AN: In case you missed it, Chapter 6 was also released today. Please read that before this one.
Though he'd accomplished what he'd set out for, Sokka did not return to the capital in high spirits. The spy was a chief. One of the nine rulers of this land, just short of Arnook himself. La's bones, how was Sokka supposed to compete with that?
Sokka sat alone in the room that had been generously provided for them, pouring over his notes in the light of the early morning sun in a desperate search for something that could make sense of this situation. That infiltration mission had left him feeling more drained than he'd ever felt in his life, but even after a whole night of dreamless sleep his thoughts kept him from feeling rested
In a few days he'd be meeting up with Yue and Suluk to discuss their findings and decide where to go from there, for all the good it would do. This was no longer a case of gathering enough evidence to present to the Water Council and having them provide the muscle to put these traitors out of commission for good. It couldn't be that easy, the spy was a member of the damned Water Council! This conspiracy went all the way to the top. If a Chief was leading it, who knew how much influence these people had?!
Nothing made sense anymore. Kuivuka was arrogant, loud-mouthed and a drunkard. He seemed too stupid to organise something like this and Yue agreed with him. Yet it was the princess herself who taught him that people were not always as they appeared.
Two other names were still written down on his suspect list; Pakku and Amak. Earlier he had dismissed the possibility that one of the chiefs could be the culprit. No matter how much he despised both of them, surely nobody in the highest echelons of government would risk dealing with the Fire Nation?
Now Sokka didn't know what to think.
The sound of footsteps reached his ear. Sokka sighed and flipped his notebook closed. He'd get nothing done this morning. Turning to the entrance, he saw Katara push through the furs with a sour expression on her face.
"Rough night?" He asked.
She kicked a bag in frustration. "Pakku discovered that Aang's been training me. Now he won't let either of us learn waterbending!"
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"Yeah, that helps," Katara grumbled. She collapsed onto her sleeping bag in a huff, burying her head into a pillow. "Aang's gone to see if he can get Arnook to make Pakku train him again, for all the good that'll do."
In a way, Sokka understood her frustration. Both of them had their brief moment of success cruelly torn from them.
When Bato had told him the truth about a spy being responsible for their mother's death, Sokka had made a silent promise to tell Katara all about it after he discovered the spy's identity. That way if he failed, the burden would be his alone. If Katara knew she'd come this close to avenging the loss of someone dear to her and he slipped through her grasp it would crush her spirit.
But now that he knew the identity of the spy, Sokka found he couldn't follow through on his promise. Knowing that the traitor was still out there would be painful, but knowing the identity of the traitor and being powerless to do anything but watch as he lived a lavish life on the profits of his treason? That was pain on a whole other level, something he couldn't subject Katara to.
Sokka glanced up and saw Katara giving him an appraising look.
"Sweet Tui, Sokka. You look awful!" She exclaimed, finally noticing the state he was in.
"It's not that bad," Sokka insisted. He gave himself a quick look over and cringed. Ash still clung to his hair and clothing, bringing out the far too pale tone of his skin. No doubt the evidence of exhaustion was clearly written on his face.
"You're kidding, right?" Katara grabbed one of his hands and brought it up to examine. In the light of the rising sun, the whiteness of his fingertips were clear to see. "Sokka, is that frostbite? What did you and Yue get up to on your little 'trip'?"
"It's nothing."
Katara brought water to her hands and began to heal his fingers. "Frostbite isn't 'nothing', and you look like you didn't get a wink of sleep last night."
"I fell into a lake," He answered, avoiding her gaze.
"Sokka," Katara grabbed his chin and forced him to look at her. "I know you've been hiding something. I'm not stupid. Please, tell me what's wrong. I've been worrying about you."
Sokka gave a long sigh. "I'm sorry Katara. I can't tell you. Not now. But I promise, it's for your own good."
"Like hell it is! I'm not a child anymore, I can handle whatever is causing you all this pain!"
No you can't. Not this. Sokka could barely handle it himself and he didn't have nearly as much lingering trauma as Katara.
"I can handle this on my own," Sokka insisted. "It's my problem to deal with, not yours. Just focus on learning waterbending. It's your dream after all."
Katara crossed her arms. "My dream is to learn waterbending, but not if my brother dies because he was too pig-headed to ask his sister for help!"
"Hey, I have Yue," Sokka protested. "She's a princess! You can trust her to look out for me, right?"
"Oh then maybe I should ask Yue what you two have been doing?"
"NO!" He shouted, then caught himself. "I mean, it's kind of our secret. Please don't bring her into this?"
