AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Kyoshi flushed all the way down to her toes. She reminded herself that his casual tendency to be close to her, to share touches, was just part of his personality. She’d caught glimpses and heard stories from the staff that confirmed it. One time he’d kissed the hand of the princess of Omashu for a second longer than normal and scored an entire new trade agreement as a result.
It had taken her a very, very long time after starting at the house to convince herself she was not in love with Yun. Moments like this threatened to undo all of her hard work. She let herself plunge under the surface and enjoy being washed over by the simple contact.
Yun reluctantly put her hand down. “Three . . .” he said, cocking his ear at the ceramic-tiled floor with a smile. “Two . . . One . . .”
Rangi slid the door open with a sharp click.
“Avatar.” She bowed deeply and solemnly to Yun. Then she turned to Kyoshi. “You’ve barely made any progress! Look at this mess!”
“We were waiting for you,” Yun said. “We decided to burn everything. You can start with those hideous silk robes in the corner. As your Avatar, I command you to light ’em up. Right now.”
Rangi rolled her eyes. “Yes, and set the entire mansion on fire.” She always tried as hard as she could to remain dignified in front of Yun, but she cracked on occasion. And it was usually during the times when the three of them, the youngest people in the complex, were alone together.
“Exactly,” Yun said cheerily. “Burn it all to the ground. Reduce it back to nature. We’ll achieve pure states of mind.”
“You would start whining the moment you had to bathe with cold water,” Kyoshi said to him.
“There’s a solution for that,” Yun said. “Everyone would go to the river, strip down naked, grab the nearest Firebender, and—pthah!”
A decorative pillow hit him in the face. Kyoshi’s eyes went wide in disbelief.
Rangi looked utterly horrified at what she’d done. She’d attacked the Avatar. She stared at her hands like they were covered in blood. A traitor’s eternal punishment awaited her in the afterlife.
Yun burst out into laughter.
Kyoshi followed, her sides shaking until they hurt. Rangi tried not to succumb, clamping her hand over her mouth, but despite her best efforts, little giggles and snorts leaked through her fingers. An older member of the staff walked past, frowning at the trio through the open door. Which set them off further.
Kyoshi looked at Yun and Rangi’s beautiful, unguarded faces, freed from the weight of their duties if only for a moment. Her friends. She thought of how unlikely it was that she’d found them.
This. This is what I need to protect.
Yun defended the world, and Rangi defended him, but as far as Kyoshi was concerned, her own sacred ground was marked by the limits where her friends stood. This is what I need to keep safe above all else.
The sudden clarity of her realization caused her mirth to evaporate. She maintained a rictus grin so the others wouldn’t notice her change in mood. Her fist tightened around nothing.
And the spirits help anyone who would take this from me.
THE ICEBERG
Kyoshi’s nightmare smelled like wet bison.
It was raining, and bales of cargo wrapped in burlap splashed in the mud around her as if they’d fallen from great heights, part of the storm. It no longer mattered what was in them.
A flash of lightning revealed hooded figures looming over her. Their faces were obscured by masks of running water.
I hate you, Kyoshi screamed. I’ll hate you until I die. I’ll never forgive you.
Two hands clasped each other. A transaction was struck, one that would be violated the instant it became an inconvenience to uphold. Something wet and lifeless hit her in the shins, papers sealed in oilcloth.
“Kyoshi!”
She woke up with a start and nearly pitched over the side of Pengpeng’s saddle. She caught herself on the rail, the sanded edge pressing into her gut, and stared at the roiling blue beneath them. It was a long way down to the ocean.
It wasn’t rain on her face but sweat. She saw a droplet fall off her chin and plummet into nothingness before someone grabbed her by the shoulders and yanked her back. She fell on top of Yun and Rangi both, squashing the wind out of them.
“Don’t scare us like that!” Yun shouted i
n her ear.
