Part II: Forty-One
"With all due respect, your Majesty," Governor Chuanwei said with a bite of impatience in her voice, pacing the floor of the Earth King's office," but the longer we sit here waiting for news the less likely we are to find Fire Lord Zuko and Princess Azula. They could have been moved out of the city by now, or...Spirits preserve us, killed. We need to act. Now!"
King Kuei looked up from his papers, his mouth open slightly, and his glasses teetering on the end of his nose.
"My...my men are searching the city as we speak, Governor. We've been monitoring everyone coming and out of the city since the attack. If they try to leave we will catch them. It's a big city. It will take time."
"It's time that Fire Lord Zuko and Princess Azula do not have!" Chuanwei said hotly, stepping forward. "We know who took them! Rin heard them say Lord Kun's name when she was attacked, what more proof do you need?"
"It is not that simple, Governor," Kuei said, glancing at Iroh and wringing his hands. "Lord Kun owns a lot of property throughout the city. My men have been investigating him for months now, and they've barely scratched the surface of what he's doing."
"Clearly you can't have been watching him that closely if he could both plot to kidnap the Fire Lord, and execute it so thoroughly, and all right underneath your nose!"
"Governor," Iroh said quellingly, even though Chuanwei was voicing exactly what Iroh had been thinking the entire time. He watched her blue eyes flick to him for a moment, her lips twisting, nostrils flaring. In different circumstances, Iroh might have found a smile for the bristling look on her face, but instead, he tried to soothe her. "Throwing blame around is not going to help us find my niece and nephew. King Kuei, your help has been invaluable so far, but the Governor is right. I can't sit here waiting for your men to find Lord Kun. Let me lead the search, as I asked you yesterday."
"You were injured, General Iroh, and not thinking straight," Kuei said as he wrung his hands again. A knock sounded on the door and his attention snapped to it immediately. "Enter!"
The door opened a moment later, and an officer walked inside, bowing to the King with a curt nod. He stood at attention, his face grim.
"The assassin Governor Chuanwei captured is awake, your Majesty," Kuei's Commander said, looking between Kuei and Iroh.
"Uhh... Right. Right...thank you, Commander Delun" Keui said, his eyes cutting to Iroh, standing at his elbow. "Umm..."
Iroh had always seen himself as a man with patience in abundance, but he was at the end of his willpower, and seeing the lost expression in the Earth King's eyes was too much for him to bear at the moment.
Anyone could see how overwhelmed Kuei was by the crisis that had landed on his doorstep. Iroh liked Kuei, but he wasn't the kind of man suited to taking charge when the stakes were anything higher than a pai sho game, and Iroh wasn't going to allow his incompetence to endanger his children; the King would just have to deal with any stepped on toes. He'd make it up to him later, if later came.
Right now, someone needed to do something. Like Chuanwei, he was done waiting. Annoyance made the scowl on his face deepen and he stepped forward, pushing polite protocol aside.
"We need to interview the assassin. Now. The longer we wait, the more danger my children are in. Your help has been invaluable, Kuei, but I have some experience in this. I've recovered from my injuries. I will lead the search with or without your permission," Iroh said in a firm voice. Kuei sighed in relief at Iroh's tone, nodding.
"Yes, yes, of course. You're right," Kuei said, turning to his Delun. "General Iroh has my full authority. Please give him whatever help he asks for."
"Of course, your Majesty," the Commander said, bowing to the King and then to Iroh.
"My men are at your disposal. You have my leave. Keep me informed and if there's anything I can do, don't hesitate to ask," Kuei said.
"Just protect our injured, King Kuei. I will put an end to this," Iroh said, turning on the king and marching toward the door. He passed Governor Chuanwei, and caught her eye. She fell into step with him wordlessly, her head held high and her blue eyes gleaming with anger.
"No harm will come to them in my home, General. This I swear," Kuei called after him, as Iroh, Chuanwei, and Commander Delun marched out of the door. Iroh took the Earth King at his word. He didn't have much faith in Kuei's competence, but the palace guards were well-trained. No one would be getting past the security at the gates to get at Rin and Mei Lin, who had been moved from the hospital to the palace in the wake of the attack yesterday.
"Has there been any progress on the search for Lord Kun?" Chuanwei asked the moment they left the Earth King's office.
"Not yet," Delun said grimly, leading them through the palace at a brisk pace. Iroh puffed along behind him, cursing at how out of shape he'd allowed himself to get over the last few years. "The last time Lord Kun was spotted was at the airship docks on the outer wall. That was two weeks ago. We think he was heading to Republic City on business."
