Hey, I'm back! Another chapter from what hopefully is becoming an increasingly interesting plot line. We're almost there though, my guess is this story is 3-5 chapters from it's conclusion, so hopefully you're enjoying it. Thanks as always for your reviews, and patience.

The Calm before the Storm

The air whistled passed Sokka's face as he stared out over the top of Appa's head. The night was quiet but clear, the moon glinting down on the tired travelers from above, its soft light bathing the world in a silver caress.

Sokka guided Appa through the moonlight, spelling Aang for a bit and allowing the avatar to get some much needed rest. Their small group planned to be in Ba Sing Se in time for afternoon tea the next day. Once they were in the city, they would have a day to prepare for their meeting with Xui Li and the infamous Shong Ti.

The day after was the summer solstice—and at its mention, Aang's usually cheerful face had scrunched in worry. If Sokka didn't miss his guess, the avatar's trip to the Spirit World had rattled him, and somehow, the solstice was connected to all their pain.

The water tribe warrior sighed and tried to shift in the saddle, stretching his battle-weary body. He desperately wanted to sleep but the scrapes and bruises he had accumulated in the fight didn't seem to want to let him. For now it appeared as if he would have to be content to wait.

In the silence, he glanced down at the small form beside him. Toph lay curled against his side, the gentle rise and fall of her chest drawing a smile—for all her tenacity in battle, she painted quite the angelic picture when she slept.

Sokka watched her for a few moments longer, his hand rising unconsciously to brush a stray strand of hair from her cheek. Toph stirred slightly at his touch but didn't wake and Sokka blew out a breath he didn't know he had been holding, his mind suddenly far from the task at hand.

This girl—no, this young woman—seemed to occupy far too much of his mind and Sokka didn't quite know what to make of it. In his heart of hearts he might have, but he wasn't even sure if he was even ready to admit his feelings to himself yet.

He liked Toph and he'd known that for a long time, but when that attraction had changed from feelings of friendship to something more…that was something he needed to figure out. It certainly hadn't been sudden nor had there been an abrupt epiphany, but it was something he just knew.

And now, with another battle seemingly imminent, he was worried. Sure it was easy to smile along with her as she raved about bashing the heads of some Fire Nation soldiers, but actually watching her do it…well, that was something else. He'd fought with her so many times and thought nothing of it, but suddenly, she was more than just another friend to fight alongside…he wanted to protect her…and if something needed protecting, well that meant it was vulnerable.

Sokka sighed, knuckling his eyes and trying to stem the onset of another headache. It was much too late to be thinking such lofty thoughts—his mind just wasn't quite up to the task. So for the moment he relegated his feelings for Toph to the back of his mind, letting them be for now, knowing he was only prolonging the inevitable.

They reached Ba Sing Se in the early afternoon just as they had predicted with Appa setting down right behind the Jasmine Dragon. Before the group had even finished dismounting, the happy, but weathered face of the shop's proprietor appeared in the doorway. Despite the growing curve of his belly, Iroh's smile seemed fit as ever.

"Zuko!" He exclaimed, engulfing his nephew in a back-breaking embrace, "how are you?" He greeted everyone enthusiastically—even Azula—before gesturing for them all to come inside. It wasn't until a fresh pot of tea was set on the table that he asked, "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

Now it was Zuko's turn to pause as he stared into his untouched cup of tea, the pleasant aroma of herbs and spices doing nothing to calm his nerves. After a moment he spoke, carefully avoiding the meaningful glances Mai was sending his way.

"It seems you were right again Uncle," he began.

At this Iroh stopped and laughed, his warmth permeating the room. "Then I suppose this old age has been good for something. Though," he turned serious now, sitting forward to examine his nephew's face, "I don't think you came all this way to tell me that."

A smile ghosted over Zuko's lips before he wet them and continued, "it involves a man you've already met, Shong Ti, and a conspiracy that we believe crosses even worldly lines." A confirming glance from Aang gave him the motivation to go on. "Through what Aang and Azula have said, we believe that Shong Ti is trying to coerce a spirit to cross over into our world."

Any trace of mirth left on Iroh's face when Zuko had begun to talk now promptly disappeared. One hand idly played along the rim of his teacup as he thought.

"But…that would be impossible…unless of course one were to obtain resources from the Dragon Bone Catacombs themselves…" He glanced sharply up at Zuko, who nodded.

"He's seen work of Fire Lord Liang-shek."

