Part II: Forty

Trigger Warning: Extreme Blood and Gore

Suki pushed back her bowl, unable to stomach the smell of the rice porridge a moment longer. She grabbed her ginger tea and took a sip, waiting for her stomach to settle. Across from her, Ty Lee was picking at an orange, peeling it meticulously, but not eating it. She was scowling, lost in thought, her hazel eyes ringed with dark bags. She didn't look like she'd slept much.

"Are you okay?" Suki asked her, making Ty Lee look up.

"Yeah, just got a lot on my mind."

"I know how you feel," Suki said. Ever since Piandao and Tam had brought her mother's dagger to her yesterday she'd been on edge, as if waiting for some unknown shoe to drop. She had no idea what was going on, or why someone would try to make it look like she'd had something to do with Guo's assassination attempt.

Piandao thought she was being framed and she couldn't help but agree with him. It couldn't be a coincidence, the assassin using her mother's dagger on a man who had made it known that he opposed her marriage to Zuko. If she were an outsider looking in at the situation she'd be tempted to believe that she, or the Warriors, had had something to do with the attempt on Guo's life.

The problem was, Zuko's council might also take that stance if she brought the evidence to them, without proof that she'd had nothing to do with it. She couldn't prove that someone was trying to frame her yet.

She just didn't know where to start. She had no idea who would try to frame her. There were lots of candidates, and if Guo wasn't on death's door, she might have assumed he was responsible. That meant someone else was trying to take her down.

She couldn't help but think of the Grand Sage, and the way he'd looked down his nose at her, practically calling her a whore to her face. She was thoroughly sick and tired of that word being thrown at her constantly from the people threatened by her relationship with Zuko. The next person who slung that word in her direction was going to get a fan to the face.

She couldn't see the Grand Sage doing something so underhanded, despite his archaic and nasty impression of her, but she didn't know him very well. He obviously disliked her, but she'd thought it was simply prejudice against her background and birthright, not hatred enough to try and frame her for murder. That Guo had lived had been purely accidental. The assassin had clearly been trying to kill him.

That meant whoever was doing this was willing to murder just to take her down. She didn't like the implications of that at all. That meant her enemy was dangerous, far more dangerous than she was prepared to handle at the moment. She didn't have much choice in the matter.

She took another sip of her ginger tea, thinking of the baby. She was still coming to terms with the pregnancy. It had only been a few days since she'd found out. Zuko was due back tomorrow, and she couldn't wait to see him again. Not just to tell him about the baby, but because she knew he'd have her back against whatever machinations were working against her.

There was one thing she could count on, and that was Zuko. He wouldn't let her face this threat alone.

She ached to see him again, a kind of homesickness that had started the minute he'd left. She smiled into her tea. They'd been together for a year now but she was still just as lovesick as their first night together, hopelessly addicted to loving him, and happily so.

She couldn't wait to marry him. Maybe that would shut everyone who opposed her up. She wasn't naïve enough to think so, but she could hope. Sighing, she set her cup back down and watched Ty Lee for a moment, still picking at her orange, pulling shreds of the white inner rind off with her fingernails. There was a pile on the table in front of her and the smell of oranges filled the air.

"Are you thinking about Cara?" Suki asked gently, making Ty Lee look up at her again.

"No," Ty Lee said and then pulled a self-deprecating smile. "Yes."

"You've got it bad, girl."

"Tell me about it," Ty Lee said, putting the orange down and wiping her fingers with a napkin. "But my love life or lack thereof is not what I should be focusing on right now. We need to find out who might have hired that assassin. Guo might be awake by now. He'll give us answers."

But Suki wasn't so sure of that.

"The assassin was carrying my mother's dagger. You heard Piandao. He thinks I'm being framed, which means Guo was targeted because of me. Everyone knows that he and I don't get along. Guo probably doesn't know anything."

"Still, we don't have any other leads," Ty Lee said bracingly. "And... Suki we can't keep the truth from the Council much longer. It will look like you're trying to hide it."

