldier’s fist.
Arrows and rocks hurtled down on the Firebenders from the captured watchtowers, and the Earthbenders at the edges of the rebel force unleashed a show of Bending skill unlike anything Kuei had ever imagined. Pillars of rock roared up, launching Firebenders into the air. Stone slabs shot out of the earth to block fireballs and spears. And those at the center of the group stayed on their guard, tensed and ready. They knew the plan-they had to stay together as a group. If they scattered, the Firebenders would overwhelm them with sheer numbers.
“Forward!” Quan shouted from the center of the group. “Press ahead!” The rebels started to move again, towards the central command tower, struggling ahead one hard-won step at a time. The Firebenders pushed them back though. They surged against the rebels and drove them back towards the gate. He looked up at the sun; there were so many Firebenders, and the eclipse seemed so far away…
The Firebenders surrounded them now. The rebels bunched in on themselves and rock shields rose up around them. Fireballs rained down on the shields, shaking them. When one shield crumbled, another shot up to take its place. Then-a cry of pain, and one shield fell along with its maker. The other Earthbenders scrambled to close the gap as the soldiers fired through it.
“Keep the shields up!” one of the rebels shouted.
“Earthbender scum!” screamed a Firebender, both fists hurling fire at the rebels. Kuei saw the rebels near the gap struggling to get away-not all of them made it. A rock wall shot up in front of the soldier, cutting off his attack before anyone else could fall. Kuei’s blood ran cold; was this the end already? They couldn’t hold out much longer…
One last crack rang out, one last spurt of flame crashed against a rock shield, and then… silence. The sky grew dark, as though it were twilight. Nervous chatter sprang up amongst the Firebenders, turning to panicked shouts. And now a new kind of chaos began as the Firebenders fell back. It was the rebels’ turn.
The Earthbenders raised their arms; with a deep rumble, walls of earth sprang up between the rebels and the Firebenders. With a flick of the Earthbenders’ hands, the walls raced outward, forcing the Firebenders back across the courtyard. A battlecry rose up from the rebels; Zafirah joined in beside Kuei, shaking her dagger in the air and shouting to the skies. Firebenders spilled around the rock walls and charged at the rebels, armed with spears and with fists that were still quite deadly, even without their fire. The rebels fanned out, with a wall of rock at their backs and the tower ahead of them.
“Get to the tower!” Quan screamed over the noise. “Press forward!”
The sounds of battle rang out again-metal striking against metal, against flesh. The Earthbenders tore up the courtyard in a flurry of stone spears and shields.
Spear-wielding Firebenders broke through the front ranks of the rebel forces. Kuei yelled and just barely ducked the spear that thrust at his chest. He swung his club, more on instinct than strategy. It connected with the haft of the spear and knocked it aside. The soldier spun it like a bo staff and Kuei leaped back out of its path. He struck the haft again as the spearhead drove at his face, and then he grabbed hold of the spear, just like Shen had shown him, and twisted. His enemy was supposed to lose his balance-but the soldier wrestled the spear haft away from Kuei. He swore inwardly. The soldier whirled the spear haft towards his knees, meaning to knock Kuei’s feet out from beneath him. Kuei jumped into the air and the haft swung harmlessly beneath him. The soldier dropped his guard for just a moment, surprised, and Kuei dashed into his reach and swung his club. It clanged off the soldier’s helmet and he dropped.
“Nice one!” Zafirah cheered from next to him, busily fending off another spear-wielding soldier.
“Uh, thanks,” he said back, stunned. He hadn’t even planned that! Another soldier charged at him. Kuei deflected the first spear thrust. He wasn’t quite so quick on the next swing-the soldier spun the spear around, lashed out, and the spearhead sliced into his side. He fell back with a cry of pain, clutching the wound. He felt blood trickling between his fingers.
/////
Zafirah saw the spear strike Kuei from the corner of her eye. He staggered back with his hand pressed against his side.
