The smell of smoke followed them. Even after they put miles between themselves and the village, the scent was woven into their clothes and hair. Katara and Riku didn't speak. The forest clamored around them making the concept of conversation unrealistic. There wasn't much to talk about anyway. Katara was tired down to her bones.
It didn't seem like there was much of a point in continuing. In fact, her death might do better in fixing things than this fatalistic death march. Going to the palace was meant to be her moment. She and her friends would find the bad guy, fight with them, and persevere. That was how things went. But there had never been a chance. There was no prince to crash into her village and announce his intentions, or soldiers to either evade or ambush. Even the enemies that had tracked them failed under the weight of the group's efforts.
But Katara was alone. Save for the help of a mad woman.
If she were to die, people would notice. Aang would return from whatever event was distracting him. The Water Tribes would be up in arms over her disappearance as it was. Economics could be subverted and whatever mysterious enemy that was following her would have nothing to hunt.
All that Katara had done was make things worse. Noren and Noriko would be terrified for their daughter, but unable to say anything. Her meddling had doomed Sokka and Toph. Her unwillingness to seek out either Amaq or Aang left her vulnerable.
Her boots, heavy with mud, struck hard at a root. Katara fell and was too slow to catch herself. Her knee buckled as it crashed against the thick root but the leaf carpeted ground softened the blow to her face.
"Blazes Katara, have you gone blind?" Riku snapped.
Eyes watering, Katara sniffled while pushing herself up. Already, her knee was throbbing and starting to swell. An easy injury to fix had she been able to bend.
"That was a nasty fall." A man's voice added.
Riku whirled, fire in her hands, and Katara looked up. A middle aged man and woman stood relaxed, regarding them.
"People have been looking for you Master Katara." The man said.
Katara sat back on the ground while Riku moved in front of her.
"Who are you?" Riku demanded.
"I'm more curious as to who you are, but I can see you're upset." The man said. Neither he nor the woman moved. He looked peaceful and the woman seemed more interested in Riku's fire blades.
"I don't stay upset for long." Riku retorted. Her blades lengthened and narrowed, looking a lot like ice picks.
"My name is Xai Bau. This is my companion Kanda." The man said and gestured to the woman before continuing. "I'm part of the White Lotus."
"That's how you know who I am." Katara said.
"You really need to stop talking." Riku seethed.
Kanda laughed and even Xai Bau smiled.
"It is indeed. And I'm very glad to see that you are alright." He replied.
"Well, sort of." Kanda added.
"Of course, being part of the White Lotus, I am completely at your assistance." Xai Bau said.
"Why are you here?" Riku questioned. Xai Bau looked confused and shrugged.
"White Lotus work of course. There's been reports of spirit activity here and, from the smell of things, you both probably saw some of its damage." He said.
Riku looked down at Katara. The glance meant nothing, as they didn't even have thoughts to give meaning to. They just shared a memory of fire and blood.
Shaking her hands, Riku got rid of her blades and crossed her arms over her chest.
"So what have you got?" She asked. "I assume because of how important you're acting, this White Lotus group must have some resources."
"Whatever you need, I can get." Xai Bau answered.
"We need to get to Ba Sing Se." Katara said.
"Done." Xai Bau said with a nod.
"Well, that was easy." Riku muttered and dropped her arms down to her sides.
"If you'll allow me?" Kanda asked and stepped forward. Perplexed, Riku moved aside and Kanda walked to Katara. Leaning down, Kanda scooped Katara up, cradling her in her arms.
Briefly, Katara looked at Kanda as she put her arms around the woman's neck. Her face was clear but for a few deep wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and mouth. White strands shot through her jet black hair, like chalk threading an ink stick. And her gold eyes gleamed. Firebender, of course.
"Our camp is close by. Kanda heard someone approach and now I'm glad we came out to meet you." Xai Bau said as Kanda walked toward him. Riku walked next to her at Katara's feet, looking uneasily between her and Xai Bau as he started to walk. Kanda followed Xai Bau, with Riku sticking close to her side.