Suki ran her hand through her hair. "I know. But Lady Lian and Bai, in particular, will jump on the evidence the minute I give it to them. They want to think the worst of me. Especially Lian. The witch. She didn't even come to the council meeting yesterday. She already thinks I had something to do with Guo's attack. Give her any proof, regardless of the truth, and she'll make sure I go down for it."

"Zuko won't let that happen. He'll be back tomorrow, and all this will be sorted out."

"I hope so," Suki said heavily. "I miss him and it's only been a week. I had this weird dream last night... He was in trouble and I was trying to get to him, but there was a door between us. The harder I pounded on the door, the farther away his voice sounded until I couldn't hear him anymore. I woke up drenched in sweat. It was... It scared me."

Ty Lee reached over and touched her hand. "It was just a dream, Suki."

"I know. But it felt real for a moment," she said, remembering the awful dream, and the blood on the door as she'd ripped her hands open pounding on it, trying to break through to get to Zuko. He'd been in danger, terrible danger. She'd smelled smoke, but she hadn't seen any fire, and the door beneath her hands had been scorching hot as if a blaze were burning on the other side.

She felt shivers crawl up her spine, despite the heat already pouring in through the open windows of the suite. It was going to be another hot and humid day, despite the fact that the sun was barely up. The humidity was already brutal, and her hair was starting to get frizzy. The oppressive mugginess didn't help her sour stomach at all.

It was going to be a miserable day. She could feel it in her bones.

Ty Lee walked with her to her office, two guardswomen falling into step behind them the moment they left the suite. She felt annoyed at their presence, but Ty Lee was right; she had a feeling she needed all the protection she could get right now. The feeling of dread in her stomach grew with every step she took, the dream playing in the back of her mind.

Something was wrong. She didn't know what, but she knew something was about to happen or had already happened.

The moment she got to her office and started to pull her key out of her pocket, she stopped, eyes narrowing on the crack of light between the door and the frame. The door was ajar and unlocked.

"That's strange," she said, hand hovering over the knob. "I know I locked this last night."

"Stand back," Ty Lee said, moving her out of the way and opening the door all of the way, drawing her fan and then nodding at the two guardswomen. The guards stepped between Suki and the door, while she strained to look past them into her office.

Ty Lee entered, looking around the Seneschal's office, checking behind the curtains, under the desk and the table in the corner. Finally, she came back to the door.

"Nothing's out of place that I can tell. There's no one here. Are you sure you locked it?"

"Yeah. Tam was with me. She saw me lock it. I know I did."

Ty Lee bent down and examined the lock. "Who else has a key?"

"The cleaning staff, but they only clean once a week. They were just in here two days ago," Suki said, bending down beside Ty Lee and staring at the knob. She saw that there were scratches on the metal key plate, but couldn't tell if they were fresh or old. "Do you think someone broke in?"

"I don't know," Ty Lee said. "Did they take anything?"

Suki went into the office and looked around, opening her drawers and staring at her paperwork, but it was just as she'd left it yesterday. She couldn't tell if anything had been taken. She finally sighed, looking up at Ty Lee in the doorway.

"I can't tell. Maybe I didn't lock it?" she said, confused, running a hand through her hair.

But Ty Lee didn't look convinced. "That's not like you, Suki. I think someone broke in."

"Why?"

"I don't know," Ty Lee said, frowning, just as Fen appeared behind him. The two guardswomen put their qiangs across the door, barring his entry.

"Uh..." Fen gasped, looking startled.

"It's okay, ladies. Let him in," Suki said, and the guards withdrew their weapons, allowing Zuko's secretary to slip past them, frowning. He looked paler than usual, and his hair was mussed, which was unlike him. He also looked like he'd run to her office, and was breathing harder than normal. Suki started, "What's wrong? Is it Guo?"

"No," Fen said, swallowing hard, lifting a scroll. "This was just delivered from the Caldera Guard. It's... Spirits, it's Lady Lian! Her...her entire household... Everyone. They're dead, Seneschal!"