"Do you know what this means!" Iroh snapped.

The group nodded, the tension in the room palpable.

"Have you been to the Spirit World?" He asked Aang.

The avatar looked down briefly before speaking up, "I have. I talked with Avatar Kuruk…he said the Spirits of Old have convened…and that Koh is stirring."

For once Iroh didn't respond immediately, swirling the dregs of his tea. "I need to know more. Tell me everything. Leave nothing out, and start at the beginning."

Gradually, the group spoke, each taking a turn, telling Iroh of the adventures they had had. No detail was spared, not even by Azula, trusting in the wisdom and experience of a man many of them viewed as a mentor and father.

When they finished, they all stared expectantly at him as if expecting the answer to pop right out. Instead, he smiled, patting his belly contently as he leaned back in his chair.

"You know what a situation like this calls for? More tea!"

And with that, he motioned the server over, ignoring Zuko's groan and Mai's arched eyebrow, content for the moment to enjoy one of his favorite delicacies as he grappled with yet another of his nephew's many problems.

The exterior of the Twisting Serpent was nondescript, typical of Ba Sing Se's middle ring. The faded green paint was peeling under the merciless rays of the hot sun, the faint stench of alcohol from the night before wafting on the breeze. The black snake emblazoned on the tavern's front was curled around a frothing tankard, smiling sinisterly down on the passersby.

To Zuko, it looked too friendly.

They had agreed to stake out the tavern after a lengthy discussion—and many cups of tea. The decision had been made that Azula would accompany both Aang and Zuko into the tavern under the guise of travelers weary from a long day.

The plan had worked well so far. They had arrived in the middle of the afternoon, staking out a dark corner so their faces would be nearly unrecognizable in the shadows.

It had only been three hours and yet Zuko couldn't wait for it to be over. Aang was clearly nervous as well, his leg bouncing up and down under the table, occasionally smashing the Fire Lord's toes. In all honesty, Zuko didn't blame him, but it was irritating nonetheless.

The letter Aang had received had told him not to appear at the Twisting Serpent until the next day—the day of the solstice—but Lee's scroll clearly said Shong Ti would be there the day before. And, while he couldn't confirm his suspicions, both he and Aang believed he was the one who had been sending the letters.

Zuko sighed as Aang stomped on his foot once again, barely mumbling an apology as he glanced around the nearly empty tavern. Azula just smirked, leaning back, her eyes half closed as if asleep. Only she would enjoy this.

After another hour of waiting, Zuko glanced out the small window. It was getting late and people were beginning to trickle in. Soon the large, after-dinner crowd would be here, and that was when he expected Shong Ti and Xui Li to show up. A loud, boisterous bar would be the perfect cover for any illicit conversations and dealings.

Aang too had perked up as he began to study the newcomers. A couple times Zuko had to reign in his enthusiasm; he didn't want the entire tavern to know they were looking for someone.

Just as the sun finally set over the outer wall of the city and semi-gloom of night settled over the bar, a lone, cloaked figure walked in. Zuko couldn't see anything besides the man's chalky white hands, but his steady gait was not that of a drunkard's. The man stopped at the bar, motioning to the bartender and slipping him a few coins when two drinks appeared. He settled himself at a nearby table, his back to Zuko, clearly waiting for someone.

He sipped his drink slowly, his hood obscuring his face. His left hand played idly with a spare coin, tapping it against the chipped surface of the wooden table every few seconds. A few other patrons darkened the tavern's door, but still the man didn't stir. For a moment, Zuko wondered if he was even worth watching at all.

The door opened again, and this time the Fire Lord's attention was drawn to the man standing at the entrance. Tall and lean with an aristocratic demeanor, this man didn't appear to be part of the Twisting Serpent's usual clientele. Jet black hair pulled back into a severe ponytail that nearly matched his olive skin, the man exuded an air of contempt.

Zuko had expected some sort of mocking comment to come from the clearly inebriated, middle class patrons, but surprisingly none came. In contrast, everyone seemed to draw back, as if they were afraid of getting in this man's way.

The newcomer surveyed the room for a moment, his eyes briefly traveling over Zuko's table before coming to rest on the cloaked figure. With purposeful strides, he walked over and seated himself across from the man. They were just beginning to converse when a vice-like grip suddenly closed over Zuko's bicep.

"That's him," Azula hissed. "That's Shong Ti!"

She was already starting to rise from her seat when Zuko pushed her down.