"Don't let him make you think he's prophetic or anything." Kanda said. "We were hoping you were the spirit."
"Hoping?" Katara repeated.
"Like I said, it's the reason we're here." Xai Bau explained. "Though I think it's passed out of this area."
"And so we'd have to return to Ba Sing Se anyway." Kanda winked at Riku, who scowled.
"Coincidence or grand design, it's still advantageous." Xai Bau said with good humor. "Plus, with Iroh in the city, I think I'd be forgiven for believing in a little destiny."
"How do you know the spirit isn't here?" Riku inquired.
Xai Bau made a show of taking in and releasing a deep breath. "It's just something I can feel. It's why I was sent."
"Are you a Water Tribal?" She went on.
"No. Actually I'm from a long line of non-Benders. The first of my family was allegedly an Air Nomad reject." Xai Bau answered evenly. Kanda snorted.
"Well, there wasn't just a spirit." Katara interjected. "There was someone using combustion bending at the village."
Kanda and Xai Bau exchanged a worried look. Despite the coincidence of Kanda's bending, she was missing the ubiquitous tattoo on her forehead.
"We haven't seen any other people in the forest." Kanda replied.
"I think it's a very good thing that we found you then." Xai Bau said gravely. "Because people who align themselves with spirits don't normally have the best of intentions."
The campsite was very close and Katara was relieved to see it. The single tent was clean and the site was orderly. No camouflage, no hasty set up, nothing to hide. Katara wanted to cry at the sight of it.
Kanda set her down near the fire and dug a small kit out of her things. A sharp smelling ointment was uncorked and it made Katara's skin tingle when applied. It felt cool and numbed the pain, but Kanda had to wipe her hands before wrapping up Katara's knee.
Xai Bau meanwhile was pulling out some food. Smoked meat, hard cheese, and bread made their way into Riku and Katara's hands.
"You're both terribly dehydrated. Where have you been?" Xai Bau asked as he still rummaged through a bag. He pulled out a slightly withered apple and Katara's mouth watered. They both had been slightly starved too.
"We took the long way 'round." Katara said, intently watching as Xai Bau took out a small knife and cut the apple.
"The official word is that you took ill and wandered off. This is a far way to wander." He handed apple pieces to Riku and Katara.
"What's the unofficial word?" Riku asked, her mouth full of food.
"That the Fire Nation elite is trying to do you in." Kanda answered.
The apple was aged and the sugar made the fruit grainy. Still, it was tart enough to seem crisp and Katara's stomach gurgled.
"The White Lotus thinks it's the Fire Nation?" Katara asked.
"There's a lot of speculation but," Xai Bau said hurriedly. "You both really need some rest. We can talk on the way to Ba Sing Se."
Katara was tired. Unable to resist, and not seeing any point in doing so, she nodded. They ate and Kanda brought them some water to wash off some of the grime. It was then that Katara had to explain about her hands and her bending, fighting back feelings of guilt and shame. Xai Bau was gentle with her, looking a lot like the serene statues in the Air Temples. Perhaps he wasn't far off about his ancestor.
After they had eaten, Kanda carried Katara into the tent before holding back the flap for Riku to stagger in. They both collapsed onto the bedrolls and quickly fell asleep.
It was amazing how much easier things got with allies.
The next morning, Xai Bau gave them more food while Katara apologized profusely for taking their beds. Kanda told them a story about how Xai Bau had once forgotten to stake down their tent and it blew away while they had gone fishing.
As Kanda reapplied the ointment to Katara's knee, Xai Bau tried to work out how they would continue on. Not expecting to be out for long, they had carried all of their things in their packs. Both looked over full, but Xai Bau and Kanda had been doing this sort of travel together for years. Ultimately they decided to carry Katara in a seat that was hoisted between them. Kanda was nice in her dismissal of Riku's assistance, and Xai Bau assured them that he was not as elderly as he looked.
