Part II: Forty-Four


Suki stared at the blank space on her wall where one of her fans had been hanging until last night. She'd suspected after they'd arrived at Lady Lian's crime scene, that the fan they'd found on Lian's body was the one from her office. Someone had broken into her office. She hadn't wanted to be right, however, but seeing that blank space with a like a slap to the face.

"Suki," Tam started, reaching out to touch her arm. Suki pulled away, however, turning to one of Captain Lio's lieutenants, whose name she didn't know.

"The fan was mine. Ty Lee and my guards can attest that my office was broken into last night. We saw that when we arrived this morning. I didn't notice the fan was missing at the time, but..."

She didn't know what to say. She felt sick, and it had nothing to do with her morning sickness or the horrors she'd seen at the crime scene.

No, not a crime scene. That was a massacre. Someone murdered all of those people, Lady Lian, her daughter... They killed them. Because of me, she thought darkly, and her shaking hand wiped across her mouth. She'd rinsed out her mouth at the crime scene, but the bitter wash of bile was still clinging to her throat.

"I'll make note of that, Seneschal," the lieutenant said, writing down something on a pad of paper with a stub of charcoal. "Captain Lio was clear in his message. He wants to know if there's anything else you might know? About the crime? The break-in?"

Suki glanced at Ty Lee. She knew that they were both thinking about her mother's dagger, the one that had been used to stab Guo, which was hidden in her and Zuko's suite at the moment. She had to tell them about it. Keeping the truth from everyone now would only lead to more trouble down the road. She couldn't look like she had anything to hide.

"I believe there may be more to this, but that's all I can say at the moment. I have a Council meeting in a few minutes. I want you to send word to Lio. He needs to attend the meeting. There's something he needs to hear," she said heavily, leaning on her desk, her hands flat and her shoulders hunched.

She knew the lieutenant was looking at her with narrowed eyes, but he didn't say anything.

"Of course, Seneschal. I'll fetch him right away."

"Thank you. You're dismissed," she said and waited until he'd left her office, the door clicking closed behind him, before letting out a sigh.

"You can't tell them," Ty Lee said immediately, her voice tight with worry. "The fan, the dagger... Suki, they're not going to believe you."

"I know. I'm being set up. We're all being set up," she said with a growl in her voice, looking up at Ty Lee and Tam. Tam was tapping her fan against her leg, watching her wordlessly. "I have to get ahead of this before it gets worse. Transparency is the only weapon I have."

"We have witnesses and alibis," Tam said, chewing on her bottom lip.

"You don't have an alibi for last night, Tam. You lied and said you were sleeping with a guardsman last night, remember?" Suki pointed out. "What if that falls apart? I can't let you take the fall for me."

"You don't even know if they're going after you, Suki."

Suki snorted wearily. "Ty Lee, they've been after me since before Zuko and I even kissed each other. First, it was those rumors, then it was downright vicious attacks on my character... Then the Fire Sages tried to stop the wedding... And now this. They don't want me to marry Zuko. And someone is willing to murder an entire household to make that happen."

"This isn't your fault!" Ty Lee said hotly, stepping forward. "Don't you dare blame yourself!"

"How can I not, Ty Lee?" Suki burst out, gesturing to the empty place on her wall. "Lian is dead! Her family! Her poor servants! None of them deserved that. Not even Lian. We disagreed, but she was good at her job and... If I hadn't opposed her so much she might still be alive."

"You can't think like that," Tam said softly. "She's dead because someone out there is willing to kill to get their way. They're the ones to blame, not you. There's no way they can pin this on you. The evidence is circumstantial, and you have guards swearing you were in your suite all night."

"Tam, you and I both know that I could get out of my suite and back again within an hour and not one single person would see me. The Council knows that. Captain Lio knows that too, that's why he's so worried. They know what we're all capable of. Alibis don't matter if all of the evidence is pointing at me."

"We're not going to let them get away with this," Ty Lee said firmly. "We're going to find out who did this."