"Then why did the assassin name him if he's not even in the city?" Chuanwei asked, frowning. She didn't seem to have any trouble keeping pace with the Commander. Her thin face was serious and still streaked with soot, with exhaustion clinging to her like a blanket. He knew he looked equally as worn out; neither of them had slept since waking up in the hospital the day before. He'd tried to sleep last night but had ended up pacing for hours, waiting for news that never came.
Zuko and Azula had been taken over a day and a half ago, a day and a half that had been torture to Iroh. After the attack at the hospital and Rin's information about Lord Kun, Kuei's men had been searching the city for some sign of the crime lord or his men. So far they'd come up empty-handed.
Iroh refused to believe that the worst had happened. He would feel it in his heart if Zuko and Azula were dead. He felt a lump in his throat at the thought, followed by that spark of anger that hadn't gone away since he'd woken up in the hospital.
"He's clearly working with someone else. The young man who drugged all of you, he said that the man who threatened him into helping with the plot was a Firebender."
"I suspect it was a Smoke Demon," Iroh said, and the Commander nodded.
"So this Smoke Demon Firebender is working for Lord Kun. Or with Lord Kun," Chuanwei said, frowning.
"What's the difference?" Delun asked.
Chuanwei sighed, looking thoughtful. "Perhaps nothing. Perhaps everything. The Smoke Demons had a pretty serious grudge against the Fire Lord. As far as we know Lord Kun has never had anything to do with Fire Lord Zuko. Or Princess Azula. Why would Lord Kun attack them?"
Iroh nodded, seeing where she was going with her reasoning. "You don't think it's personal for Lord Kun?"
"No," Chuanwei said, shaking her head. "No. I think it's business. Lord Kun has a lot of clout, and the resources a Firebender in Ba Sing Se just wouldn't have. I think Lord Kun was hired to help this Smoke Demon."
"Even for someone like Lord Kun attacking the Fire Lord seems like a pretty risky venture," Delun said.
"That depends on the risk. And entirely on what he might gain from it."
"Money?" Iroh offered.
But the Commander shook his head. "He has money. He has power. He has half of this city beneath his heel. Whatever he gained by helping this Firebender..."
"Can't be good for Ba Sing Se," Iroh finished, echoing what all of them were thinking.
"Why haven't you shut down his operation before this?" Chuanwei asked the Commander sharply.
"We've tried, but we haven't caught him on anything solid yet. He runs most of the crime down in the Lower Ring. We know that. We just can't prove it enough to arrest him. It's maddening. He's been escalating things lately, however, taking over more and more territory and pushing out other crime lords and consolidating his power. The entire underground fighting ring is under his control now. He's making millions off of that alone, not to mention the rest of his dealings. Since the end of the war, he's branched out and made connections across the Earth Kingdom, and, we suspect, the Fire Nation. That's probably how he met this Firebender. We've had some disturbing reports that he's been smuggling in some questionable goods."
"I know something about that," Chuanwei said darkly. "Have you found anything?"
"We've broken up a few shipments of drugs, but nothing out of the ordinary. We know he's responsible, but we can't pin it on him without proof. Lord Kun has been doing this for a long time. He knows how to slither out of trouble," Delun said bitterly.
"He won't be slithering this time," Iroh said with a growl in his voice. "I'll finish this Lord Kun myself if he had anything to do with this, and that Smoke Demon too."
He felt Chuanwei's hand on his shoulder and reached over, closing his fingers over hers, squeezing. Her eyes met his as they walked and he could see the worry etched across her soot-streaked face.
"There's something else that's bothering me," Chuanwei said. "The explosion. Do you have any idea why the shop went up like that?"
Iroh shook his head. He'd been bothered by that himself. He had no idea what would have made the fire turn into an explosion. He had a feeling the Smoke Demon had done something, but he couldn't guess what that was.
"Whatever happened there, I am sure we will get answers when we find the man responsible for this."
It didn't take long to reach the rooms where the Earth King had placed the assassin, Rin, and Mei Lin. He was surprised to see the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors standing in the hallway outside of Rin's room, flanked by the Earth King's guards. The four of them had gone back to the burnt-out ruins of the Jasmine Dragon yesterday, looking for clues, unable to sit still a moment longer.
He'd wanted to go with them desperately, but he'd stayed with the Earth King to make sure that the search was organized properly. The Earth King had ordered them back to the palace after the attack at the hospital, and they'd been chafing to leave and continue the search ever since.
Just like himself and Chuanwei, they didn't look like they'd slept either, but instead of looking exhausted, they looked ready to fight anything that moved, chafing under the Earth King's orders.
He knew how they felt. The Warriors were not helpless. Even with her hands burned so terribly, Mei Lin had proven that she was capable of protecting herself. Chuanwei too. Iroh had heard what had happened in Rin's hospital room, and he hadn't been able to help being impressed by the stern Governor.
