Chapter 34 – The Ring of Blue Fire
Katara watched Zuko block the fire by making his own. The fire that Azula made dissipated once it hit his. Then he sent the fire that he made at her. She jumped out of the way and went for Katara. Katara quickly water-bended the water she had in her pouch and whipped Azula’s hand with it, which was pointing at her face. Azula pointed two fingers at her with her other hand, but she whipped that away too.
While they did that, Katara saw Zuko run to his mother to get her out of the ring of fire she was surrounded by. It was like Azula had eyes behind her back, for she turned around fast and sent a quick blast of fire in Zuko’s direction. He saw it in time and cut his hands through it, and the fire went around him. When Azula was turned around, Katara had bended a load of water at her back, causing Azula to get soaked and fall down.
Zuko ran to her left, a fist raised down at her. Katara was over Azula at her right, prepared to water-bend at her. Azula smiled and stood up, dripping with water. Instead of fighting them, she ran to the far right side of her hay throne. Slightly confused, they ran after her.
All of a sudden, Azula stopped running and turned around in a blink of an eye. As fast as she had whirled around, she created a gigantic wall of blue fire and sent it at Katara at what seemed to be at lightning speed. Katara’s eyes went wide. She pulled the rest of her water out of her other pouches and created a large wave. She pushed her hands forward and sent that at Azula’s wall of fire. The two opposites collided in the middle with such force that Katara couldn’t see. All she could view was a big cloud of white that surrounded everyone.
One the whiteness faded away, Katara noticed that fire and water together had made steam. Azula was still in front of her, grinning. Katara wondered why she looked so happy. She went to bend more water out of a pouch. She gasped. There was no more water left. She had used it all. Her fear finally caught up to her as she glared at Azula with horror.
“What?! You won’t be splashing any more water on me today?” Azula asked in a fake sweet tone.
Katara searched around, frantic. Land of no water. There was no grass, no trees, nothing that she could water out from. The air was so dry that even if she tried to get water from that, she would only get a few drops. It wasn’t enough to do anything.
Azula had planned this. She had planned it all.
“You’re still going down,” Zuko declared, his voice drenched with bravery.
“No, I’m not,” Azula denied with a smirk on her face that appeared to be more than evil. “But she is.”
She put her fist out and shot so much fire at Katara that it seemed impossible for that power to have existed after the comet came. Katara watched wide-eyed as the fire went on the ground all around her, but so very close to her.
“Ah! AAAAAHHH!” she wailed painfully as she collapsed on the dry ground. Her arms and knees held her up.
The heat was so intense, boiling her skin. She never quite felt anything so hot in her life; even the time Aang burned her on accident was no where compared to the heat she felt now. The fire was breathing; reaching out towards her, daring to suck the life out of her.
She heard Zuko’s voice, it seemed so distant, but so powerful at the same time.
“Katara! NO! KATARAAAA!” he screamed.
She focused on his voice with all of her might. It made her stronger and more hopeful. She felt a sudden rush of adrenaline pumping through her veins, and she opened her eyes. Taking a slow, deep breath, she began to stand up. Once she was on her feet, she looked at Zuko, and then to Azula, who was still smiling.
“Everything is how I planned,” Azula murmured, mostly to herself. “Now—”
She faced Zuko.
“You’re ready to play the game…”
Katara watched Zuko block the fire by making his own. The fire that Azula made dissipated once it hit his. Then he sent the fire that he made at her. She jumped out of the way and went for Katara. Katara quickly water-bended the water she had in her pouch and whipped Azula’s hand with it, which was pointing at her face. Azula pointed two fingers at her with her other hand, but she whipped that away too.
While they did that, Katara saw Zuko run to his mother to get her out of the ring of fire she was surrounded by. It was like Azula had eyes behind her back, for she turned around fast and sent a quick blast of fire in Zuko’s direction. He saw it in time and cut his hands through it, and the fire went around him. When Azula was turned around, Katara had bended a load of water at her back, causing Azula to get soaked and fall down.
Zuko ran to her left, a fist raised down at her. Katara was over Azula at her right, prepared to water-bend at her. Azula smiled and stood up, dripping with water. Instead of fighting them, she ran to the far right side of her hay throne. Slightly confused, they ran after her.
All of a sudden, Azula stopped running and turned around in a blink of an eye. As fast as she had whirled around, she created a gigantic wall of blue fire and sent it at Katara at what seemed to be at lightning speed. Katara’s eyes went wide. She pulled the rest of her water out of her other pouches and created a large wave. She pushed her hands forward and sent that at Azula’s wall of fire. The two opposites collided in the middle with such force that Katara couldn’t see. All she could view was a big cloud of white that surrounded everyone.
One the whiteness faded away, Katara noticed that fire and water together had made steam. Azula was still in front of her, grinning. Katara wondered why she looked so happy. She went to bend more water out of a pouch. She gasped. There was no more water left. She had used it all. Her fear finally caught up to her as she glared at Azula with horror.
“What?! You won’t be splashing any more water on me today?” Azula asked in a fake sweet tone.
Katara searched around, frantic. Land of no water. There was no grass, no trees, nothing that she could water out from. The air was so dry that even if she tried to get water from that, she would only get a few drops. It wasn’t enough to do anything.
Azula had planned this. She had planned it all.
“You’re still going down,” Zuko declared, his voice drenched with bravery.
“No, I’m not,” Azula denied with a smirk on her face that appeared to be more than evil. “But she is.”
She put her fist out and shot so much fire at Katara that it seemed impossible for that power to have existed after the comet came. Katara watched wide-eyed as the fire went on the ground all around her, but so very close to her.
“Ah! AAAAAHHH!” she wailed painfully as she collapsed on the dry ground. Her arms and knees held her up.
The heat was so intense, boiling her skin. She never quite felt anything so hot in her life; even the time Aang burned her on accident was no where compared to the heat she felt now. The fire was breathing; reaching out towards her, daring to suck the life out of her.
She heard Zuko’s voice, it seemed so distant, but so powerful at the same time.
“Katara! NO! KATARAAAA!” he screamed.
She focused on his voice with all of her might. It made her stronger and more hopeful. She felt a sudden rush of adrenaline pumping through her veins, and she opened her eyes. Taking a slow, deep breath, she began to stand up. Once she was on her feet, she looked at Zuko, and then to Azula, who was still smiling.
“Everything is how I planned,” Azula murmured, mostly to herself. “Now—”
She faced Zuko.
“You’re ready to play the game…”