"I hope you're right, Ty Lee," Suki said tiredly. She turned to the window and looked out into the hot afternoon sunlight. It had been a long morning. The longest of her life. "I'm going to tell the council about the dagger. All of it. Everything."

"Suki..."

She turned around again and turned to Tam. "You're on duty in an hour, Tam. Go get changed into your uniform. Stop by my suite on the way to the Council chambers and get the dagger. I put it in my wardrobe, third drawer." She fished her keys out of her pocket and handed them to Tam.

"I don't think this is a good idea. You know what they'll say."

"They're going to say it anyway, once they find out about the fan," Suki said, as Tam tucked the key into her fist. She looked like she wanted to say something else, but ducked her head and left the room. She closed the door behind her, leaving Suki and Ty Lee alone in her office.

She could practically see all of the things Ty Lee wanted to say to her as their eyes met for a moment.

"Don't," Suki said.

"I won't," Ty Lee replied, but then took a breath. "But I'm scared for you, Suki."

She didn't reply, turning away from her and looking out of the window again.

"I wish Zuko were home," she mumbled, and not for the first time. She'd been missing him keenly for days, but the feeling had only spiked since her strange dreams. She kept feeling like something bad had happened to him, but she didn't know if that was her anxiety over Guo's attack, and now Lian's murder, or some intuition, trying to warn her about something.

Whatever it was it was unsettling her. The baby wasn't helping. She'd thrown her guts up (again) at the crime scene, and she was getting mightily sick of it.

She stared out of the window for a few minutes, letting her mind drift, her unease like a river of sludge in her guts. It was Ty Lee's soft voice that called her out of her dark thoughts.

"It's time."

It didn't take them long to get to the Council chambers, but every step felt like her feet were weighed down with lead. The guards Ty Lee had added to her detail followed behind them like shadows, but she ignored them. Her mind was on what she was going to say to the Council.

She was not prepared for what awaited her on the other side of the heavily guarded door, however.

When they let her into the room, she was immediately hit with a wall of sound. It wasn't the shouting that made her stop dead in her tracks, however. It was the sight of the Grand Sage, standing at the front of the wide Council table, his hands flat on the glossy wood.

Suki's mouth hardened as every eye in the place turned on her. She was met with a variety of expressions. Duke Ru was glowering; he looked like he'd been pacing. Madame Biyu was in hysterics, a handkerchief shoved against her mouth, hiccuping loudly. Bai's face was red, slowly edging to purple, and it had nothing to do with the heat. When he saw her, his lips curled and he spat openly onto the floor beside him.

Suki's brow lifted at that, her gaze sliding from Bai to the Grand Sage, who turned to face her. The look in his eyes was even more hostile than Bai's. Suki could feel the heat of his hatred immediately, and lifted her chin, walking into the room as the noise quieted down until only Madame Biyu's hiccups could be heard.

"Madame, are you alright?" Suki asked gently, going over to her and reaching out her hand. Biyu saw her for the first time and jerked away from her touch like Suki had been holding flames.

"Don't touch me!" Biyu said, getting out of her seat and sidling over to Bai. Suki rubbed at her forehead, feeling a headache already coming on.

"I know you've all heard the tragic news of Lady Lian's death," Suki said, going over to the other side of the table until she was directly facing the Grand Sage. "It's come as a shock to all of us."

"But not to you, I'd wager," Bai said in a hiss. "We've all heard how they found her body, with one of your damned Kyoshi Warrior fans down her throat! Or was that just a rumor, Seneschal?"

Suki flinched. She couldn't help it. "It's not, Lord Bai. I saw it for myself. What's more, the fan belonged to me."

"WHAT?" Ru exclaimed, leaning forward and staring at her in open-mouthed shock. "What do you mean? Are you admitting to the crime?"

Suki held up her hand for silence, as the others murmured in shock. "Of course not. The fan was stolen from my office. I discovered that my office had been broken into just before I was summoned to the crime scene. I've told all of this to Captain Lio and his men, and I've given them my alibi for last night. I was in my suite, asleep. Captain Ty Lee was on duty all night. She can attest to my whereabouts."