"Quiet," he whispered, "and stay put. I want to hear what he's saying."

"So we capture him and make him talk," Azula growled. "I've had enough of sneaking around. You may be used to it, but I'm not."

Zuko bit back a retort. "Look, we have to assume the other man is Xui Li. Are you sure you want to start a fight with them here?"

"This is as good a place as any," Azula sneered. "What do you think, avatar?"

She glanced over at Aang as if expecting to add another voice to her cause.

"We listen for now," he said slowly, his eyes suddenly steely. "If he knows where Katara is, he might lead us to her. But I'm not letting him out of my sight. If I have to, I'll take him down."

Azula grinned in triumph.

"Aang…" Zuko began.

"Shhh!" He hissed. "Listen!"

Zuko paused for a moment, straining to hear the two now-arguing voices over the din of the patron's conversation.

"You were supposed to kill the princess," Shong Ti hissed. "Not let her and the Fire Lord escape. What were you thinking?"

Zuko couldn't see Xui Li's face, but one of his pale hands was squeezing his tankard so hard it was shaking. "They would've died if it weren't for the avatar. Wasn't he your responsibility?"

Shong Ti's face visibly tightened. "Everything is ready for the solstice. The avatar knows nothing, and if you can manage not to screw this up, two days from now we will be the new rulers of this pitiful world."

"And the water bender?"

"After the solstice she won't be of any use to us."

Aang's face went chalk white, his knees banging lightly against the underside of the table as he got ready to move.

"Sit down, Aang!" Zuko whispered. "We still don't know where Katara is!"

Aang shrugged off Zuko's hand, roughly shoving him with his elbow before slumping farther down in his seat. He seemed willing to listen for now, but Zuko knew it wouldn't take much more for him to act. Azula too, seemed tense, but for once she was quiet, listening intently to Shong Ti.

"But Kwo and Yeh-Lu are dead?"

"Yes," Xui Li mumbled, "the avatar saw to that."

Shong Ti was quiet for a minute. "It was necessary. They knew their roles; we've lost a lot of good soldiers. But we're close now, let's not lose sight of our goal."

Xui Li nodded, "we'll replace them soon. After all, once the solstice comes we won't need to hide. Everyone upset with the avatar and the Fire Lord will flock to our cause."

Shong Ti nodded, sitting back and letting his eyes sweep the room. He appeared to be getting ready to leave. Discreetly, Zuko reached into his tunic, ready to place a few coins on the tabletop and follow them out. Unfortunately the movement caught Shong Ti's attention, and immediately his eyes found Zuko.

For a moment, he said nothing, and then his gaze flickered to Azula. Recognition dawned in his eyes. He stood up quickly, his knees banging loudly against the underside of the table.

"You said you weren't followed!" He snapped to Xui Li, who had stood as well, quickly following his master's gaze. The hood had fallen from his face and for once, he looked shocked. His mouth worked silently as he struggled to speak.

Shong Ti, however, was already in motion, turning and slipping through the crowd toward the back of the tavern. Xui Li shot a look of intense loathing at Zuko before turning tail as well.

But before Zuko could even stand, Aang had flipped over the table, a blast of air quickly clearing a path between the stunned spectators. Azula was close on his heels, sparks flying from her hands as she pounded after him.

The group reached the back of the tavern, rounding the corner only to see a door swing shut in the distance. When they reached it, Aang didn't even pause as he wrenched it open and dashed inside. He had been expecting a fight, and when he found nothing but a bare, empty square room, he stopped midstride.

"Bu—! Where!" He gasped between breaths. "They weren't that far in front of us."

Zuko followed Azula inside, studying the room closely. None of the wooden paneling was out of place, in fact, nothing seemed to indicate that anyone ever used this room at all.

He was about to suggest they check the other doors off the hallway when Azula's voice cut him off.

"Shhh! I hear something!"

Instantly, everyone stopped moving, ears straining for the slightest hint of noise. Sure enough, Azula was right. Over the noise of the tavern's patrons, Zuko could clearly hear distracted shouts and the loud thumping of feet. There had to be at least two, maybe three people coming down the hall.

Quickly he motioned for his sister and Aang to take up positions on either side of the door. He set himself on the opposite wall, ready to strike the moment someone came in.

The door opened and Zuko glimpsed a bit of black hair. Instinctively, he attacked. Around the blaze of his own fire, he saw a pale hand shoot out and wrench the figure away. When no one returned his blow, he readied himself to strike again. Suddenly a voice shouted from the hall,

"Cool it, Zuko! It's us!"

