Lalli bleakly looked at the knowledge that the three of them, himself, Mikkel and Sigrun, were all about to die, and it was all his fault.
“Come in, weary travelers,” the man had said, ushering them in from the pounding rain outside. The fact that he was unnaturally pale had gone unremarked as he helped them remove their sopping jackets, but Lalli had sensed the Evil on him even then, choosing to ignore it until they were warm and dry...
Lalli had indeed ignored all the signs that said this was a trap, solely concerned with his selfish quest to find the Spirits, and so his companions were going to die. Even should some miracle deliver them, Lall doubted he would ever forgive himself.
Mikkel and Sigrun were lying unconscious on the floor, their chi blocked so that, even were she awake, Sigrun couldn’t have helped fight the Evil One opposing them.
“Give me your Bending!” the aforementioned Evil One demanded, sending bolts of obscene energy from his fingers into Lalli. “I, the mighty Sonew, demand it!”
Sonew was trying to become a Dark Avatar, but instead of being born with the ability to Bend each Element--in fact, he had been born unable to Bend at all--he was to steal each form of Bending from a hapless Bender who had wandered into his power. He had already stolen Air- and Fire-Bending before Lalli had delivered an Earth-Bender and a Water-Bender into his clutches.
The Island of Life-Benders had no Benders of Earth, Water, Air or Fire, but their Sages had found ways to ward against those Benders through runes charged via prayers to the Spirits. While Reynir was still very novice at such things, he had given everyone on the team a rune to ward them against the Death-Shades. Only Lalli was still carrying this rune (as part of his plans to plead with any Spirits he could locate) and when this Sonew had first tried to rend Lalli’s Water-Bending away from him, the rune had blocked the attack.
“Do you imagine a mere slip of paper is all that it takes to overcome me?” Sonew had thundered, but the rune had obviously given him pause. With a gesture, Sonew had charred the paper to ash, but he had waited until another gesture had blown that ash to pieces before resuming his assault on Lalli.
Now Lalli could feel his Bending being ripped away from him, as Sonew Bent and blocked Lalli’s chi. In another minute, Lalli would be as helpless as Mikkel and Sigrun, and then Sonew would have no further need of any of them.
In an instant, the rather dimly burning torches flared into blinding teal splendor, while lines of aquamarine fire ignited on the floor to form a giant Fire-Bending sigil around... Emil.
Wait, how had Emil arrived there? Lalli’s heart rose and fell almost simultaneously. Had his folly now brought doom to his friend, as well? And would the other two be next?
“You are a Fire-Bender, I see.” Sonew was calm now, assured in his new mastery of the Four Elements.
Emil made no reply.
“I have no need of a Fire-Bender,” Sonew sneered. Then he made a dismissive gesture, and turned back to Lalli. A burst of yellow-orange flame followed his motion toward Emil.
Emil’s eyes glowed with an icy blue fire that was all their own. An instant later, the wave of fire heading at him turned blue and began rolling back toward Sonew, who nearly missed it until it was too late.
As an ever-more-desperate Sonew grappled with the flames he could no longer Bend to his will, Emil pointed to Mikkel, Sigrun, and then Lalli. Lalli could feel his chi straining against Sonew’s blocks for just an instant before the blocks gave way, and he could move again.
Now Emil returned his attention to the straining Sonew, who was fighting to keep the flames back. Emil raised his hand out toward the other man--and then clenched it into a fist.
The flames surrounding Sonew flared almost white as they consumed him; then they vanished, leaving a statue of ash for just a moment before a huge gust of wind burst into the center of the room, sucking away every trace of the would-be Dark Avatar.
Emil’s eyes rolled up until only the whites showed, and he fainted...