The Grand Sage's eyes cut from Suki to Ty Lee instantly, and the look of outright hatred on his face soured into something like murderous disgust.

"And how can we trust such a creature?" the Grand Sage said, his lip curling beneath his wispy white beard.

"Excuse me?" Suki said sharply, as Ty Lee's hand strayed to the fan on her hip. "What do you mean by that, Grand Sage?"

"She's a Kyoshi Warrior. Sisters, you call each other. Would you not cover for one another? Plot and plan and scheme together? I'm afraid her word about your whereabouts is simply not good enough."

"I have other guards. Palace guards, under Captain Lio's command. They were on duty last night as well and have already attested that I was in my suite all night," Suki said and then hesitated for a moment. When she spoke again, her words could have cut glass. "And I'll choose to ignore that slight on the honor of the Kyoshi Warriors, Grand Sage, given the circumstances. We're all mourning Lian. Tempers are high."

"Why would you mourn Lian?" Bai said hotly. "You hated her and everyone here knows it. She questioned you too many times, Seneschal, is that it? Is that why you shoved your fan down her throat? To send a message to the rest of Zuko's council? To shut our mouths or we're next? What about Guo? Were you behind that as well?"

Suki's gaze flicked around the room. She'd been expecting the accusations, but they hurt anyway.

"Lian and I didn't get along, but I respected her and the work she did on this council. I saw the crime scene for myself, Councilman. What was done to Lady Lian and her household was a disgusting crime. A massacre that I assure you, I had nothing to do with. It seems, however, that someone would like to make this esteemed council believe that I did. And it seems to be working."

Duke Ru leaned away from the table, a thoughtful expression on his face, but he was the only one who seemed to take in what she said. Biyu was still looking at her like she might go for her throat at any minute, and both Bai and the Grand Sage looked like they wanted nothing more than to call her a liar to her face and throw her in irons.

She'd known Bai didn't like her; the man was not subtle at the best of times. He was one of Guo's biggest cronies, even more than Lian had been. She'd expected him to jump to conclusions. Duke Ru had a temper and he often devolved into shouting matches just for the fun of it, but he was a sharp man and if given enough time to think, he usually made the right decisions. Madame Biyu often sided with Guo, but only after thinking through her own position. Clearly, she'd made up her mind that Suki had murdered Lian.

General Mak was still gone from the palace; he'd left before Zuko had, and wasn't due back for another week. They'd advised him of Guo's attack but hadn't heard a response yet. Mak was the only real neutral on the council, and if he were there she knew he'd be advocating for the facts.

Looking around, Suki realized that Piandao was missing. Tam had said he'd been at the crime scene, and she'd expected him to be at the meeting. Fear struck her then; what if there had been another attack?

"The facts are clear, as we've heard them, Seneschal," the Grand Sage said. "You admit that your fan was found on Lady Lian's body. Could you have killed Lian's entire household without alerting the Caldera guard? Without anyone witnessing you enter their home?"

Suki's blood ran cold. "Could I? Yes. Of course, I could, Grand Sage. You know that I could."

"Suki," Ty Lee said in warning, a warning she knew she should take, but Suki ignored it anyway.

"But would I? No. Of course not. And I certainly wouldn't have been sloppy about the crime. I'm better trained than that, Grand Sage. You insult me. I would never leave a weapon behind. And I would never murder children in their beds. No Kyoshi Warrior would. We protect and guard. We're not assassins."

"You're cold-blooded murderers," the Grand Sage said, his voice dropping. "Everyone knows it. Your people murdered Lady Shura's men. All four of her sons."

"One of her sons tried to rape me," Suki said. "Is that the argument you want to make with me, Grand Sage? Are you taking the side of a rapist and a woman who tried to overthrow your Fire Lord? Rethink it."

The Grand Sage looked taken aback and he cleared his throat. "Be that as it may, the fact remains you are capable of killing, and your weapon was found on the corpse of a woman you openly fought with. And Guo, another of your most vocal opponents, is in a hospital bed, on death's door."