“Kuei!” she shouted, panic flashing through her. But then the man in front of her ran at her again, spear raised. She twisted out of the way, but this soldier was a quick one; he recovered, turned to face her again right away and twirled the spear. Zafirah was starting to wish Daiyu had given her a bigger sand bag. She Bent sand from the pouch and sliced it sideways against the spear haft. It knocked the soldier off-balance enough for Zafirah to wrench the spear from his hands. She gave it a whirl and smacked the haft of it across the soldier’s stomach. He gasped and reeled back, and she dropped him by ramming the butt of the spear against his helmeted forehead.
Zafirah turned quickly and saw the other soldier taking aim at Kuei, ready to finish him off. She Bent a stream of sand and scattered it beneath the other soldier’s feet; he took another step and she jerked her fists back. The sand flew out from under him and he toppled to the ground. She was on the soldier in a heartbeat, cracking the hilt of her dagger upside his head. She Bent all the sand back to he pouch and dashed over to Kuei.
“Let me see it,” she said flatly. He nodded and she led him over to the shelter of the rock wall at the rebel group’s rear. He’s still on his feet, that’s a good sign, she told herself.
He pulled his hand away from the wound. She gently peeled back the bloodied, torn cloth of his shirt, cringing at the gash across his pale skin. Kuei winced as she put her fingertips on either side of the wound, checking it carefully. It was a shallow cut, thankfully. She sighed in relief and patted his shoulder.
“You’ll be okay. Blood makes it look worse than it is,” she told him. “C’mon, let’s get out there and smash some Firebender heads!” The two of them left the rock wall and pressed through to the front of the group. The rebels had tightened their ranks up again, making a solid column marching towards the central tower. They knew that they needed to take out Captain Hideki and his officers in order to take the base.
“He’ll be at the rear of the Fire Nation troops,” Quan had said. “I figure the highest-ranking officers will be close enough to direct the battle, without risking their own lives in the fighting.”
The fireless soldiers came at the rebels from all sides, but they couldn’t break into their ranks again. Earthbenders defended the column, raising up rock shield and throwing the soldiers back. And they couldn’t do much about the rebels still up in the watchtowers, either, raining down stones and arrows on their heads. That wall belonged to them now; nobody was getting up there but Quan’s people. They were one step closer to winning.
“There!” Quan bellowed from the head of the column. Zafirah looked up and saw Hideki standing atop the terrace at the tower’s base. Soldiers lined the steps leading up to the terrace, all the way down to the courtyard. The rebels roared and doubled their pace. Hideki shouted an order to his soldiers, but Zafirah couldn’t hear it over the noise of the fight.
The spear-carrying soldiers in the courtyard tightened up their ranks around the rebels, trying to force them back with the weight of their numbers. But their Earthbenders were one step ahead of the soldiers; deep trenches opened up under the front lines of the Firebenders and down they went, tripping up the soldiers behind them as they charged blindly ahead.
And then they were at the tower. It loomed high above their heads, Fire Nation flags fluttering from balconies on each level-flags that they were going to tear down, Zafirah thought with a fierce grin.
Up on the terrace, Hideki shouted an order to his soldiers. Zafirah couldn’t hear what it was over the noise of the fight. But she damn well saw what happened next: Hideki turned around and ran into the tower, six soldiers following behind him. Zafirah grabbed Kuei’s sleeve.
“Did you see that?!” she hissed to him, outraged.
“Yes,” Kuei said grimly. “I didn’t take the Captain for a coward when we dealt with him last.” They weren’t the only ones who’d seen Hideki flee.
“The Captain’s getting away!” Quan roared. “Let’s show him how we deal with cowards in the Earth Kingdom!” The rebels sent up a battle cry and charged up the steps. The soldiers who’d lined the steps stood firm at first-but not all of them had spears, and it was them against a horde of very, very angry rebels. And of course, they were all standing on stone stairs. The Earthbenders at the front of the column shook them off the steps quickly, and now they’d added another choice bit of property to the ground that Quan’s troops held. The entrance to the tower was theirs.
