The Outsider- Avatar Fanfic

Chapter 34 - The Library Pt 2

And that, ladies and gentlemen and everyone in-between, is how we ended up in the middle of the fucking desert with no idea of where we were actually going.

Which is great, you know, when the sun is absolutely beating down on us without mercy. Kai was ready to end it all and take a nose dive off Appa— his Arctic wolf coat wasn't doing him any favours. His winter coat had shedded out, revealing his darker Dire wolf markings. He looked more and more like the warrior masks the Water Tribe would wear, different from the pure white of an ordinary Arctic wolf.

I hate the big fire in the sky.

I know Kai. I hate it too.

'And some say that the library doesn't exist at all!' The professor had been rambling non-stop the entire trip and for the most part I'd blocked him out— this little quip, however, caught all of our attention.

'What?!' Toph exclaimed, sitting bolt upright. 'Please tell me you're joking.'

'So we're looking for a library that might actually not exist,' I muttered, melting into the saddle with a sigh.

The sun was relentless. It didn't help that I was what I liked to call 'fuck-off fair'. I was already covered head to toe in a desperate attempt to prevent sun burn.

'Wait! There it is! I see it!'

Katana scrambled to the side of saddle at the sound of Toph's exclamation, the others following suit.

'Where do you see it?' Sokka said, excited, scanning the horizon.

'Guys.' I rubbed my eyes. 'She's fucking blind.'

Toph cackled as the others groaned. Classic.

oOo

What is that tall thing?

A tower. But the whole building is underground apparently.

Kai sniffed the base of the tower and dug a little at the sand.

It might take a while to dig the building out.

Well, you're not wrong. But we're going to climb up it and go down that way.

Oh. Can I come?

I placed a hand on the white stone, squatting next to Kai.

Sorry bub. Not this time. You'll stay here with Toph and Appa.

Against all the odds, we'd actually managed to find the library. True, it was just the tip of the tower, but at least it existed. The professor was so excited he almost passed out.

On second thought that could have been from heatstroke, but who knows.

'Alright then, you guys ready?' Sokka said, hands on hips and staring at the top of the tower. Aang opened his staff and wrapped long rope over his shoulders.

'Yup. Let's go: spirit library, here we come!'

I was worried that the inside of the library would be covered in sand, but as we slid down the rope, I was struck by the cavernous, never-ending building.

As we neared a walkway, I saw little green lights dotted above rows upon rows of books - it was truly immense. And eerie as hell.

How is it down there?

Weird. Dark and way too quiet.

I could feel Kai was nervous. He wasn't a big fan of spirits, and if the professor was correct, the spirit of this library was an interesting one.