2
Ty Lee was overwhelmed by Caldera.
She opened her bag and looked for whatever help Suki had spoken about. Nothing of use seemed to be inside, and it had frustrated her on the ship. Now Ty Lee had the chance to shake everything out of it and start seeking the information.
When she turned to the bag itself, she ran her hand over the lining and found a small pocket inside. Ty Lee ripped it open and withdrew parchment, a painted picture, and a small cloth map that did not seem to reflect the city of wonders outside. It was probably outdated.
She picked up the painting and saw the cute little girl. She looked to be about five or six, and the painting looked to be expensive and professional. So, she was a little noble who was, for some reason, locked up at that intimidating black fortress that loomed over the streets.
Ty Lee was fantastic with children, and she knew she was perfect for this job.
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As the sun set, Ty Lee gazed out of her window.
Her eyes were fixed on the fortress palace she would somehow have to infiltrate. What stunned her most was the lights of the city. Even though it was nighttime, everything glittered, glimmered and flashed. Music played from a bar nearby that glowed with bright red flashing lights. Ty Lee had never seen anything like it before in her life, and she thought it was beautiful.
It became clear to her why the Fire Nation conquered the world.
They had this.
It became clear to her why the Fire Nation had such unbelievable weapons.
They had this.
Ty Lee lost herself in the glistening city that made her feel breathless and small.
She could spend an eternity here.
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Ty Lee could not even entertain the idea of sleeping, and so she got dressed to go out into the shiny paradise. The streets were packed, and she had no idea why; it was so late. After she went down a few paths, she suddenly understood why everyone was out.
The Fire Days Festival, read so many signs.
She had masks pushed at her by aggressive merchants, she saw food being made that she could not comprehend and was too afraid to taste. It overwhelmed her in a way that she had never felt before in her life.
Ty Lee at last found a cute pink mask of some kind of creature she found flattering enough. The festival enticed her, and she had the palace fortress in her sights. Tomorrow, she would devise a plan to rescue the little girl; tonight she would enjoy this fantasy world she stumbled into. She had never been anywhere like this before in her life, and she never thought she would be.
A stand drew Ty Lee's attention; it was producing something that smelled weird but enticing. She stared and watched the metal spin on its own, creating red fluffiness that looked like Fire Nation clouds. Well, the clouds were white in the Fire Nation, but Ty Lee bet they would dye them red if they could. Everything they touched back home they turned red, at least.
"Can I have… one?" Ty Lee did not know if it was singular or plural so she guessed.
"Sure," said the woman making it, smiling at her customer.
Ty Lee tasted it, and then spit it out when it burned her tongue. She rubbed her scorched tongue with her fingers and let the candy cloud hang loose at her side. After a few steps, she went back to eating it, this time proceeding with caution.
She smiled and went off into the festival.
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Ty Lee wasn't very good at most of the games. Thankfully, batting her eyelashes and smiling wound up letting her keep most of the money that would be lost. This was a fantastic first assignment, and she could not wait to get home and tell her friends on Kyoshi Island about Caldera.
She wandered through the packed streets and stood down in front of an octagonal stage. She was quickly surrounded by other sweaty fairgoers who stood on either side of her, but she was not uncomfortable due to her excitement.
When she stood on her tiptoes, she saw that this was the main attraction of the night. Huge stacks of seats rose up like the sharp rock hills on Kyoshi Island. They were filled with people. Ty Lee truly had never seen so many people and it thrilled her almost as much as the weird metal men that spoke and danced and were punching each other to bits for the amusement of the crowd.
Ty Lee looked up, up, up and saw something that made her stagger into another fairgoer. It was Fire Lord Ozai, and some young woman, and a man with very oddly groomed hair who looked severe. The guards surrounding him looked stronger than Ty Lee was.
Not that she would assassinate Ozai. She had aspirations to fight the Fire Nation, but she was here to rescue a captive child, not to do something that grandiose.
Ty Lee watched the metal men be replaced with real men. Their weapons were awe-inspiring and Ty Lee studied their combat to use it later. Three firebending battles made her jaw drop.