They were parental, and it seemed to strike something inside of Riku. Katara watched as Riku helped eagerly in breaking down the campsite and gathering things for Kanda to make the truncated palanquin. When everything was packed, Riku helped Katara hobble into the chair. Xai Bau and Kanda counted and lifted her in perfect unison on three.
Despite being a few miles from their airship, the act of carrying Katara made their progress slow. Neither of them complained, but Katara still felt bad when they stopped for a rest.
It did give them plenty of time to talk.
One of the theories in the White Lotus, supplied by Iroh himself, was that the Earth Princess was manipulating his nephew. What he worried about was the reaction of the Fire Nation nobels. When Iroh tried to return home after visiting Ba Sing Se, he received a letter informing him that he could not come back. His marriage to an Earth Kingdom citizen and ownership of an Earth Kingdom business accused him of subversion. The charge was ridiculous but stuck due to Iroh's position.
The letter stated that he would either have to divorce himself of his wife and business, or divorce himself from the Fire Nation royal family.
Iroh worried a coup was forthcoming if Zuko married the princess.
"Of course, this wouldn't be such an issue if he had married a Fire Nation woman, or someone of immense stature." Xai Bau said.
"More stature than a princess?" Kanda countered.
"Well, sure, I guess she would have had to do something extraordinary. Like save the world." He replied. Katara looked over at him, but Kanda jostled her as she repositioned her grip.
The sun was setting as they reached the small airship. It was similar to the one Zuko and Sokka took to Boiling Rock. After setting down the chair, Xai Bau fell back onto the ground and let out a loud sigh. Kanda shook her head and Riku took up his discarded pack swiftly. Katara watched as they both walked to the airship.
Riku almost smiled.
"So no bending at all?" Xai Bau asked.
Katara shivered, but covered it with a smile as she faced him.
"I can, but it makes the poison spread faster." She said. Xai Bau nodded but didn't say anything further.
It was a small airship, and Katara worked in silence with Xai Bau to redistribute the supplies among the packs. The food rations were nearly depleted, but Xai Bau only parceled them out into four small cloths. He folded them neatly, his fingers moving with calm dexterity.
Riku and Kanda fueled the ship, talking about something as the massive envelope filled. The balloon wasn't red, but white, with a black lotus painted on the side.
"Why do you wear blue and white?" Katara asked.
"Pardon?" Xai Bau paused in his packing to look at her.
"The White Lotus uniform is blue and white. Water Tribe colors." Katara said.
"That's because the original White Lotus were the ambassadors to the Spirits. A lucky few were the emissaries of the ones who do not speak with human tongues." Xai Bau paused again and turned back to his packing. "Before we became the Avatar's minders."
"I thought the Avatar was the bridge for the spirits?" Katara inquired.
"So why is it that you can also energybend?" Xai Bau retorted.
"Why I can what now?"
Xai Bau chuckled and stood as Kanda and Riku approached.
"I'll have to tell you soon what you really carry in your blood. Where the Avatar really came from. And why your sickness is not something to keep bound in a mystic's red net." Xai Bau gestured to Katara's wrists and she looked down.
There was dirt in her skull. When she closed her eyes, Katara could smell dirt and soot. The flowers of the festival, the fires there and in the village. Blood was a miasma outside of her, while purple slurry ran through her veins. Rice dust and burlap coated her hair and were prised into the corner of her eyes and underneath her fingernails. She was coated in their travel and weary from it.
Inside of the small airship, Katara started to doze off. Xai Bau gathered up a wool blanket and draped it over her, tucking it behind her shoulders. It would be cold up in the air, as he said, and Katara was too tired to remind him that she frequently rode flying bison. Not that it mattered; Katara was grateful for the weight of the blanket as it made a space that allowed for sleeping.