"I save Guo's life," Suki sharply. "I captured the assassin who tried to kill him."

"And now she's dead. How convenient."

"Convenient? Now she can't answer questions, I don't find that convenient at all, Grand Sage," Suki bit out sharply. "We'll never know who she was working for now."

"It's obvious. She was working for you," Bai said.

Suki's brows lifted. "That's a bold accusation, Lord Bai."

"She was a Kyoshi Warrior."

Suki stared at him for a long moment, the words ringing in her ears. "Excuse me? The assassin who tried to kill Guo was not a Warrior."

"Perhaps not one of the Fire Lord's bodyguards, but she could have been a Warrior. There's an entire island of painted up killers, is there not? Who says she wasn't one of your sisters from across the sea?"

"I say," Suki said from between her teeth. She felt sick again, her stomach churning with fear. She'd known they'd point their fingers at her, but she hadn't thought they'd try to drag the rest of the Warriors into this, let alone accuse Guo's assassin of being one. Her head spun. She felt Ty Lee's hand on her shoulder.

The Grand Sage's eyes narrowed at the contact between them. She could see his disgust so clearly written across his face that it scorched her. She felt heat rise up beneath her skin as he leaned against the table, his hands flat.

"And we're supposed to believe a single word out of your mouth? You or your depraved Captain? Who knows what terrible plots you've been hatching together behind Fire Lord Zuko's back? How can we trust you, a foreigner, and her...a vile degenerate..."

"That's quite enough of that, Grand Sage," Duke Ru said sharply at that before Suki could. She'd heard Ty Lee's sharp intake of breath, and she felt rage curl through her as Ru cut his hand through the air, fire blooming in a little arch as his temper manifested. "You're here at our table as a guest, and I won't have you insulting the Seneschal or the Captain in such a manner. It's beneath you. It's beneath this entire council."

"Why are you even here?" Suki asked the one thing she'd been dying to ask since she'd walked into the Council chamber. "No one sent for you."

"I did," Bai said. "Fire Lord Zuko is gone and I felt it was time for real leadership in his absence."

"Zuko left me in charge."

"And now two of us are dead. What a coincidence," Bai said, the hatred in his voice like a boiling pot of water. It scalded her to the bone, as she glared at him.

"The Grand Sage is not a Council member," Ru started, but Bai pulled a heavy book out from beneath his usual stack of papers, opening it without hesitation.

"He doesn't have to be," Bai said, just as the door opened, and Piandao walked in. His handsome face was grave and he was holding a scroll to his chest. "Piandao, good of you to join us. I was just about to school our dear Seneschal."

Piandao ignored Bai, making a beeline for Suki. She could see the worry in his eyes and something about the expression on his face made her stomach drop to her toes.

"What's wrong?" she asked, as Piandao pressed the scroll into her suddenly nerveless fingers. "Piandao..."

"You should sit down, Suki," Piandao said, kicking out a chair with his foot and gently easing her down into it. She didn't protest. She was staring at the messenger hawk scroll. There were still traces of green wax on the seal. "The messenger couldn't find you, so they delivered it to me first. I tried to catch you at your office, but you had already gone. I didn't want to tell you in front of the others, but..."

"What is it, Piandao?" Suki asked, as Piandao crouched in front of her. He didn't answer, his brows drawing low in the middle. Fear struck her, hard and fast, and her hands shook as she unrolled the scroll. The letter was addressed to her.

She read the words inside carefully, recognizing Iroh's hand, but with every word the page got dimmer and dimmer, until she was gasping for air, shock radiating throughout her body. She surged up from her chair, only to find herself too lightheaded to keep her feet.

Piandao caught her by the elbows, steadying her. She was afraid she might faint, as the blood rushed to her head, but fought it back, letting out a low sob.

"What's wrong?" Biyu asked, alarm in her voice as she stood up at the table.

"Zuko..." Suki started, but she couldn't get the words out. Piandao looped his arm around her and pulled her against his shoulder. She let him, the room spinning around her.