The man who was the best fighter went by the nickname the Dragon.
Ty Lee thought his bending was the best she had ever seen.
She kept thinking, however, that she could beat him within minutes.
After the last man fell, the drums rang out louder than before.
The sweaty, shirtless announcer in the ring called out to the crowd, "Does anyone want to challenge the Dragon?"
Murmurs, shouting, Ty Lee felt compelled, pushed by the daydream that enveloped her in curiosity and joy. She raised her hand.
"I will!" she called out and the man pointed his finger at her. His eyes flashed in that way men's eyes always did when they saw Ty Lee. "I'll beat him in under five minutes!"
"I like your confidence!" The man winked and the half-dressed girl whom was his assistant walked out into the crowd and took Ty Lee by the arm to help her up in the ring. Laughter and murmuring echoed from the crowd below.
From that octagon, everything looked different.
Her eyes flickered to Fire Lord Ozai again. He was watching her and it gave her gooseflesh.
"In less than five minutes?" asked the announcer.
"Yes," Ty Lee said into the weird metal voice amplifier he had been using. She was very baffled by the metal magic, but she kept it to herself.
"Don't burn her pretty face."
"I won't," said the Dragon.
Ty Lee snickered.
He came at her strong and she dove out of the way. She danced out of the flames and she no longer could hear the crowd. When he raised a hand and grabbed her by the braid, she fell backwards. He thought he had her, but she delivered five precise punches and kicked herself away from him.
The Dragon fell onto the floor of the octagon, whimpering.
Ty Lee stood.
The crowd did not cheer.
They were in utter silence.
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After the fight cleared and the festival continued, Fire Lord Ozai entered and the room groveled with impressive synchronization. He had trained his people well, and he was well aware of it.
The Dragon was on a cot, hissing through his teeth. He silenced himself when the Fire Lord stood over him. It was an honor, but he was so rattled from his fight that he could barely comprehend the treat.
"What happened?" Fire Lord Ozai gruffly asked.
"She did something…" The Dragon rubbed at his arm with significantly slowed movement. "She took my bending and left me helpless. I've never felt anything like this."
"And I have never seen anything like it," Ozai said. He looked away from the man he did not care about and looked up at his second in command. "Who was she? Did she give you a name? Was she registered at the festival?"
It was a shame Fire Lord Ozai had to ask to figure this out. He had not taken his eyes off of the girl in the fighting ring, but she disappeared into the crowd, lost among masks and countless other pretty young women. His XO, however, should know better.
"I don't know," replied Zhao. He had no idea why he would know, but he was wise enough to keep his mouth shut.
"Find out… and bring her to the palace."
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As the night approached morning, Ty Lee felt the hair on the back of her neck prickle up.
She was being watched, and she knew it. If she were not on a dangerous mission, she would think it was due to how overwhelmed she was by Caldera and how she knocked out The Dragon and brush it off. But she was on a dangerous mission, and people noticing her was a bad, bad thing.
Ty Lee should not have let herself get wrapped up in the festival that still raged.
She started to run when she heard the footsteps. They were quiet beneath the loud music, but that did not stop it from unnerving her to the core.
"Hurry up!" shouted a male voice, and Ty Lee suddenly saw that she was surrounded.
She punched the soldier to her left and kicked him aside, dashing into the alleyway and running up the wall to grab onto a windowsill. She hoisted herself up from there onto the roof and started running across the top of the shops.
It made her an easy target for the fire and arrows, but she dodged them easily. She almost fell when a blast of flame licked her arm, but she bit on her lip, ignored the pain and kept going. The palace was ahead of her and she knew that was her destination.
So much for a fun filled festival night.
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Ty Lee panicked as she ran across the Caldera rooftops. She was in more trouble than she could fathom. She had never run so fast in her life. Well, she supposed that she had never been running for her life, save for that time she threw rocks at Unagi.
She jumped down to an open window and swung inside. Ty Lee knew it would not take the soldiers long to figure out where she had gone, and so she bolted down the nearest stairs … and then ran back up them.