And not a second too soon, either-a loud crack echoed across the courtyard and a plume of fire roared over their heads.
“The eclipse!” Kuei exclaimed. Zafirah shot a look at the sky and saw the sun edging out from behind the moon.
“Get us some cover!” Quan ordered. The Earthbenders leaped into action-they demolished the steps leading up to the terrace and brought up huge shields of rock around the sides of the terrace, protecting the rebels.
Quan turned, looked around at his people and gestured to ten of them standing in front of him. “All of you, there, get into that tower and get Hideki. Bring back his head if you have to! We’re gonna force a surrender out of that jelly-spined dog,” he ordered. Zafirah realized with a jolt that she and Kuei were in the group he’d just pointed to. So was Shen, Kuei’s sparring partner.
“Sir,” Shen said, “What about the rest of our people? Those walls won’t hold forever.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Quan said. “We’ll hold a stalemate till you come back. Now go!” Zafirah and Kuei exchanged wary looks, and then they followed the rest of their team into the tower.
///////////////////
Kuei couldn’t help but shiver as they walked into the tower. His last memories of the place were unpleasant, to say the least. This was where he’d been separated from his beloved Bosco; it was where his identity had been revealed and he’d nearly lost his only friends. He still didn’t know what had become of his bear, a fact that pained him greatly. Nor did he know where Basam was, which hurt just as much, if not more. He remembered Quan’s plan to spring the prisoners from the nearby prison, if they won the battle here. He could only hope that Basam would be there.
A quick look in Zafirah’s direction showed him that she wasn’t any happier than he was about coming back here. Her eyes were narrowed, her lips pressed into a thin line; her right hand tightly gripped the hilt of her dagger. He noticed that her face paint was patchy now, most of it having come off somehow. What was left was streaked with sweat.
Kuei looked around, taking stock of their situation: they stood in a circular chamber; on the left, Kuei saw the staircase that led to the upper levels of the tower. He saw now that there was a staircase behind it as well, going down beneath the floor. He wondered what they might find in the subterranean levels of the tower-perhaps a certain cowardly captain? He spotted a Fire Nation helmet a few feet from the door; had Hideki dropped it there while fleeing?
The tower was eerily silent. Light streamed through the wide windows surrounding the circular chamber; it didn’t help the apprehension that had settled in Kuei’s stomach, though. The stinging pain in his side didn’t help matters, either.
“There’s a secret exit beneath this tower,” Shen said quietly, his katana held at the ready. Kuei jumped a little at the sudden sound of the teenager’s voice. “Hideki might be looking for it. He might not know it’s there, either, so… you five, head upstairs. The rest of you, come with me downstairs.” He pointed to Kuei, Zafirah, and two other rebels whose names Kuei couldn’t recall. They headed down the stairs as the other five climbed further up into the tower.
They walked right into an ambush. Hideki’s six soldiers were waiting for them in the wide hallway at the bottom of the staircase. Four of them unleashed a torrent of fire that filled the passageway. Zafirah grabbed Kuei’s arm and yanked him out of the way, while Shen and the other two ducked. But one of the two wasn’t quick enough. She screamed in pain as the flames hit her full-force. Kuei’s stomach churned at the smell of burning flesh, and his heart clenched for the unfortunate woman. They didn’t have time to mourn their fallen compatriot, though.
The flames dissipated and Shen ran at the soldiers with a sharp yell, katana raised. Kuei and Zafirah followed on his heels, along with the third rebel. Luckily for them, that third rebel was an Earthbender. Her hands flew up and with a flick of her wrists, the two soldiers in front of her sank up to their waists in the stone floor.