Suki stared at Fen, his words not penetrating the shock running through her like poison. "Lady Lian is dead?"

"Her husband. Her daughter. The servants... Everyone."

Suki's hand went over her mouth for a moment, and she cut her eyes to Ty Lee, who looked just as shocked as she felt. Suki grabbed hold of the desk, feeling the blood rush to her head. She took a breath and then forced herself to focus on what needed to be done. She needed to act, not stand there in shock, even if she couldn't believe that Fen was telling her the truth.

"Who found them?" she asked, charging toward the door. Fen fell in behind her, and so did Ty Lee and the guards.

"I don't know. They found them about an hour ago though. The Caldera Guards sent the message to the palace. I just got it and ran to your office. I don't know much more than that," Fen puffed, chugging along behind her as she charged toward the main doors of the palace.

"Summon Captain Lio. Have him meet me at Lian's home. Then inform the other members of the council. Now!"

"Consider it done, Seneschal," Fen said, spinning on his heel and taking off at a run back in the direction that they'd just come. She, Ty Lee, and the two guardswomen left the palace, the hot sun and humidity enveloping them like a warm wet blanket the moment they stepped outside.

The wide courtyard was steaming, little eddies of fog rising as the sun evaporated the dew that had settled there overnight. The fog clung to everything, making her skin and clothing feel damp as she ran toward the gate.

It didn't take them long to get to Lady Lian's home, one of the oldest in the Caldera City and one of the closest to the palace walls. It was situated along Lava Lake, the largest of the bodies of water in the Caldera. The moment she approached the gates, she was met by a man in a conical helmet, wearing the badge of a Caldera Guardsmen. The Caldera Guards were a subset of the Royal Guards, patrolling the city and protecting the entry gates and guard towers rather than the palace itself. She knew their commander, Captain Viz. He was one of the men who chafed at being given orders by a woman half his age. Though he was polite enough in their meetings, she knew he didn't like her one bit.

She didn't recognize the man before her, but he recognized her, bowing immediately with one fist over his chest.

"Seneschal, you got my message."

"Where's Captain Viz?" she asked, taking a breath and glancing at the guards around the gate.

"Inside. I'm Lt. Kim. I was the first man on the scene," he said grimly.

"Is it true? ...Lady Lian?"

Kim nodded, his eyes closing. "Yes. I found her myself, in her bed. I...there was something... I... Seneschal..."

Suki didn't stop to ask what he meant, pushing past him and charging up the well-manicured garden path to the front door of Lady Lian's home. There were Caldera Guards everywhere, and they watched her pass them, but didn't stop her. When she entered the front door, she stopped, staring in horror at the body of a servant lying prone at the base of the stairs.

His throat had been slit and blood pooled on the floor beneath his head. The smell of the blood was heavy on the air, much too strong. Suki felt her stomach flip over and looked away quickly, jamming her fist to her mouth.

Ty Lee touched her shoulder. "Are you gonna throw up?"

"No," Suki said, but she wasn't entirely sure of that. She was definitely regretting the few mouthfuls of rice porridge she'd managed at breakfast. "I can handle it."

"Are you sure?"

"No, but I'm going to," Suki said, squaring her shoulders and trying not to breathe too deeply. Blood and gore had never bothered her before; squeamishness was just not part of being a Kyoshi Warrior. Clearly the baby had other ideas on the subject, as blood seemed to set her morning sickness off like nothing else had so far.

Suki's stomach churned as she followed another trail of blood into a parlor, where another servant was draped over a chair. She had been stabbed several times, and there were defensive wounds on her hands and arms. Suki watched as two guards lifted her and put her down onto her back on the floor.

She was young, perhaps only eighteen. Her face was locked in a grimace of pain and shock. Suki turned away, feeling like she was walking through thick mud. She could taste bile in her throat. Lt. Kim was following her, not saying anything. She came back into the front hall and stared at the servant on the floor.

"Where is Lady Lian's body?"

