Suki trudged up the stone steps feeling unbearably heavy. Prince Amaqjuaq was fully under Xianji's control and had sent back a favorable letter to the North Pole. Worse, she had just learned that Katara had surfaced in Ba Sing Se. Xianji's mother would get her soon enough, and there would be no one else out there who could help, except for Aang. And Suki wasn't even sure if he knew what was even happening.

Stopping just behind the secret door, Suki leaned against it to hear for any footsteps or voices. With only silence, she pushed open the door just a crack and peered about.

There was something in the hall, low to the ground.

Opening the door wider, Suki saw the fox from last week, its three tails swishing in synchrony. It resembled a fire fox, but was larger and the red fur was more tawny. With a twitch of an ear, the fox stood, easily the size of a wolf, and tilted its head for a moment. Then it turned, and darted down the hall.

Feeling her pulse quicken, Suki took in a sharp breath. It would be risky to run around the palace. And nights when their group met were always more fraught than others.

But the fox had to be a sign.

Moving light on her feet, Suki chased after the fox, keeping close to the corners as she turned. The three tails twitched like lures and Suki ran to catch them.

Finally, after moving into the front part of the palace, the fox leaned toward a wall and leaped into an open window, pausing to look back. Suki swore as it jumped out; staying in the palace was risky but being caught outside was even worse. Yet she pushed herself out of the window, landing quietly on the grass.

A fog had moved in as the moon rose and it made the reddish fur of the fox stand out. Suki chased it, watching it move further and further into the fog bank till it disappeared. Stopping, Suki caught her breath and turned around, not even sure where she was.

"Suki."

Suki whirled around, her heart hammering in her chest, as Zinna walked out of the fog.

"Where have you been?" Suki questioned.

"Safely away, as you should be." Zinna answered.

"You're a Fire Nation citizen." Suki said. "You should be fine."

"I have dual citizenship. I'm a half-breed." Zinna's face didn't change and she didn't sound offended, but Suki frowned at the comment.

"The princess is from the Earth Kingdom." She countered.

"The princess is neither bisexual nor a commoner." Zinna said with a shrug. "I am an easy enough thing to get rid of."

"Well what are you doing here then?" Suki asked.

"I'm here to warn you. The princess knows about the resistance and is working on rooting you all out." Zinna said.

"How do you know?"

"I have my ways."

Out of the fog came two smaller bodies; Zinna's fire foxes.

"Will you help us?" Suki asked as she watched the foxes coil around Zinna's legs.

"I cannot. I'm leaving tonight to find a safer place. I only wanted to warn you and to ask a favor." She said.

"What's that?"

"Please save my wife."

Suki looked at Zinna and saw the pain in her face. It was the same pain Suki reflected when Sokka would slip under, unable to counter the effects of the tea. To watch someone she loved become a different person.

"I will." Suki said. Zinna smiled before turning and walking into the fog. Her firefoxes trailed after her and the shimmering curtain closed with a flourish after them. Standing alone, Suki let the moment condense around her.

Not for the first time, Suki considered kidnapping Zuko and running away. It would mean leaving everyone else at risk, and she would be betting their safety against Xianji's willingness to hold them hostage. But they could hide, just as the Warriors had done during the war.

Her feelings toward Zuko were uncomplicated. She loved him as simply as she loved Sokka, and how she knew they loved each other. They could fight but their feelings toward each other would never change. It was why Suki never minded the special relationship between the men she claimed.

But it was also why she couldn't just take Zuko and run. As soon as he came to his senses, he would want to return to Sokka.

Or go after Katara, which was just as dangerous.

Suki turned back to the palace and made her way inside. She got lucky, the halls were empty and she was able to slowly make it back to her room without incident.

One thing that bothered Suki, and that she turned over in her mind as she got ready for bed, was why Katara had popped up in Ba Sing Se. Getting to Iroh was understandable, but she must have known that other people would be able to find her. Katara could have gone to so many other places, ones that could have kept her better hidden. Like Kyoshi.

Getting into bed, Suki also returned to her missing warriors. Ty Lee was getting them out of the city and they would have to make multiple false trails heading toward Kyoshi. Hopefully it would be enough to have the princess's dogs believe they were only deserters returning home and not watch to see them head to Ba Sing Se.

Katara needed to return. Beyond just being her friend, Katara was one of the most powerful Benders in the world. She would be able to turn the tide on this invasion.

Suki turned onto her side, facing the wall. The moonlight cast pale shadows and as much as her eyes tried to make sense of the shapes, she couldn't find a pattern. They were all just meaningless splotches, splashed against the wall only because it stood in the way of the light.