Kuei raced towards the Firebender on the far right. The soldier kicked a fireball at Kuei’s feet and he leaped over it. He could feel the heat of the flames licking at his heels. The soldier’s right fist struck outward for another shot-Kuei swept his club around, caught the Firebender’s wrist from beneath and knocked his hand upward. The fireball flew over Kuei’s head and hit the ceiling. The soldier’s left fist snapped up for an attack, but Kuei’s arm met his midway in a block that would’ve made Shen proud. He disengaged the club from the soldier’s right arm, stepped to the right and whipped it around. The club smacked across the soldier’s gut, right where his breastplate ended. The Firebender gasped, slightly winded, and Kuei went for the finishing blow-only to find his attack blocked!
The soldier snarled, grabbed Kuei by the front of his shirt, and threw him against the wall of the passage. The back of his head connected painfully with the stone wall, and a stinging jolt shot through his wounded side. He started to fall forward as his knees weakened, but the Firebender held him up. The soldier drew back his fist, point-blank Firbending distance from Kuei’s face. But then the soldier cried out, his limbs going slack as he fell to the ground. A spear stuck out of his back. Kuei looked up and saw Shen, who gave him a curt nod and then went back to the soldier he was fighting.
To Shen’s left, he saw that Zafirah was locked in combat as well. The Earthbender was busy fighting another soldier, and the first two were still stuck in the ground…which just left the soldier in front of Kuei, who sneered and charged at him.
Kuei brought up his club, doing his best to ignore his injury and the throbbing in the back of his head. The soldier wielded a jian sword, its edges gleaming in the light of the fire blasts filling the tunnel. The soldier swung his blade in a downward stroke-Kuei blocked it, tried to disengage for an attack and couldn’t. He and the soldier both glanced up; the jian’s blade had bit deep into the wooden club and was stuck there. The soldier growled and yanked on his sword, and it was all Kuei could do to keep his grip on the war club. And then he couldn’t keep his grip anymore and the club flew out of his hands.
The soldier yanked on the club, but it stuck firmly in place. Kuei smiled, more than a little smugly. The smile vanished when the soldier tossed the sword aside and took a fighting stance, fists raised. Kuei took a breath and mirrored it. It was time to put that training to use. Shen’s words echoed in his head-taking the offensive.
Kuei feinted towards the soldier’s face; the soldier went to block, leaving his side exposed. Kuei went for a kick to the soldier’s ribcage-it landed! But the soldier hardly seemed to feel it, merely grunting and staggering back a step or two. And then he recovered and retaliated. Kuei matched him with blocks and counterattacks, but it was no use. The soldier was much more used to this than he was, and he had armor. Kuei was hard pressed to find vulnerable points-and his fists ached from missing and hitting the soldier’s armor.
And then the Earthbender joined the fight, trapping the soldier in solid rock. Kuei nodded his gratitude to her, his throat too dry from the heat of the tunnel to speak. He looked around and saw Zafirah nearby, looking tired but unhurt. Shen hadn’t fared so well. The teenager slumped against the wall, clutching a bleeding gash in his leg and sporting a burn across his torso. Kuei, Zafirah, and the Earthbender were at his side in an instant.
“Go after Hideki,” the boy hissed painfully. “Get that coward back here, if he hasn’t run off already.” Kuei wanted to protest, but the Earthbender spoke up before he could.
“I’ll bring Shen back to the others; you two go and look for the Captain,” he said to Kuei.
“Oh, don’t you worry,” Zafirah said darkly. “If that son of a dung-sucking beetle is still here, we’ll find him all right!” She grabbed Kuei’s sleeve again as she stood up, dragging him upright. He shot one last look at his sparring teacher, and then the two of them picked their way past the fallen soldiers and headed off into the tunnel. Kuei grabbed his club as they went, somehow managing to disengage it from the sword. He entertained the idea of keeping the blade, but then thought better of it. He was under no illusions about his marginal skill as a warrior.
While the main passageway was fairly wide and well-lit with green crystals, the side corridors were much less so. They were quite narrow and the crystals lighting them were spaced much farther apart. He and Zafirah walked through them in tense silence, their hands on their weapons.
