Otherwise, the tournament held no surprises. Everything followed the standard routine: some big, powerful guy came out, fired up the crowd, showed off his biceps, dramatically bellowed battle cries, then a little blind girl lazily flexed her fingers, spat on the floor—and the guy went flying out of the arena like he'd been shot from a cannon.
And everything would have been fine. By the end, I'd even relaxed and started enjoying both the spectacle and the company of the beautiful girls sitting on either side of me, but... But this damned chase after the Avatar! It couldn't possibly go according to plan, even when the plan consisted of peacefully sitting on a bench!
"Herald!" Some nervous-looking man pushed his way through to our seats in the stands. "Your Highnesses! Forgive the interruption! But I have extremely important news!"
It should be said that we hadn't exactly advertised our visit to the underground tournament and had dressed as inconspicuously as possible. After all, neither Azula nor I could officially attend such a questionable event, and it would have been improper for Zuko as well, just as it would for any representative of the Fire Nation.
Of course, everyone who needed to know about our unofficial visit knew perfectly well, but by tacit agreement they all pretended they didn't. So... this guy was brazenly trampling all over the proper etiquette.
"And who are you supposed to be?" Ju tried to intercept him on his way over.
"I'm Lan! I work at the Earthbending Academy. The master sent me with urgent news! The Avatar has arrived at the academy!"
I don't know exactly what I felt at that moment. I'd never experienced anything quite like it before. It was sort of joyful, and yet... something else I couldn't quite identify. Not the feeling of impending doom and trouble creeping up on me (though there were hints of that too), but something vaguely bloodthirsty and strangely fatalistic.
"When?" Azula's icy question dropped into the deathly silence like a lead weight.
"Half an hour ago, my lady! I ran as fast as I could! The master is trying to keep him there!"
"Chan." Two amber portals into hell focused on my face.
"Everyone get up, turn around, and leave. Calmly, but quickly!" I ordered in a whisper, leading by example. "Dandan, stay behind and warn Toph. Tell her to catch up when she's finished here." I placed a hand on the warrior's shoulder and caught her gaze.
The girl didn't even think of arguing, nodding rapidly.
And so we tore through the city like a pack of possessed psychopaths, scattering pedestrians and knocking over cabbage carts (well, maybe don't try crossing the street right in front of a pack of bloodthirsty Fire Nation warriors!).
The route that had taken the courier half an hour flashed by in about seven minutes. The academy gates were already ahead of us, but even before we reached them, it was obvious—we were too late. The gates stood wide open, the headmaster was trembling in front of them, a squad of city guards and a couple of my men stood nearby, and every face there spoke more eloquently than words ever could.
"Report!" I barked at the lieutenant from the "waiting for a ship" group, recognizing him as we approached.
"The Avatar and two companions left the academy grounds thirteen minutes ago, heading along the northern street. We lacked the forces to detain them, so I made the decision to organize surveillance. Thanks to Master Yu's efforts, the Avatar and his companions suspected nothing, but once outside, they overheard several passersby discussing Princess Azula's arrival in the city accompanied by the Fire Herald.
"All three then behaved as though this information was news to them and immediately ran toward the city gates. Our observer decided to take the risk and followed them, posing as a courier in a hurry, but the attempt failed. After noticing movement behind him, the Avatar launched a gust of wind that hurled Private Liang Yu into the nearest building, leaving him with severe bruising across his back and unable to continue the pursuit.
"The Avatar then apologized and disappeared with his companions. Two minutes before your arrival, the city guard reported that a flying bison had been spotted heading toward the mountains to the northeast."
"..." Azula and I maintained a very meaningful silence. I couldn't speak for myself, but the muscles in the girl's cheeks were visibly clenching.
"I... understand everything," Mai said evenly, glancing between us and clearly realizing that this was not the moment to wait for either of us to speak. "But... apologized?" The brunette raised an eyebrow as though asking whether she had heard correctly.
"Liang Yu was dressed in Earth Kingdom colors, and according to his report, once the Avatar noticed that, he decided he'd made a mistake and looked extremely guilty and bewildered. But his companions reminded him they were in a hurry and practically dragged him away."
"I see..." I exhaled, forcing the irritated heat inside me to subside through sheer willpower. "Get the private to the infirmary. And you..." I shifted my gaze to the headmaster. "Tell me exactly what happened. It's obvious enough why the Avatar came to you, but I want the details..."
Unfortunately, the details provided by our merchant of bending only confirmed what we could already have guessed without them. The kid had fallen for the rumors about how prestigious and amazing the academy was, obviously knowing fuck-all about the shift in the city's political stance or even the fact that Fire Nation representatives were currently present.
(End of Chapter)
🙌Bonus chapter for 200 power stones!
🔥The next bonus chapter will be for 200 power stones.