I'm going to take that woman to dinner when this all over, he promised himself, glancing at her as the Kyoshi Warriors spotted them approaching.
"General. Governor," Xiuying said in greeting, standing up and standing at attention before them. "We've been waiting. We knew you'd want to be there when to interrogate the assassin."
"We came right away. How are the others?"
"Rin's still out of it, but Mei Lin is fine. She's in a lot of pain, but the Earth King's doctors are doing their best," Xiuying said, glancing at the closed door of Mei Lin and Rin's room. "Please tell us you have some good news about the search?"
"Nothing new, I'm afraid, but I convinced the Earth King to let me take charge," Iroh said, looking between each of them.
"Then you need us," Kikki said hotly, flipping her short hair out of her eyes. "We can't just sit around on our asses while Zuko is out there in danger. We've wasted too much time already."
"I agree. I will need every one of you by my side. But first, we need to talk to this assassin."
"You think he'll roll over?" Qing asked, looking skeptical.
"Not willingly. But I know how to make him talk," Iroh said, walking past her and toward the assassin's room. The Commander followed him, as did the others. Iroh stopped, however, spotting a familiar face in the corridor, standing behind a plant. Anger rolled through him instantly and he glared at Shirong, who paled beneath the bruises on his beaten-in face.
"What are you doing here?" Iroh said, his voice dropping. Shirong stiffened, the fear on his face plain for everyone to see.
"I... I..." Shirong stuttered, glancing at the others. It was Xiuying who spoke up.
"After the attack I had the Earth King's men bring Shirong here for protection," she said, as Iroh turned to face the young woman. "If they went after Mei Lin and Rin, they may go after him too."
Iroh felt something unkind leap into his mouth, but he swallowed it, taking a breath. Xiuying was right. Shirong's life was just as much in danger as the rest of them, perhaps more so, as he'd had direct contact with the Firebender who had orchestrated the entire plot.
"Keep him away from me," Iroh shot at Xiuying, as the Commander opened the door to the assassin's room. He left Shirong in the hallway, marching into the room with the rest on his heels. He got his first look at the assassin since they'd brought him in. Someone had opened the windows, and the hot morning sunshine slanted into the bright clean room.
Chuanwei had done a number on his leg. She'd stabbed him in the back of the thigh, snapping his femur in half. He was wearing a white plaster cast, the leg elevated in a strap hanging from the ceiling. He was handcuffed to the bed rails, staring up at the ceiling through one eye. The other was swollen shut. He'd heard that Chuanwei had beat him in the head with a bedpan.
The assassin's eyes flicked to Iroh for a moment and then he jerked in his bonds, trying to get out of the bed.
"Do you know who I am?" Iroh asked him in a soft voice, grabbing a stool and sitting down beside the bed. The young man's swollen face grimaced, growing red beneath his bruises.
"Save your breath, old man. You won't get anything out of me."
"You work for Lord Kun, do you not?" Iroh said, seeing Chuanwei move up behind him. He saw the assassin's eyes shut tightly for a moment.
"Fuck you."
"Language."
"Double fuck you!" the man snarled, hawking back and spitting at Iroh, who dodged it easily. "I know exactly who you are! My father died defending the wall against your forces in the Siege, General Iroh!"
Iroh sighed sadly. "I am sorry for your loss. Many good men died on both sides of the Siege. I am sure your father died a hero's death. It is a shame that you have dishonored his sacrifice and his service to this city by leading such a sad and sorry life of crime. What a terrible waste you are."
The assassin's expression was stricken for a moment. Then he glared up at the ceiling, his chin jutting out with a thin-lipped expression of defiance.
"That shit won't work on me."
"You will tell me what I want to know."
"Or you'll what? Torture me?"
"Torture rarely leads to truthful answers. I learned that from experience long ago," Iroh said, making the assassin's unswollen eye widen. "I do not need to torture you to get the answers I'm seeking."
"I'm not talking, so EAT. SHIT."
Iroh ignored the snarl in his direction, stroking the soot out of his beard.
"The man who sent you to kill the survivors of the blaze...he's a Firebender? What is his name? What does he want with Fire Lord Zuko and Princess Azula?"
"What part of eat shit don't you get?"
"He was a Smoke Demon, wasn't he?" Iroh said calmly, looking down at his nails. He had soot and dirt beneath them, and he started calmly picking them clean, feeling everyone's eyes on him. No one said anything. He knew they were watching, however.
The assassin didn't say anything.
"None of the people you or your men were sent to kill in that hospital died. None died in the fire. You have all made some grave mistakes. I do not think you realize how grave yet, but you soon will."