Their winding path led them to another main corridor eventually. As they neared the corner at the far end of it, they heard footsteps coming down the hall that intersected it. Alarmed, Kuei grabbed Zafirah’s arm and pulled her into the shadows of a side corridor to their left. It was a tight fit, barely wide enough for one person to walk through. They huddled within its confines, hardly daring to breathe. Kuei craned his head to the side, peering into the dimly lit hall as the footsteps rounded the corner. And then the person walked past their hiding place. It was Hideki!
Kuei turned back to Zafirah to make sure she’d seen the Captain as well, but then he realized just how narrow the corridor was. He and Zafirah were squeezed in practically nose-to-nose, just a few inches separating their bodies. His hand was still on her arm, as well. Kuei’s mouth went dry, all thoughts of the mission fleeing from his mind. All he could think about was how close she was. The green crystals from the hallway beyond them cast a soft glow on her paint-smudged face. Their eyes met and he couldn’t have looked away even if he had wanted to. Her lips parted slightly, and he saw redness rising on her cheeks. Kuei was all but holding his breath now. Her chin tilted up just a little. Kuei found himself leaning forward, ever so slowly-
He jerked his head back, flustered. After taking a second to gather his wits about himself, he nodded towards the corridor. She blinked owlishly, her cheeks getting even redder as she nodded back. His heart hammered in his chest as they slipped out of the side corridor. There would be time to feel embarrassed about this later-as he undoubtedly would, he thought ruefully. He just hoped he hadn’t offended her. Right now, they had a job to do.
They crept down the passageway after Hideki, following the faint sound of footsteps ahead. After a few minutes of walking, their course brought them to a small, rectangular chamber. It had wooden crates lining the walls and stacked in the middle of the space-a storeroom, perhaps. The chamber sat at the intersection of four side passageways.
Kuei saw Hideki rise up from behind a crate to Zafirah’s left. “Look out!” he exclaimed. Zafirah turned, dagger drawn, but not quickly enough. The Captain knocked the blade from her hand with a well-aimed kick. She cried out in pain as his foot struck her hand. Kuei charged at the Firebender, missed his first attack, and then Hideki sent him flying back with a solid punch to the chest. He collided with the stacked crates and tumbled backward over them. The crates toppled over with him as he fell, crashing down around him. He hit the ground, pain jolting through his wounded side, and two of the crates landed on his arm and shoulder. He lay there for a moment, stunned.
The Captain whirled around as Zafirah rushed at him with a sand cloud drawn from her pouch; he met her attack with a burst of fire, forcing her to drop the cloud and dodge. Rage flared in Zafirah’s eyes and she flew at him with her bare fists. She landed a punch to the Captain’s chin, but her triumph was short lived. She punched again and Hideki seized her fist in midair. His other hand grabbed her shoulder and he drove his knee into her stomach. She let out a sharp gasp, the wind knocked out of her. Hideki spun her around, twisting her captured arm behind her back.
Kuei recovered and shook his head, clearing his thoughts and squirming out from under the crates. He clambered to his feet, badly bruised but without broken bones, but he was too late. Hideki took a pair of metal handcuffs from his belt and latched one side of them around Zafirah’s right wrist. In the blink of an eye, he had both of her wrists cuffed.
Zafirah thrashed in his grip, then threw herself backwards at him. She knocked Hideki off-balance for a moment and ran-she barely made it three steps before he recovered. The Firebender seized the end of her braid and yanked her back, eliciting another pained cry from her. He wrapped her braid around his fist once, twice, and hauled her back against himself.
Kuei readied his club and prepared to charge again… and then Hideki whipped a small, curved knife from his belt and raised it to Zafirah’s throat.
“No!” Kuei shouted, blind panic gripping him. He lunged forward, hand outstretched. But Hideki jerked Zafirah’s head back and pressed the wickedly sharp blade against her skin. Kuei froze in place, rooted to the spot. No, no, no, Spirits, please, no…
“Surrender, Earth King, or the sand rat dies,” Hideki said evenly.