Hiding! Why did she not think of hiding?
Ty Lee threw open a closet door and climbed towards the ceiling before kicking the door closed. She was plunged into darkness and the only thing she could hear was her heartbeat. It raced like never before. Her palms and feet pressed against opposite sides of the narrow closet. She hoped she would not fall like she had never hoped for something before.
She heard the heavy footsteps of the soldiers enter the house. Ty Lee focused all of her energy on remaining in place and remaining unheard. The Kyoshi Warriors did prepare her for strenuous balance and silent breathing.
The soldiers ransacked the place by the sound of it. Ty Lee pushed harder against the walls when she saw one soldier open the closet door. She closed her eyes and prayed to live another day. Fortunately, he looked around, shrugged, and left.
Ty Lee was too far above him to be seen.
Thank the spirits.
She waited for an eternity until the soldiers at last vacated the house. Ty Lee dropped down without making a sound and rubbed her aching muscles.
"On your feet, soldier," Ty Lee whispered to herself, and she forced herself to walk through the pain.
Ty Lee snuck around the residential chunk of Caldera. She heard the soldiers shouting things, warning people – at least those who were not celebrating the Fire Days Festival – and Ty Lee knew she had to be careful. Her hopes of caution, however, went out the window when she took the risk of crossing through a backyard. She was caught.
"Come inside," whispered the older woman clutching Ty Lee's wrist. Ty Lee reconsidered chi-blocking her. The woman had a kind and gentle aura of pure, warm gold. She was trustworthy, and so Ty Lee unclenched her fists and followed her into the house.
The woman's home was well-groomed but earthy. It had an exotic look but it felt homey at the same time. Ty Lee saw all of the weird lights and other odd appliances, but the statues and paintings made her feel like she was back in the Earth Kingdom.
Ty Lee scanned her surroundings and found three exits. That was good.
The woman finished locking her door and locked eyes with Ty Lee.
"Why are you helping me?" Ty Lee asked, batting her eyelashes to seem more innocent. She was a foolhardy girl who got caught doing something silly. Not a warrior sent here to rescue a prisoner of war.
"Look," the woman said, rolling up her sleeve.
The tiny marking at first looked like a very ordinary scar, but on closer inspection she saw that it was in the shape of the character for shadow. It had been burned into her flesh like a brand.
"What does it mean?" Ty Lee asked, trying not to stare but incapable of looking away. Who would burn a human like that?
"It's just a symbol. I'm helping you because I imagine you don't deserve what those men want to do to you. Your clothes give it away; you are no noble," said the woman. "Rest here until it's safe for you to go home."
"Thank you," Ty Lee said with a bright smile.
She hoped she was safe here, at least for the night.
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Ty Lee left the next morning. The woman fed her first and she left while words of gratitude left her lips. She pretended to be heading to the neighborhoods, but she cut through another yard and started making her way towards the palace fortress again. Ty Lee knew she had to be getting closer, but she wished she had a decent map.
This place was so big and so complicated. It was a city that could be a planet.
As she slipped stealthily around houses, she had to pin herself against a wall twice to hide from passing soldiers. The first few were serious. The second few were laughing and trading lewd stories. None of them gave Ty Lee anything to worry about.
When she lifted her hand from the wall, she noticed something in the graffiti under it. The character for shadow in the same distinctive penmanship of the brand on that woman. Ty Lee stopped briefly to ponder, but then reminded herself of her mission and kept going.
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Ty Lee reached a literal blockade on her journey to the palace fortress.
It was a huge wall. The palace fortress was on the other side, eliciting a groan of frustration from Ty Lee. Instantly, Ty Lee tried to scale it, but even her years of training failed her. Ty Lee sighed and decided to follow it until she found a better way across.
The way she found was a gate guarded by very many buff soldiers. Ty Lee scaled a nearby shop and hid on the roof, close enough to examine them but far enough away to be unnoticed.
Their auras were mismatched, but all strong, fierce reds. They would be bold, aggressive and – due to their visible youth – risk-takers. Ty Lee did not want to deal with that type of soldier on her quest.
