The following is an excerpt fromThe Shadow of Kyoshiby F.C.
Yee with help fromMichael Dante DiMartino.
When we last saw Kyoshi, she had officially accepted the mantle of Avatar.
Check it out below.The Shadow of Kyoshipublishes July 21, and isavailable for pre-order now.
Chapter 1: Unfinished Business
Kyoshis neck itched terribly.
It served her right for being so sloppy.
Speaking of which, shed taken a risk by not incapacitating the boy like shed done his elders.
But hed reminded her of Lek.
His sheer, idiotic bravery.
He was too young to be running with a gang in the slums of Ba Sing Se.
No more exceptions for today, she told herself as she stepped over rusting junk and debris.
Certainly no one would show Kyoshi grace because she was only nearing eighteen.
The Avatar did not have the luxury of being a child.
She pushed through a hallway barely wider than she was.
Only the slightest cracks of illumination came through the walls.
Glowing crystals were expensive, and candles were a fire risk, making light a premium in Loongkau.
Networks of pipes dripped above her, pattering on the gilded headdress she wore despite the cramped environment.
The smell of human density wafted through the corridors, a concoction of sweat and drying paint.
She could only imagine what the lower levels offered the nose.
Loongkau was a haven for the very poor.
They were ordinary Earth Kingdom citizens trying to get by on the margins of the law.
Her folk, essentially.
Those were not Kyoshis folk.
In fact, many of them were running from her.
Garden-variety earthbending that ripped up huge chunks of the surroundings would cause a dangerous collapse and harm innocents.
The interior opened into a small market area.
Kyoshi paused near a vat of spoiled mango pomace.
This was her spot.
She bent an assortment of rock debris into a small circle and stood on it.
She crossed her arms over her chest to make the smallest cross section possible.
Before she went, though, she noticed a tiny object in the corner.
It was a toy, a doll made of rags scavenged from a fine ladys dress.
Kyoshi stared at it until she blinked, remembering why she was here.
She stamped down with her foot.
She plunged through the floor and into the next level down, before doing it again, and again.
Jianzhus tactical manuals noted that in enclosed fights most casualties happened at doorways and stairs.
Kyoshi had decided to skip over those parts of the building and bore her own passage.
The bottom of Loongkau.
Kyoshi stepped off her platform, dust and crumbs of masonry cascading off her arms, and looked around.
So the City Block has a ballroom, she thought wryly.
The empty expanse was similar to the entertaining halls of wealthy nobles like Lu Beifong.
There was a space like this in the Avatars mansion in Yokoya.
There was a desk, a wooden island in the emptiness.
And behind the desk was a man who hadnt given up his pretensions since Kyoshi had last seen him.
Hello, Uncle Mok, Kyoshi said.
Its been a while, hasnt it?
Mok, the former second-in-command of the Yellow Neck daofei, goggled his eyes in surprise.
Kyoshi was like a curse he couldnt shake.
he fumed, shrinking slightly behind the furniture as if it could protect him.
What are you doing here!?
I heard rumors about a new boss settling into Loongkau and thought he sounded very familiar.
So I came to investigate.
I heard this group is calling itself a Triangle now?
Do I have that right?
Something with three sides.
Kyoshi found it hard to keep track.
The Triad of the Golden Wing!
he yelled, infuriated by her disinterest in his rituals.
But Kyoshi was long past caring about the feelings of men like Mok.
He could throw whatever tantrum he desired.
The drumming of feet grew louder.
The men Kyoshi had bypassed on the middle floors came filing into the room, surrounding her.
They brandished axes and cleavers and daggers.
Bolstered by more than two dozen men, Mok turned calmer.
Well, girl, what is it you want?
Besides checking in on your elders?
The nearest one is seven blocks from here.
Several of the hatchet men burst out laughing.
The corner of Moks mouth turned upward.
Kyoshi might be the Avatar, but she was vastly outnumbered and trapped in an enclosed space.
We refuse, he said with an exaggerated roll of his hand.
In that case, I only have one question.
Kyoshi cast her gaze around the room.
Are you sure this is all of you?
The Triad members glanced at each other.
Moks face swelled with rage, reddening like a berry in the sun.
It wasnt insolence so much as pragmatism, her instinct for tidiness and efficiency rising to the surface.
If not, I can wait until everyone arrives, Kyoshi said.
I dont want to have to go back and check each floor.
The hatchet men charged from all directions.
Kyoshi drew one of her fans.
Two would have been a bit much.
