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Kyoshi squeezed her tight. She imagined Rangi’s energy twining together in place with her own, forming a stronger thread from two strands.
There was a tickle against her brow. She and Rangi looked up to see a swirling dance of leaves, spinning around in a circle, the two of them caught in its eye. Kelsang used to make her laugh in the garden like this, by swirling the air, letting her touch the currents and feel the wind run between her fingers.
Kyoshi let the breeze play against her skin before giving it a gentle push with her hand. The wind spun faster at her request. She could feel Kelsang smiling warmly at her, a final gift of love.
“They’ll always be with us,” she said to Rangi. “Always.”
Lao Ge landed in the vault, which happened to be full of cushions. Which meant that Kyoshi had less of a head start than she’d counted on. She threw Te over her shoulder and ran down the hall.
“Girl!” she heard Lao Ge shout behind her, echoing through the tunnel. She had the distinct feeling he could catch up at a moment’s notice no matter how far she’d gone.
The fear lent her more speed. She took the stairs five at a time until she reached the surface.
Te gasped from her grip around his waist. “What are you—”
“Shut up.” They were hemmed in by the walls of the courtyard. The stables were on the opposite end of the complex. An immortal assassin was surely only a few paces behind.
Kyoshi ran at the far wall. And then she ran higher. And higher. The earth flicked at the soles of her feet, propelling her upward. She continued to dust-step until she landed on top of the roof.
She spared a glance back. Lao Ge stood by the stairs, choosing not to follow her into the air, for the moment.
“My!” he called out. “You’re just full of deceptions, aren’t you? To think you were faking so many failed attempts at dust-stepping.”
“They weren’t all fake!” Kyoshi shouted as she sped away.
She sprinted across the palace, tiles crunching under her feet. She went north until she found the stables abutting the wall. Dropping down to the ground with Te still in hand, she found a sleepy ostrich horse and roused it awake.
Lao Ge was still toying with her, or perhaps he couldn’t dust-step. She’d never seen him do it. Either way, they didn’t have much time. She dumped the boy astride the mount she’d stolen.
“Thank you,” Te said, wobbling from the lack of a saddle. “I’ll give you anything you want. Money, offices—”
Kyoshi backhanded him hard across the mouth.
“You should have died tonight,” she hissed. “I’ll give you one chance to unsully yourself as governor of these lands. You will open the doors of your storehouses and make sure your people are fed. You will give back what you stole, even if it means selling your family’s possessions. If you don’t by the time I return, I’ll make you wish you’d been captured by those daofei out there.”
She left an open end on that timeline, having no idea when she’d be free to make good on the threat. But she knew she would, if given the chance. She was letting Te know there would be consequences. Jianzhu would be proud, she thought darkly.
Te’s bleeding face roiled with confusion. “You—you earthbent and airbent. I saw it. How is that possible? Unless . . . you can’t be. You’re the Avatar?”
She saw the images warring in his head. He must have known of Yun, maybe met him in person. Revealing her identity had always been a risk on this mission. But Te was a loose end, one that ran in the same circles as Jianzhu.
Kyoshi bit her lip. She’d chosen from the start to save this boy’s miserable life instead of keeping the secret that her own safety depended on. No sense in regretting it now.
“All the more reason for you to do as I say.” She slapped the ostrich horse’s flank, sending it careening toward the ditch. Te screamed as she bent a bridge into place at the last minute. He rode off into the darkness, clinging to the neck of his mount for dear life.
Once he was gone, Kyoshi lowered the bridge again. She didn’t want Mok’s men infiltrating the compound from the rear while so many helpless people were still inside. She dust-stepped over the gap and took her time walking farther north, to the rendezvous point where the others would be waiting.
At some point during the hike, Lao Ge fell in beside her.
“You’re not a very good apprentice,” he said tonelessly.
There were a dozen replies she could have given him. Te was too young to die and still had time to redeem himself. The whole exercise was flawed and had nothing to do with her desire to end Jianzhu.
“I haven’t failed to take my man in a long time,” Lao Ge went on. “My pride is in shambles.”
Kyoshi winced. She’d never seen Lao Ge truly angry, and it was a gamble as to what kind of person would emerge when things didn’t go his way.
“Te’s your responsibility now,” he said. “From this point onward, his crimes will be your crimes. More than anything, I’m upset that you’ve fettered yourself in such a way. It’s like you haven’t paid attention to my lessons.”