"Upstairs," Kim said, stepping over the servant's body. Suki grimaced, hand jammed against her mouth again. She stepped over the pool of congealed blood and followed Kim up the stairs, Ty Lee and her two palace guards trailing behind her.

There were even more guards upstairs. And more bodies. An older woman with her white hair dyed pink with blood was lying face down on the floor. She'd been stabbed, like the woman in the parlor, but she looked like she'd crawled a ways before dying. Another body, a young man in a Royal guard's uniform, was propped against a wall. He'd been run through the chest with a sword.

A trail of blood led down the hallway to a rice paper door knocked out of its frame and cut open by something sharp.

She followed Kim down the hallway, picking a path through the blood, feeling light-headed as she went. She was breathing hard, feeling fear and panic rising in her, along with the queasiness that been plaguing her for weeks. She could hear Ty Lee muttering behind her, some soft prayer for the dead woman on the floor.

When they stepped into the master bedroom, Suki nearly slipped in a patch of congealed blood, looking down into a pair of sightless eyes. She recognized Lady Lian's husband, Lord Honshu, a quiet man who had stood by his wife's side at dozens of banquets and dinners over the years.

He was lying on his side, a sword beside his bloody fingers. He looked like he'd put up a fight before he'd died on the floor, his throat slit down to the bone.

"Careful," Lt. Kim said, holding out his hand and helping her to step over Lord Honshu's body.

"What is she doing here?" a voice said as soon as Suki entered Lady Lian's bedroom. She stopped short, looking up at Captain Viz. He was a short man, stocky, with solid muscles and a waxed mustache that curved on the ends. He was glaring at her, blocking her view of the bed.

"I sent for the Seneschal when I sent for you," Kim said, glancing at Suki.

"You should have cleared it with me first, Lieutenant. Especially in light of the circumstances," Viz said angrily, and then turned to Suki. "I have this under control, Seneschal. You shouldn't be here."

"You forget your place, Captain Viz. I oversee the security of the entire Caldera and the palace complex. A member of Fire Lord Zuko's council has been attacked in the Caldera. Where else should I be?"

"A prison cell, if I have anything to say about it," Viz growled, surprising her.

"Excuse me?"

"As if you don't know what happened in this house last night," Viz said, venom dripping from his voice, his eyes accusatory.

"I don't like what you're implying, Captain. I just got Kim's message and ran right here. You know more than I do right now."

"Oh? Are you telling me you can't explain why Lady Lian has one of your Kyoshi fans stuffed down her throat?" Viz snarled, stepping aside and giving Suki her first look at the body in the bed. Suki stepped forward, her mouth opening in shock as she stared into Lady Lian's cloudy eyes.

"Oh, Spirits help me," Suki breathed, as Ty Lee gasped.

The blankets had been yanked back from Lady Lian's body; she was wearing a white linen nightgown, which was stained red. Someone had gutted her in a rage, and the blood and gore spilling out of the wounds were enough to make any grown man lose his wits.

It wasn't the violence of what had been done to the poor woman that made Suki's knees weak, however. It was the golden tassel dangling against Lian's pale cheek, tied to the end of a golden fan. The fan was jutting from her open mouth, half-open. The corners of her mouth had been cut by the fan as it had been shoved into her mouth.

Suki took a step backward, her hand over her mouth. Her blood thundered in her ears and she felt her stomach cramping, signaling that she had reached the limits of her strength and force of will. She didn't want to throw up, not in front of Viz and the rest of the men, but she had no choice in the matter.

Ty Lee saw how green she was, and snatched Kim's conical helmet off of his head, shoving it beneath her nose just in time. Even as she threw up, she knew nothing would help the sick feeling in her stomach, or ever let her unsee what had been done to Lady Lian.

Piandao had been right.

Someone was trying to frame her.

Sokka pulled on the chain dangling between his bound wrists. The chain was attached to another set of manacles locked around his ankles. He stared at the lock, thinking of all the times he'd picked apart similar locks as a hobby. He still had a lock-picking kit back home at his apartment in Republic City, but it did him no good now.