He looked up and saw the assassin's face twitch. Then he looked away, taking a breath and glaring at the ceiling. The handcuffs rattled against the metal bed frame.
"My niece told me a lot about the Smoke Demons. They had very black and white views on following orders. When they gave an order, it was to be followed. Never questioned. The consequences of failure meant certain death," Iroh said, picking at his nails again.
The assassin went very still.
"The Smoke Demon who sent you to cover up his mistakes, do you think he will show you mercy when he discovers that you have failed him?"
"I don't work for him. I work for Lord—" the assassin started, and then blanched, clamping his lips together again.
"Lord Kun. Yes, we know he's involved. The Kyoshi Warrior your men left for dead in my courtyard named Lord Kun. She survived the attack. And took six of our men down," Iroh said, examining his nails and pursing his lips. "I will personally take care of Lord Kun, in due time. But right now I think you should be more concerned with the Smoke Demon who sent you to the hospital. Don't you?"
"If I tell you anything I'm a dead man."
"And if you do not you are a dead man. Haven't you been paying attention?" Iroh said, dropping his hand and leaning forward, his elbows on his knees. He caught the young man's raw gaze. "He will come for you. The Smoke Demon will cut your throat without a moment's hesitation. He will light your flesh on fire and enjoy the blaze while you scream your life out on the floor. You mean nothing to him. You have failed him. Your life was forfeit the moment Governor Chuanwei put that sword in your leg."
The assassin's attention flicked to Chuanwei standing silently at Iroh's shoulder, hatred and fear gleaming there in his dull green eyes. His mouth tightened and he looked back at Iroh, breathing a little harder than before.
"Do you know where you are?" Iroh asked him. "You are in the Earth King's palace. You are under the heaviest guard in the entire Earth Kingdom, surrounded by an army of men and strong, high walls. You are, currently, untouchable to this Smoke Demon. What do you think might happen if we transferred you to the University hospital? If we sent the guards away? Do you think the men he'd send to silence you would fail as spectacularly as you did?"
"You wouldn't—"
Iroh tilted his head, regarding the man with a soft smile on his lips. "Come now. You learned perfectly well what I was capable of when I sent your father home to you in a box." Iroh felt the words slide of him, cold and merciless. The assassin's eyes widened and he sucked in sharp breath. His chin wobbled.
"You bastard..."
"Tell me where to find this Smoke Demon and I will make sure you stay right where you are. I can be merciful. Do you think that he is capable of the same?"
The assassin looked up at the ceiling again, thinking hard, his jaw working.
"We know you were supposed to kill yourself if you failed. The doctor's found the poison pill on Rin's hospital floor. You spat it out. That tells me you want to live. You are not a mindless assassin, ready to die for your cause. But you will die, if you don't tell us what we want to know."
The assassin's eyes bugged for a moment, his face as white as parchment beneath his bruises. Finally, he spoke, his voice breaking.
"He...he killed Jinshi in front of me. I've known Jinshi since we were kids... He burned him to death because the girl heard him say Lord Kun's name," the assassin said, his voice shaking with pent up fear. "He..."
"He won't touch you. I promise. Tell me where to find him. What is his name? How does he know Lord Kun? Does he work for him?"
The assassin hesitated and then slammed his eye shut, wincing. "Damn you."
"Tell me everything you know."
The assassin looked at him and then his gaze flicked around the room. "You swear you'll protect me?"
"On my honor."
The assassin licked his lips and then said softly. "His—his name is N-Nobu. He was a Smoke Demon. He works for some rich Fire Nation asshole, not Lord Kun. I don't know who his boss is. I never heard anyone say his name. It's like they're afraid to. Whoever he is...he has power. More than Lord Kun, and that's saying something. Lord Kun was hired to give Nobu shelter, to help him and give him whatever he needed while he was in the city. Nobu was supposed to be killing that Princess, but then... Then he went after the Fire Lord. The plan changed. He never said why. I guess he wanted to finish what he started with the Smoke Demons? Nobu isn't exactly the chatty type. He didn't tell any of us anything other than our orders."
He glanced back at Commander Delun, who had been listening silently. He nodded at him, wordlessly telling him to continue.
"Where did Nobu take Fire Lord Zuko and Princess Azula?"
The assassin hesitated and then said softly, "The Lucky Dragon Brewery in the Middle Ring. Lord Kun has been using the business to laundry money for years. In—the basement. He's going to take them out of the city through one of the smuggler's tunnels soon. I don't know when. I don't know anything more than that. I swear. You have to protect me!"
Iroh ignored him, standing and turning to the others. He saw Kikki crack her knuckles, a bloodthirsty smile on her lips.
Iroh smiled. "Let's get my children back."