Ty Lee wished she were cleverer. She could not reveal herself by chi-blocking them – or fighting them at all for that matter.
Someone tapped Ty Lee's shoulder and she nearly fell from the roof.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but you're kinda in my way," a little boy whispered. He was grimy, he was odd, he was right beside Ty Lee and jeopardizing her position.
"Your way?" Ty Lee asked. "I'm on top of a roof."
"I look at people," said the boy, rubbing his hands together nervously.
Ty Lee grabbed his hand and held up the small bag with the girl's picture and Ty Lee's money. He squirmed and sought a way to escape her stern glare.
"Or you look from the roofs to decide who to steal from," Ty Lee said, crossing her arms. She did not take kindly to thieves, even if the little boy was so cute.
"Why're you on the roof?" the boy asked. His voice shook.
"I'm saving somebody," Ty Lee replied.
"Past the gate?" he asked.
"At the palace fortress."
The boy's expression sobered. He seemed concerned about Ty Lee, and she saw it in his muted turquoise aura. She instantly forgave him for his theft.
"It's hard to get there," he said.
"Have you been there?" Ty Lee asked.
"Yeah."
"I'll pay you four of these gold coins if you show me the way."
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Ty Lee and the little boy sneaked past the gate. Luckily, Ty Lee was thin and flexible enough to fit through the small gap that he used. They came out in an alleyway in a busy market.
"They doubled the patrols," the boy muttered and Ty Lee noticed the soldiers on the street.
Despite that, they crossed through Caldera easily. The boy knew a thousand ways around a thousand obstacles. Ty Lee marveled at every light or carriage with no horses. It was all so strange to her, even on her second day. The entire city seemed to run on magic.
Ty Lee and the boy finally reached the tall gates that surrounded the palace fortress.
"The palace has escape tunnels underneath," the boy said. "Most of the entrances are closed up, but a servant guy opened one to smuggle stuff a few years ago."
Ty Lee stared at him for a moment.
"You should stay behind," Ty Lee said. "It's way too dangerous for you."
Ty Lee handed him three gold pieces and entered the dark tunnel.
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Ty Lee managed to get into the courtyards before the guards noticed her.
Oh, she was in trouble. She ran, and ran, and ran, knocking over anything behind her in order to make their pursuit harder. She had darts fly at her, and fire singe her braid, and swords nick her arms. But she did not stop until she forced her way into the kitchens and ran from there.
She ducked through the palace and once she lost those chasing her, she was able to make herself vanish into the shadows. Once Ty Lee caught her breath, she started to figure out what direction would take her to the tallest tower.
Ty Lee seriously hoped that the girl was there. It would be really bad if she was not.
The palace was on high alert, and Ty Lee could tell. She went on ceilings and around statues and in every single place no one would be able to see her nimble body sneaking through the palace.
Once Ty Lee got to the steps of the tower, she just ran, stealth be damned. She ran without stopping or looking back, knowing that she had to find the girl. She had no idea if she would ever see Kyoshi Island again. She hoped the girl would be cooperative. All of those worries invaded her brain, but she forced them away as she hurried up the stone stairs.
Finally, Ty Lee reached a blockade. She shimmied through it, ran up the final flight of stairs, and took refuge in the first room she saw.
Bright blue fire greeted her. Ty Lee had never seen anything like it; Caldera was full of surprises. She managed to dodge it, thankfully.
"Who are you?" asked a girl whose palms were burning cerulean, ready to strike again. She wore a red silk robe and her ink-black hair glistened in the candlelight. Ty Lee held up her hands in surrender.
"I'm Ty Lee and I'm looking for this little girl," Ty Lee hastily explained, holding out the creased and sweaty portrait.
"You found her," coldly said the young woman. "That painting is somewhat dated."
Ty Lee did not understand for a few long moments.
"You. You're the little girl?" Ty Lee asked.
"Yes. Now tell me who sent you and what they want with me," regally said Ty Lee's target.
"I was sent to rescue you," Ty Lee replied.
Before either girl could speak, pounding knocks on the door stole their attention.