The airship he was currently sitting in had taken off from Republic City only two hours after Kubra had met his end at the hands of Madame Sakura. That had been two nights and a full day ago. He knew from his own travels by airship that they were close to Ba Sing Se. Likely, if he were in a position to see out of the windows he could have spotted the massive outer walls of the great sprawling city spreading out for hundreds of miles in every direction.

But he was nowhere near a window. They'd put him into the airship's cramped hold below the main carriage, bolting the manacles to a metal ring in the floor. It was cold in the hold and he'd been shivering non-stop since they'd thrown him in here.

He'd only seen daylight a couple of times when they pulled him out of the hold to use the chamber pot and to eat. At least they were feeding him, but that wasn't surprising.

The Master had plans for him to win the fight against Chen, after all, and he wasn't going to jeopardize his chances by starving his prizefighter to death. The fight wasn't scheduled for another fortnight, and they were probably only a few hours behind Lord Kun, who had left to come back to Ba Sing Se before he'd gone to the House of Red Petals that night.

The Master had no intention of waiting to hold the fight, however. Not now that he knew Sokka's real identity. Sokka didn't know how he was planning on explaining their arrival in Ba Sing Se so far ahead of schedule, but likely the Master had an answer to that.

He wasn't going to give Sokka the time to find an escape, that was for sure.

Those few minutes when he'd been taken upstairs had been his only time to see Mai. She was being held hostage in the main carriage, her hands tied to one of the handrails on the benches. They had gagged her as well, so they hadn't had a chance to talk in those few minutes, but he'd tried to meet her eyes, asking wordlessly if she was okay.

Mai had nodded at him. She didn't look injured, but someone had wiped the paint she'd been wearing as part of her Tsubaki disguise off of her face at some point. He tried to tell with just a look her how sorry he was, and that he was going to get them both out of this one way or another. He knew she understood.

He also knew Mai too well to think that she was sitting in that carriage as a passive hostage. She was watching the Master and his men, clocking everything they did, making plans, and collecting information she'd use against them later. That was just how her mind worked.

He was worried about her, but Mai was no wilting flower. She could handle herself and he trusted her to be his eyes and ears up there.

Sokka let his hands drop to his knees, shivering in the cold air, his head resting against the wall. He could hear footsteps above him and the soft murmur of voices but try as he might he couldn't hear what they were saying over the rush of the wind and the churn of the balloon's propellers.

This airship was a newer design, he knew, a few generations up from the ones he'd unknowingly helped design for the Fire Nation during the war. He wished he knew more about its design; vague plans to sabotage the thing had been playing in the back of his mind since they'd cuffed him down here, but he knew that was a lost cause.

He was trapped, and even if he got free he'd be putting Mai's life at risk by taking down the balloon. No, he'd have to bide his time until Ba Sing Se, where things would get dicey for the Master.

Lord Kun didn't know that Sokka was Ran, something the Master had warned him not to reveal, threatening Mai's life in the process. He had no intention of telling Lord Kun anyway. The man wanted him dead, after all. He'd been paid in barrels of Phoenix Fire to kill Azula and knew that the Master had been paid to kill Sokka. Lord Kun would have him killed, with the added bonus of defeating the Master's prizefighter without risking his own man, Chen.

He'd find no ally in Lord Kun and he knew it.

So what leverage did he have? Against the Master, not much. The man clearly had plans for the fight, but Sokka had no idea what those plans were. Kubra seemed to have known, but he'd been too loyal to the Master to spill them.

Sokka thought of Kubra for a long moment. He hadn't liked the man, but he'd respected his loyalty. He'd tried to tell Sokka the name of Rian's father, the man who had hired Lord Kun and the Master to take out him and Azula. Sokka had heard him try to get the name out before Sakura had taken his head. Kubra had tried, and that made him someone he was willing to mourn.

So what had Sokka learned from what Kubra had been willing to tell them? He closed his eyes, meditating the way Aang had taught him years ago, trying to focus on the facts, hoping there was something he might use later.