Hesitantly, Mai stepped through the door, hands outstretched, followed closely by Toph and Sokka.

For a moment, no one spoke.

"What are you doing here?" Zuko sputtered.

Toph snorted indignantly. "Did you actually think we weren't going to follow you? You three were more likely to blow up the building than manage to keep things quiet."

"Bu—"

"And Iroh sent us."

Surprisingly, it was Sokka's comment that ended conversation.

"He did what!" Azula shrieked.

"He said you would need our help," Toph supplied. "And I think he said something else…something about light and shadows…or maybe it was just tea."

Mai rolled her eyes. "What he actually said was, 'when you face the light, the shadows will be behind you.'"

"And that helps us how?" Azula asked.

Sokka shrugged. "Typical Iroh. We'll probably only know after the fact."

"So what now?" Toph cut in from across the room.

Aang scratched his head, a frown creasing his brow. "We followed Shong Ti and Xui Li into this room, but they just…disappeared. We were about to search the place when you guys burst in."

Mai nodded, running her hands along the wooden paneling of the wall. "Nothing seems out of place, but they couldn't have just disappeared into thin air…"

"Well from what I've seen from Xui Li and what he did to Lee, I wouldn't put it passed him." Zuko shuddered.

Azula scowled over at him. "He can't just vanish—there's something here that were missing. We just need to find it."

Getting down on her hands and knees, she too began examining the floor. After a moment, Zuko followed suit and soon everyone was spread about the room, searching for some sort of clue.

After ten minutes of searching, Toph's voice broke the silence. "Found something!"

Everyone gathered around as her small fingers plied at the corner of a loose floorboard. After a moment, and with a little help from Sokka, the board came loose. Underneath was a smooth metal handle.

"Alright, stand back." Zuko said, grasping the handle tightly.

In a motion, he wrenched upward, almost falling on his back as a trapdoor suddenly appeared, rising smoothly and soundlessly from the floor. At least they now knew why they hadn't heard the two men escaping.

Peering down into the opening, Zuko eyed the blackness warily. He couldn't see the bottom and a thin rope ladder was all that hung over the side.

"So…." Aang said after a moment's silence, "are we going down?"

Even Azula looked apprehensive as she stared into the inky darkness.

"Do we have to go down there?" Sokka whined.

He'd barely finished his question when Toph's fist found his arm. "Is Sokka afraid of the dark?"

"No!" He said a bit too quickly.

"Well then let's get going!"

"You're sure?" Zuko asked, glancing over at Mai and Aang.

They both nodded. He gulped, staring down the trapdoor once again, before slowly beginning his descent into the unknown.

The going was slow, and Zuko resisted the urge to cringe every time the ladder creaked or swayed under the weight of another person. He had to make sure each foot was securely on the next rung before he took a step. Toph was somewhere above him sandwiched in between Sokka and Aang, and Zuko could hear Sokka's subtle encouragement as he helped guide the blind girl down the ladder. For once, he almost wished he was blind as well; it was rather disconcerting to see nothing but darkness below him and Mai's feet above.

They kept descending, foot after foot, step after step. The monotony gradually dulling Zuko's senses, and wasn't until he heard Mai's voice that he realized they were almost down.

"I see light! We must be getting close!"

Zuko glanced down and saw that his wife was right. The dim glow emanating from the base of the ladder seemed to be getting progressively lighter. As they got closer, he could see the telltale flickering of firelight dancing on the dark walls.

"We're almost there!" Zuko shouted upward.

The relieved cries from above brought a smile to his face, and with a renewed vigor, he redoubled his pace. A few minutes later, his feet found the hard stone floor below. When he finally helped the last person to the floor, he surveyed the group.

"We all ok?"

A chorus of relieved smiles and nods greeted him. Glancing around, Zuko saw that they were standing in a low tunnel that appeared to be part of the cavern system he knew was under Ba Sing Se. Unless he missed his guess, they were probably in one of the tunnel offshoots of the Crystal Catacombs.

"Ahhh, nothing like earth between your toes!" Toph exclaimed, lying back on the ground and swinging her arms. Zuko didn't miss the quick smile that touched Sokka's lips.

"So…what now?" Azula's quiet drawl cut through the group's excitement.

Expecting to see a torch burning on the wall, Zuko was surprised to see that the glow was coming from around a short bend in the tunnel wall.