“Kuei, don’t you dare listen to him!” Zafirah snapped. Hideki yanked sharply on her braid and her voice broke off with a shriek of pain. Kuei’s insides twisted at the sound, and he cursed himself for not being a strong enough fighter to defeat Hideki.
“The battle is lost, I must accept that,” Hideki said to Kuei. “You and your rebels have bested my soldiers, as appalling as it may be. My reputation will be in tatters when word of this reaches the Capitol, but with you in my possession I might still be able to salvage something of my military career.”
“What is it that you want, Hideki?” Kuei demanded, anger and panic swirling together in the pit of his stomach. Spirits, please, don’t take her from me… he begged silently. Don’t let her die at the hands of this damned coward!
“Hand yourself over to me, as my prisoner, and I will let your sand rat go,” Hideki said. “There is a Fire Nation port a few miles from here, and I know a way out of this fortress. We will return to the Fire Nation, I will present you to the Fire Lord, and then you will be publicly executed.” Kuei shuddered in cold fear. Hideki paused a moment before continuing.
“If you refuse,” he said, “Or try to run, I will slit her throat. Believe me when I say that I will kill her without a moment’s hesitation. So, Earth King, what will it be?”
“Kuei, don’t-“ Zafirah ground out. Hideki pulled on her braid again.
“Another word out of you and you’ll lose an ear,” he told her firmly. She paled beneath her smudged face paint and clenched her jaw.
Kuei’s eyes met Zafirah’s-they were wide with a mix of fear and fury. An image flashed through his mind of those bright, vibrant eyes going blank and empty, of that dagger cutting deep and her blood spilling-
“I surrender,” he said bluntly. It was an easy choice, mainly because it wasn’t a choice at all. Letting Zafirah die was simply not an option.
The faintest flicker of a sneer crossed Hideki’s face and he turned to look at his captive. “Did you hear that, Sandbender? Do you understand what has just transpired? I hope that you do; I hope that your savage mind can comprehend this. He’s just traded his own life for yours. Do you understand that? A king has sacrificed himself for a dirty, barbaric, worthless-“
“She is worth a hundred of you, Hideki!” Kuei shouted, clenching his fists. Zafirah’s eyes widened. “I’ve already surrendered, you’ll get what you want, now let her go!”
“Oh, I don’t think so. Not quite yet. She’s going to accompany us for a while, to ensure your cooperation,” Hideki said coldly. “Now kindly drop your weapon, step in front of me and walk down the corridor to your left. Kuei glanced over at it-it was the other side of the wider passageway that had led them here. With a heavy heart, he let the club fall to the ground and headed into the tunnel.
It was dark in the corridor; the crystal nearest to the threshold had been broken at some point, leaving very little light. But there was one thing he saw quite clearly, despite the darkness: there were people in the passageway. He sucked in a breath, tentative hope springing up in his chest. He could just make out vague, shadowed forms hiding against the wall of the corridor, though he couldn’t have said how many. He hesitated-who were these people?
“Why aren’t you walking?” Hideki demanded. Kuei thought quickly and then made his decision.
“I’ve surrendered to the enemy and now I’m headed off to my death. You’ll have to excuse my reluctance,” he said sardonically. He walked cautiously into the tunnel. Whoever these mysterious people were, surely they couldn’t make this situation any worse than it already was. Hideki followed, and they made it about five steps into the tunnel before everything changed again.
Kuei heard the clank of metal against metal and a sharp yell from Hideki. He spun around, just in time to see the Captain reel back from the shadowed form of a man. Whatever the mysterious person had done, it was enough to make the dagger fall from Hideki’s grasp. Kuei flung himself at Hideki with a furious shout, pulled the Firebender away from Zafirah, and tackled him into the wall. Hideki grunted as his head struck the stone. Kuei pulled back his fist and punched the man right in the nose. It broke with a crack and pain throbbed in Kuei’s knuckles.