Rian had had a father. Rian's father was powerful, and he wanted Sokka and Azula dead for killing his son. His bastard son. Rian had a sister, a Firebender. That meant that Rian's father was from the Fire Nation. No surprise, as Rian had been as well.

Had Rian's father been a Smoke Demon? He didn't know. The Smoke Demons were involved in this, that was clear. The Master had known Baz. Baz had had something to do with the Phoenix Fire, which Rian's father had either gotten access to or was making himself.

The Fire Sages, as Mai had heard, were involved somehow. The Fire Sages had created Phoenix Fire centuries ago, and despite the recipe supposedly being lost, it had been found again at some point. Or likely, never lost in the first place.

The Master had been Lord Kun's protege in Ba Sing Se before striking out on his own in Republic City. Was that why Lord Kun had been tasked with finding Azula and killing her? It seemed likely. The Master clearly knew Rian's father, so it made sense that he'd get his old patron involved...but what exactly was the Master planning for the fight?

Somehow he had a feeling the Master had plans for Lord Kun that Lord Kun would not like in the slightest. The man clearly didn't like Lord Kun. Sokka thought it was possibly a coup, but without knowing more he could only speculate.

His head throbbed as he listened to the hum of the propellers, and the rush of the wind. He heard a loud laugh come down through the floors and scowled, wondering how Mai was doing. He hoped they left her alone.

If they touch her I'll slaughter every last one of them, he thought darkly. She was in this mess because of him, because he'd let down his guard. Because he'd thought he was smarter than the Master. He hadn't counted on Madame Sakura's loyalty.

He should have. The woman owed the Master her entire life. He'd financed her business and could destroy her at a moment's notice. He couldn't even blame her for what she'd done. Not even for what she'd done to Kubra. She had just been protecting herself.

His thoughts slipped from Mai and Sakura to Azula. He couldn't help it. His worry over her hadn't gone away. The closer they got to Ba Sing Se the more worried he became. He'd slept a little last night, cramped into a ball attempting to keep warm, and his dreams had been about her.

She'd been trapped in the collapsed, burning shell of the orphanage in Rinchaka Falls, screaming his name, reaching out with burned hands through the windows. He'd tried to pull her out of the flames, but there had been an explosion, and he'd been knocked into the river. Slipping below the surface, he could still hear her screams as he sucked in heavy lungfuls of cold water.

He'd come awake with a gasp, breathing hard, chilled to the bone. He couldn't stop thinking about her. She was in danger. Lord Kun, or one of his men, may already have found her, and hurt her. He refused to think that she might already be dead.

Azula was a fighter. She wouldn't go down without taking her enemies with her. The whole of Ba Sing Se would burn before she let someone hurt her again. He'd seen what she was capable of, even when she'd been at her most fragile. She was a force of nature. She'd burned Rian to death with a kiss, sending lightning through his body, burning him up from the inside out.

He'd never seen anything like that before, and even now, facing the wrath of Rian's mysterious father, he was glad that Rian was dead and buried. That Azula had done the deed. Rian had been obsessed with Azula, possessive of her. He'd thought Azula was his prize, a shiny object he could claim just because he wanted her.

Sokka scowled into the darkness of the hold, thinking of the way Rian had manipulated Azula into nearly killing him, triggering her trauma and her mental illness in the cruelest way possible. He'd wanted her to kill him, but she'd stopped herself. Sokka would still remember the horror in her eyes when he'd pulled her back to reality.

Yes, he was glad Rian was dead. And if he ever faced Rian's father he would tell him that to his face with a smile on his lips. Damn the consequences.

If I ever get out of this alive, Sokka thought, and then felt the pressure in the hold change. He swallowed, opening his mouth a few times to make his ears pop. He knew what the pressure change meant; they had to be descending toward Ba Sing Se.

He didn't know what they were facing on the ground, or if he was going to live to see another day. The only thing he knew was that, if Azula was alive, he was going to get to her or die trying.