"The letter is from General Iroh in Ba Sing Se. The Fire Lord was kidnapped by persons unknown, as was Princess Azula. There was an explosion at Iroh's tea shop. Several of the Kyoshi Warriors were injured in the fight. The Earth King is organizing a search party. The letter is dated from two days ago, nearly three now."

Suki could hear the others gasping, and then their voices, all rising as they spoke at once, asking questions that Piandao couldn't answer. They felt far away, all of them. She pushed away from Piandao's shoulder, and stumbled away, heading for the door, her head spinning again like she was drunk.

"Where are you going?" Bai snarled, and he moved to block the doorway.

Suki looked up, breathing hard and yet feeling as if she wasn't breathing enough.

"Move out of my way," she said, as she heard Ty Lee say her name, her hand landing on Suki's arm. She shrugged her off and glared at Bai. "Move or I'll move you."

"Suki..." Piandao said. Suki ignored him, walking forward, but Bai blocked her way again.

"I have to find him. I have to go to Ba Sing Se. Right now. Tonight. Zuko needs me, I..."

"You need to answer for what you've done, you little whore," Bai said. And then he spat in her face. The glob landed with a wet splat and dripped down her face. She heard both Piandao and Ru shout something, but she didn't know what it was. She wasn't listening.

"Call me a whore again," Suki said, her voice dropping as she lifted a hand, wiping away the spit. Bai looked her up and down.

"Whore."

Suki lifted her foot with a sharp cry and kicked Bai straight in the stomach, putting all of her rage and fear into the strike. The air whooshed out of him as he was launched backward, landing on his back and rolling into a sprawl against the heavy doors.

The guards in the room started forward, but she whipped her attention straight to the Grand Sage, watching her with a smile on his face. It was the smile that stopped her; it was too knowing, too smug.

"Grab her!" Bai wheezed, clutching his gut, his face so red she was sure the vein in his forehead was about to pop like an engorged tick. The guards hesitated, looking at one another as Ty Lee grasped Suki and put herself between her and the guards. Her fan was out.

"Ty Lee, don't," Suki said. "We don't have time for this. Zuko's in danger. I'm going to Ba Sing Se to get him."

"You aren't going anywhere," the Grand Sage said. "You're a suspect in the murder of Lady Lian's household, and Guo's assassination. We're not going to allow you to flee the scene of your crimes!"

"And how are you going to stop me?" Suki said. "This isn't the Temple, Grand Sage. You have no power here."

"I think you'll find that I do," the Grand Sage said, reaching forward and grabbing the book Bai had pulled out before Piandao had walked in. He tossed it in her direction, but Piandao grabbed it before it got to her. There was a bookmark in it, and Piandao immediately opened it to the marked page. His eyes scanned the page and when he looked up, his expression was thunderous.

"You can't be serious," Piandao said, turning to look at Bai, who was being helped back to his feet by a guardsman. He looked like he was in pain, as he puffed and huffed, clutching at his middle.

"I'm dead serious," Bai said, wheezing, sweat running down his face. "Even more now that the Fire Lord has been kidnapped. For the safety of the Fire Nation, this has to be done."

"What is it?" Suki asked, looking from Piandao to Bai and then to the Grand Sage, looking smug again. "Piandao?"

"There's a law. If the Fire Lord is absent in a time of crisis, incapacitated, or killed without producing an heir, then the Council can appoint the Grand Sage as Steward until he returns, or an heir can be found," Piandao said, passing the book to Suki. She scanned the page and when she looked up, it was to see the Grand Sage smiling again.

"Obviously, the news of Zuko's kidnapping is a shock to us all and will be dealt with, but Bai and I were going to call for this vote anyway to handle the current crisis. It changes nothing," the Grand Sage said. "It's a terrible burden, but clearly the Seneschal is too dangerous and unhinged to be left in charge of our Nation."

"Mak isn't here to vote," Piandao said. "We should find him and bring him to the palace."

"We only need a majority of those present," Bai said, lowering himself down into a chair at the table.