Kuei stumbled back, feeling a surge of shock at what he’d just done-he’d broken a man’s nose! But he pushed it aside, knowing that their job still wasn’t done. And then two more shadowed figures stepped away from the passage wall and took charge of Hideki, grabbing his arms and pulling him back towards the chamber. Kuei let them take him; they couldn’t have been on Hideki’s side, if they’d allowed such an attack on his person. Kuei had another problem to worry about.
He found Zafirah in the darkness of the tunnel and gently grabbed her shoulder. “Are you all right?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” she said shakily. He guided her back into the chamber. As soon as they stepped back into the light, they both froze in astonishment.
“Hey, you two,” Basam said with a grin. There was dead silence for a moment, and then Zafirah shrieked and threw herself at him, handcuffs be damned. Basam pulled her into a tight hug as she broke down and sobbed into his chest. Kuei smiled, warmth bubbling up inside him, and went to fetch the handcuff keys from Hideki. He freed her arms and she immediately wrapped them around her brother, hugging him as though afraid that he might vanish again.
At long last, Zafirah pulled back from Basam. She wiped her eyes and looked up at him, searching his face. “How did you-what happened?” she asked breathlessly. Then she squinted at him. “And why are you dressed like that?!” Basam’s grin widened.
“We used the eclipse to break out of jail!” he exclaimed. “Oh, by the way, that’s Linh over there.” He gestured to a middle-aged woman with thin, black hair and pale skin. “And that’s, uh… I don’t know her name, actually. She’s a spy for those people that attacked the convoy.”
“Sorry to break this reunion short,” the spy said, “But there’s work to be done. I assume Quan is waiting for this scum’s capture?”
“That’s right,” Kuei agreed. He turned to Zafirah and held out the handcuffs. “Care to do the honors?”
“Pleasure’s all mine,” she said with a toothy grin. “But first…” She walked over to where Hideki stood, held firmly in the grasps of Basam’s two companions, and kicked him hard in the stomach. “That’s for pulling my hair, bastard,” she spat.
As they left the chamber, Basam grabbed Kuei into a lung-crushing hug, clapping him firmly on the back. “It’s great to see you, Kuei,” he said cheerfully.
“You too,” Kuei gasped. “Side… hurt…” Basam released him and cringed at the sight of Kuei’s blood-stained tunic.
“Sorry,” he mumbled.
//////
Quan spun around when the group emerged from the tower, and did a double take upon seeing the three extra people. Kuei almost smiled at the bewildered look on his face.
“Where in the world did you-never mind. Whatever this is, it’ll have to wait,” he growled. He took the handcuffed Hideki from them and pointed a dagger at his neck. “You, Captain, are going to do a little something for us,” he hissed. Hideki remained silent, his eyes fixed straight ahead. The rock shield fell at a gesture from Quan. He pulled his captive forward to the front of the terrace at the top of what used to be the stairs. Daiyu stepped up and stood alongside her commander.
“Soldiers, we have your Captain!” she shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth to be heard. An uneasy hush fell over the Fire Nation troops. Quan whispered something to Hideki, but the Firebender staunchly shook his head. The rebel leader pushed the knife against the Firebender’s throat and he caved.
“Lay down your arms!” Hideki yelled hoarsely. “This battle is over. I surrender!”
///
So there we have it, the day of the solar eclipse! I hope you enjoyed it! Please do tell me your thoughts on it. The next chapter will be an Interlude, covering the post-battle stuff.
Playlist:
1) Let’s War, The Plastic Constellations-Chapter theme for Ch14.
2) Grindhouse [Planet Terror]-Assault on the fortress.
3) Fearless, Jay Chou-Assault on the fortress.
4) Battling the Green Death [How to Train Your Dragon]-The assault continues, and inside the tower.
And the entire How To Train Your Dragon soundtrack. ILU, John Powell! You should have won that Academy Award.