She was sleeping a lot. Her body fatigued quickly under the weight of debris and spiritual toxin. Now, as the sky dropped its own blanket while they rose to meet it, Katara sank back against the metal basket. Her knee warmed and pain radiated out in tectonic lines with every heartbeat. With a frown, Katara squeezed her eyes shut and tried to turn away from it, willing her leg to detach so she could rest.
Somehow, between heartbeats and seismic splitting, Katara fell asleep.
She woke violently as the basket landed. Trying to stand, she cried out as her knee once again buckled. Arms caught her and voices spoke around her in a dizzying swirl.
"She's burning up." Kanda said.
"Well they're both filthy and starving, I can't imagine that's done anything good for them." Xai Bau replied.
"Go get a guard. Tell them to ready a train." Kanda snapped.
"It's kind of pathetic that a Waterbender can't heal herself." Riku said.
There was a pause and Riku's voice changed. "Sorry."
Still in the basket, Katara rolled her head back till her crown was pressed against the metal wall. A river of stars poured across the sky, illuminating the banks with a purple hue. They shimmed in their run, coursing back the way Katara had flown. Perhaps they fell into the volcanoes of the Fire Nation. Perhaps that was why the Fire Lord had hair like the night sky and skin like a cold star.
"Gently." Kanda hissed as arms went under Katara's body. She moved upstream and the stars brightened. As her head bobbed in the air, Katara wondered if their world hung in another ocean. If there was another Sedna that swam above them and whose hair would drop down to entangle the unwary.
"Iroh is going to kill me for bringing her in like this." Xai Bau muttered.
The river of stars disappeared as Katara was pulled into another vehicle. The air changed and she knew she was enclosed now, but her neck wasn't strong enough for her to look around. Propped against a stone wall, she could only think about how thirsty she was.
"You saved her life. He might promote you out of field work." Kanda chided gently.
"I don't know, she looks half dead." Riku added. There was no rebuke this time, and the other people around her stayed quiet. The silence was broken as a stone door was shut and Katara was suddenly propelled forward.
It was a ferry then, taking her upstream of her starry river. The darkness was just the space around her, and she couldn't tell if her eyes were open or closed. Rushing air curled in through the barrier around her, caressing the hot flesh of her exposed face and neck. That was when she noticed she was bundled up.
"So this is Ba Sing Se?" Riku questioned.
"The lower ring, yes. Have you been here before?" Xai Bau asked.
"I don't think so. I think I wanted to. I had a dream about being in the palace once." Riku said.
"Do you have family here?" Kanda questioned.
"Absolutely not." Riku answered indignantly. "I come from a great line of pure Fire Nation benders."
Katara snorted and sagged forward. Confused, she stared at her lap and wondered how she was going to get back up. Hands at either shoulder firmly pushed her upright and Katara looked around.
Glowing stones were embedded into the rock cart that was presently speeding down a track. It wasn't the elevated train, but neither was it like the mail crates from Omashu. Figures on either side of the cart were pushing them along, using their bending to race down the rail.
It was night, the moon was almost full, and Katara felt empty.
"We'll be there soon Katara." Kanda said, placing a hand on her lap.
"I called for a doctor to meet us at Iroh's home." Xai Bau continued.
After all the walking and sailing, the trip down the rail was faster than Katara had expected. When the cart stopped, the Earthbenders pushed their platform down to the street level. In fact, they were in the middle of the street.
The cart itself unfolded and sank into the ground, giving Katara a glimpse of the rail system before people started grabbing at her. The rail itself also sank down, kneeling like a one legged horse until the ground swallowed it up. They had created a temporary rail just for her.
"Katara!" Iroh's voice broke over her like a cold wave and Katara snapped her head around. Others were with him and Katara's gaze shifted over to them. As her body relaxed, all she could think about is how Rin looked nothing like her brothers. Save for the fact that they were all massive.
One of them lifted Katara and carried her into the house. From the angle of his arms, Katara rested against his chest and could feel his heart beating.