"This way," he called, heading toward the source of the flickering light.

When he rounded the bend he stopped dead in his tracks, ignoring Sokka's indignant cry and letting the others crowd around his stationary form. The source of light was not, as Zuko had expected, a torch or even a lit brazier, instead it was a door completely bathed in flame.

Its ancient oaken face was covered and bolted with a steel latch twice the size of Zuko's closed fist. The iron banding was more than a foot wide, giving it an ominous appearance in the dancing flames, as if were protecting the rest of Ba Sing Se from what it held within.

And strangely enough, as Zuko stood there in awe, the door showed no sign of being affected by the blazing inferno that surrounded it.

"Is that what I think it is?" Sokka asked, finding his voice for the first time.

Zuko could only nod in response.

"And what exactly is 'it'?" Toph said, folding her arms over her chest.

"It's a door…" Sokka answered, "that's on fire."

"Well said," Azula drawled. "But the bigger question is how we open it, because somehow I don't think knocking will work this time."

Mai's arm flashed out, and a knife whipped from her hand. It struck the latch with a loud clang, but left nothing more than a shallow scratch on the gleaming metal.

"How about air bending?" Sokka suggested, looking over at Aang.

The avatar nodded and stepped forward, thrusting toward the door. The fire instantly grew and everyone was forced to take a step back before the heat overwhelmed them. The door shook and rattled for a moment, as if the force of the air was testing its hinges, but eventually it quieted. Aang shook his head.

"How about earth bending?" Mai asked.

Aang took his stance again.

"Wait!"

At Toph's voice Aang froze.

"You can't bend here," she explained. "Whoever built this place planned for earthbenders. We're in a tunnel above some kind of cavern. The floor and walls are barely thick enough to hold us. If we try to bend through them we'll probably collapse part of the tunnel and who knows how far the ground is below us."

Aang frowned for a moment as he too checked Toph's assessment.

"And the ceiling?"

Toph shrugged. "It might be solid stone all the way to the surface, but if you want to chance a bunch of rocks falling on your head, be my guest."

Aang grimaced, and turned to Zuko. "Got any more ideas?"

Zuko turned to Mai and was in the process of shrugging his shoulders when a thought struck him.

"Mai! Do you still have that key we found in the desert? The one Kotoru told us about?"

His wife nodded, slowly reaching inside her tunic. "I grabbed it from one of the packs on the lizard-mounts before we left. Though I'm not sure what good it will do here."

"Let me see it."

Gingerly, she placed the carefully wrapped parcel in his hands.

Zuko took the twisted cloth and gradually began to unwrap it as he walked forward.

"Zuko…." Mai's voice said from over his shoulder. "What are you doing?"

"Just testing a theory," he mumbled, focused on the task at hand.

When the heat became unbearable he stopped. He could feel the sweat dripping over his entire face and the blood rushing through his enflamed cheeks. It was now or never. Fully unwrapping the key, he bit his lip, and grasped it with his bare hand.

Almost immediately the relief was palpable, as if a wave of cooling water had just doused his body. The extreme cold that had previously ripped the skin right off Mai's hand now seemed like a breath of fresh air. For a moment he paused, reveling in the feeling.

Then he took another step forward, a mere arms width from the flaming door. He heard someone begin to protest, but he ignored them. In one swift motion, Zuko pushed his arm through the flames. The fire around the door seemed to only tickle his body, as if the key's icy coldness had formed a barrier around him. Gaining confidence, he fit the key into the lock. It slid in smoothly, and after a brief hesitation, he felt the latch give.

Instantly, the flames flickered, and from the iron latch, ice spider-webbed outward. It began gradually, inching along the metal rivets as it gained traction, eating away at the flames like mold on a slice of bread. Soon half the door was covered in a glistening sheen of ice. Then two thirds. Then the rest.

For a moment, everything was silent. Then the lock clicked once more. Instantly, cracks shot through the ice and the door seemed to explode, raining Zuko with droplets of water and shards of ice. When he finally turned to look, the doorway was open and the soft light within illuminated a twisting, staircase that had been cut straight from the stone wall as it spiraled downward.

Zuko turned back to look at the group, all of whom were staring at him in shock. Allowing himself a rare smirk, the Fire Lord motioned for them to follow.

"Come on," he said. "My guess is it isn't going to get any easier from here."

Thanks for reading, please review! (you may even get to see Katara soon)