"I don't care what you do, Grand Sage. Seize power while Zuko is away if you must. When I return from Ba Sing Se with him, then he can put you in your damned place himself," Suki said, going for the door again.

"Stop her," the Grand Sage said, and the guards at the door stepped into her way again, looking pained as they glanced from her to the Grand Sage.

"Move," Suki said, her voice simmering with anger. "Or I'll move you like I did Bai."

"You're not going anywhere, Seneschal," the Grand Sage said. "It seems far too convenient to me that all of this happened the moment the Fire Lord left. And that while he was away in Ba Sing Se, on a mission even his own councilors do not seem to know, that he was attacked and kidnapped. And all while in the presence of your sisters. My, what a strange set of circumstances."

Suki glared at him. "I had nothing to do with this. My sisters had nothing to do with this. Each and every one of them would die to protect him."

"And yet he was taken and they lived? What empty words you speak," the Grand Sage said, shaking his head. "The evidence will prove us right in the end."

"What evidence? You have nothing. A fan and a bias against me for daring to marry your Fire Lord. That's what you have."

"Is it?" the Grand Sage said, and something about the look on his eyes made shivers race down her spine. She didn't like that look. It was like the Grand Sage knew something she didn't.

"I think we all need to calm down," Piandao said, stepping forward. "Our emotions are high. We need to coordinate with the Earth King. Our Fire Lord needs us and we're squabbling like children."

"We need to call the vote," Bai said, just as a knock sounded on the door, breaking the tension in the air. The Grand Sage gestured to the guards to open the door. Suki expected to find Tam on the other side; she should have been back with the dagger by now, although Suki was severely regretting her decision to tell them that the dagger had been made by her mother.

If they found that out now, it was all over for her and she knew it. She had a feeling it already was, but the last thing they needed was more ammunition.

She was surprised to see Captains Lio and Viz, and Zuko's secretary Fen coming into the room. Fen looked harried, his normally carefully coiffed hair in a haphazard mess, his face pale as he stumbled forward.

"Fen? What's wrong?" Suki said, moving forward, but she stopped when she saw the look on Fen's face.

"I tried to stop them, Suki, but they insisted."

"Stop them from what?" Suki asked, looking from Fen to Captain Lio, who was carrying something in his hands. She saw that it was a bundle of clothing. It might once have been Kyoshi Warrior green and gold, but it was stained through with blood as if it had been soaked in a tub full of the stuff. Captain Viz had a sword in his hands, and the blade was coated with dried blood.

Suki's stomach turned, memories of the bloodbath in Lian's mansion flashing across her mind's eye. She felt sick again, but she swallowed the feeling. Ty Lee let out a soft breath and turned to her, her eyes huge.

"Suki..."

"What's the meaning of this?" Piandao asked as Ru stepped forward, looking from Suki to the blood-soaked uniform in Lio's hands.

"A witness came forward at the crime scene after the Seneschal and her guards left. They said that they saw a woman wearing the uniform of one of the Fire Lord's bodyguards outside of the walls of Lian's home just after midnight."

"They made me unlock your suite," Fen said. "I tried to stop them, but... Suki..."

But Suki already knew. "That's... That's impossible..."

"We found the uniform stuffed into a trunk at the foot of the Fire Lord's bed. The weapon too. And this," Captain Viz said, holding up a scroll that Suki didn't recognize.

Duke Ru took it from Viz, unrolling it and scanning it for a moment. When he looked up, his expression was hard. "It's a letter to the Seneschal. From someone in Ba Sing Se, an agent."

"No..." Suki breathed. "I didn't... I wouldn't... This is all a lie, I would never. That's not my uniform!"

"She hired someone to kidnap Fire Lord Zuko," Ru said, passing the letter to the Grand Sage, who took it gingerly. He read it and then looked up at her.

"My, you are in trouble, aren't you, my dear?" the Grand Sage said softly.

"She had nothing to do with it," Ty Lee snarled, putting her hand on Suki as if to hold her back, but Suki was too numb to do anything. The world was swirling around her again, the blood rushing straight to her head.