"I miss Rin too." He said. Katara jumped as he spoke, unaware that she had even had a coherent thought, let alone spoke it aloud.
"We need a tepid bath." A woman's voice said. "Her fever needs to come down now."
"Get her undressed." Xai Bau said.
"Get the men out! Boys!" The woman snapped.
"Ma'am, I-" Xai Bau started but stopped with a yelp.
"Go." Kanda said.
"Even Kyoshi's boots aren't big enough to kick sense into some men." The woman muttered.
Hands were on Katara again and air made her shiver as it found more exposed skin.
"Riku, would you please heat the bath to tepid?" Kanda asked.
"What's tepid?" Riku questioned.
"What your wash basin feels like in the middle of a summer day." The woman said.
Katara was lifted into the air and began to shudder violently. Then she was in water.
The shivering didn't stop or even lessen, but she was submerged. Katara didn't know she was crying until the other woman was stroking her hair and shushing her gently.
"The doctor is here." One of Rin's brother's called through the door. It opened and Katara opened her eyes as firelight made her eyelids glow.
A middle aged man with a round face and thick glasses was staring at her.
"A Waterbender?" He asked, seemingly questioning his being called in the first place.
"Not at the moment." Katara replied. The doctor looked down and nodded.
"I need more light." He said and sat back on his heels, rolling up his sleeve. "What are your symptoms?"
After the bath, the doctor gave Katara a bitter tonic to drink that brought her fever down to a normal temperature. She had an infection, possibly even a parasite or two considering her travel. Both she and Riku were given medicine for it, and Riku was given more of her normal medication. Katara's knee was fractured, and the doctor complained passively about Iroh as he bemoaned the lack of supplies. Still, he managed to set a cast that left Katara's knee immobilized and forbade her from standing on it for two months.
After getting her dressed and in bed, he turned to her veins.
There were very few doctors in the world who believed in the humors, and this doctor certainly wasn't one of them, but he still held the tools of the practice. Attempting to bleed Katara resulted in the immediate death of three leeches.
"All of the body's blood goes through the heart. From there, it is sent everywhere and we have learned that the same blood that circulates in your foot also goes to your brain." The doctor started, tapping the sole on Katara's uninjured leg. "If this poison gets to your heart, it will go to your brain. And I cannot imagine what damage that may do to you."
"What do you recommend?" Iroh asked.
"If it's spiritual as she says, I would recommend finding the Avatar." The doctor said and stood, putting his hands on his lower back before stretching backward. "I'm made to understand that you know him."
"Thank you doctor." Iroh replied softly.
"You're welcome. I'll go see your wife about payment then?" The doctor asked.
Iroh led the man out and Katara took in a shuddering breath as Riku came into view. Sitting on the stool the doctor had just vacated, she handed Katara a cup and two pills. The doctor had left some painkillers then.
Shifting onto her elbow, Katara first took the pills and put them in her mouth before grabbing the cup. Swallowing more tepid water, Katara almost gagged on the bitter pills, but managed to hand the cup back before starting to cough.
Still exhausted, she rolled onto her back with a sigh.
The bed dipped down by her feet and then Riku was lying next to her, curled gently away from Katara's side.
"I'm sure they can get a bed for you." Katara said.
"I know. I just." Riku stopped and Katara rolled her face onto her cheek to look over.
"I don't trust him." Riku added in a whisper.
"Iroh?" Katara asked, whispering back. Riku nodded, her face tight with anxiety.
"He's the Fire Lord's uncle." Katara went on.
"I'm not exactly fond of the Fire Lord either, remember?"
"But you're fond of me?"
"Out of everyone here Katara, you're the least likely to kill me." Riku wriggled herself deeper into the mattress and curled awkwardly to grab at the blanket.
"Not tonight at least." Katara replied.
"No, not tonight." Riku said, settling the blanket over them both.
In between heartbeats, Katara fell asleep.