Zuko had been attacked and kidnapped. He might be dead. Someone...someone was trying to pin it on her... They had planted evidence in her room...at the crime scene... And they didn't believe her...why would they... They had a witness, a bloody uniform...her fan...

The world swirled around her, the shock too much. She stumbled forward, trying to say something, to protest, to shout at them, to fight back... Anything but this...

"Seize the Earth Kingdom traitor," the Grand Sage said, and this time the guards listened. They surged forward, but Ty Lee moved faster than thought, spinning and throwing jabs, chi-blocking anyone who came near her.

Piandao put himself between Suki and the guards, pulling a dagger from his belt. Ru was holding a handful of flames, crouched as if to throw it, though he hadn't yet. Biyu was standing in the corner, her eyes wide, and her hand over her mouth. Bai and the Grand Sage were watching her with greed in their eyes.

One of the guards got past Ty Lee and went straight for Suki. Piandao shoved her behind him, and she stumbled straight into Fen, who rushed forward, grasping her and attempting to put himself between her and the others fighting.

"We have to stop this," Fen started, and Suki knew that he was right. They couldn't fight a whole palace full of soldiers. Someone would get hurt, or worse. Her hand strayed to her stomach and she closed her eyes for a moment.

She hated what she was about to do, but she had no other choice.

"Stop! Ty Lee, stop!"

But Ty Lee wasn't listening. She ducked a sword and flipped onto the Council table, landing on one hand and balancing there for just a moment. Then her legs twisted and she came down, one foot colliding with a guard's face and sending him reeling. When she landed, she spun and jabbed her fist into a guard's ribs, making him lose his grip on his sword.

"TY LEE!"

But Ty Lee wasn't listening. Suki pushed away from Fen and grasped Piandao's wrist. He looked at her in alarm.

"Tam," she said and hoped he understood. Then she let go and grabbed Ty Lee by the back of her uniform, yanking her away from the guards. Ty Lee whirled on her, eyes wild. There were three guards, down and one holding his numb arm.

"Suki, what are you doing?"

"Stand down, Ty Lee. We can't win this battle," she said, as more guards flowed in through the door. Ty Lee saw the look in her eyes and for a moment she looked like she wanted to protest. Then she nodded her head, and the fight went out of her.

"We can't let them arrest us."

"We have no choice," she said and turned to the Grand Sage. "Arrest us, but I swear on the spirit of Avatar Kyoshi that whoever is responsible for this will pay. Remember that, Grand Sage."

"We burn traitors to the crown in the Fire Nation, Seneschal. Remember that," he said, as the guards surged forward. They grabbed Ty Lee and yanked her arms behind her. Ty Lee could have gotten free, but she trusted Suki enough not to fight.

The guards were not gentle with Suki, however, grasping her arms and shoving her stomach into the table with a hard bang. She yelped in pain before she could stop herself, fear rising again.

"No! Don't hurt her!" Ty Lee shouted as they yanked Suki away from the table. She was shoved forward, toward the door.

"Put them in the dungeons. And find that other Kyoshi Warrior and throw her in there as well," the Grand Sage said.

"I don't agree with this, Grand Sage. The Seneschal had nothing to do with this," Piandao said.

"Piandao, do as they say," Suki said over her shoulder. She dug her feet in, meeting Piandao's gaze. He looked like he wanted to resume the fight, but he could see the look in her eyes. He nodded in understanding. When Suki turned around, she found herself face to face with Bai again.

"I owe you this, whore."

Bai punched her as hard as he could, straight in the stomach, hammering his fist home as hard as he could. Suki didn't see it coming; the air whooshed out of her and she collapsed forward, pain in her middle. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she tried and failed to catch her breath. The guards dropped her and she clutched at her stomach, sucking in air.

Ty Lee screamed and broke free of her captors, skidding on the floor and getting in between her and Bai. She grasped Suki's head, bringing her against her shoulder.

"NO! What did you do, you bastard?"

"She deserved it!" Bai spat at her.

"You don't understand! Spirits..." Ty Lee sobbed. "She's...she's pregnant!"


End Part II