"I just might, if it gets you to talk!" Katara glared daggers at him, but there was no energy behind it. She sighed, the glare melting away. "Look, we've always had each other's backs. It was just you and me against the world. You'd tell me everything, remember? But now you're putting up barriers and it's making me worried. What changed? Are you just afraid of bothering me with your problems because you think they're not important enough for me to help?" She stepped closer and laid a tender hand on his shoulder. "Come on. You're my brother. Whatever problems you have, they're more important to me than waterbending."
"No, it's not that. I know you'd drop everything if you really thought I needed help. This thing… it's something I know for certain would bring you a lot of pain. More than it would ever bring me. I promise, once I know how to tackle it you'll be the first to know. But please Katara, don't try and get involved."
Katara looked into his eyes and saw only steely resolution. After a long moment she sighed in defeat.
"Fine. But I swear, if you end up dead I'll drag you back just to kill you myself. Understood?"
"Understood," Sokka repeated. Katara stood there awkwardly, then pulled him into a warm hug.
They held each other for a while, then broke apart. Sokka gestured to the door. "Come on, let's see if we can strongarm Pakku into being less of an ass."
The chiefs of the Water Council cut an imposing figure against the rushing waterfall of the throne room. Arnook sat in the centre, with Pakku and Yue on either side of him. Sokka met the princesses eyes and they shared a silent conversation. There was nervousness behind her facade of poise and grace and it was no wonder why. Just behind her, Kuivuka was sitting between Tapak and Amak. He chatted with Tapak, completely ignoring the three teens waiting for their moment to speak.
"What do you want me to do? Force Master Pakku to take Aang back as his student?" Arnook asked.
"Yes please," Katara replied, clenching and unclenching her fists.
Arnook looked between Katara and Pakku, stroking his beard. "I suspect he might change his mind, if you swallow your pride and apologize to him."
"My Chief, is that wise?" Amak asked. "The Avatar has already disrespected our traditions. Is it really worth invoking the Fire Nation's wrath to train somebody so disrespectful of our laws?"
Yeah sure, you probably just want to make it easier for the Fire Nation to conquer this place, Sokka thought angrily.
"If Katara is willing to apologise, I believe this transgression could be overlooked," Arnook insisted. "But if anybody else takes issue with my decision I will reconsider letting the Avatar learn waterbending here."
Nobody spoke up, not even Kuivuka. To Sokka's surprise, the traitor chief seemed to be frowning at Amak's suggestion. Why? It would have been perfectly acceptable for Kuivuka to speak up now. Nobody would suspect his motives stemmed from anything other than a desire to see the Northern Water Tribe's traditions upheld. He could have stopped the Avatar learning waterbending, leaving them with few other options and guaranteeing Aang would never have the strength to face the Fire Lord before the comet arrives. So why did he not speak out?
Seeing there were no other voices of protest, Arnook nodded to Katara.
"Fine," Katara said through gritted teeth.
Finally, we can put this behind us. All Katara had to do was apologise. Easy as done. She seemed to struggle with the words, glancing between Aang and Pakku with an indecisive look on her face.
A patronising smirk appeared on Pakku's face. "I'm waiting, little girl."
Damn it all.
Katara clenched her fists, causing the ice to crack beneath them. "NO! No way am I apologizing to a sour old man like you!"
Two large cauldrons of water shattered along with what little remained of Sokka's optimism. Of course. Pakku just had to provoke her.
"I'll be outside if you're man enough to fight me!"
Oh shit. Sokka tried to grab Katara before she could storm out but she pulled away. This was bad. Very bad. Pakku might be an ass but he was a master waterbender with decades of experience. There was no way Katara could win this!
"I'm sure she didn't mean that," Aang reasoned.
Sokka gulped. "Yeah, I think she did."
"Are you crazy, Katara? You're not going to win this fight!" Sokka stumbled slightly as he ran down the long staircases to catch up.
Katara took off her parka and threw it into his arms. "I know and I don't care!"
Sokka desperately racked his mind for anything on duels in the Northern Water Tribe. Duels in the Fire Nation were sometimes fought to the death, he'd overheard as much in Gaipan. But he knew nothing about the Northern Water Tribe. Pakku might kill Katara for this!
"You don't have to do this for me," Aang pleaded. "I can find another teacher!"
"I'm not doing it for you! Someone needs to knock that guy down a few pegs!" Katara turned and saw Pakku making his way down the staircase with a few of the other chiefs. "So, you decided to show up?"
The waterbending master didn't even spare her a glance.
"Aren't you going to fight?" Katara shouted after him.
"Go back to the healing huts with the other women. I have nothing to prove to you."
Ok, this was good. Pakku was giving them an out. Now all Katara had to do was not have her fist clenched damn it what are you doing!? Sokka watched with mounting dread as Katara drew out a whip of water and struck Pakku in the back of the head.
"Fine, you want to learn to fight so bad?" Pakku turned around, a malicious grin on his face. "Study closely!"
Two pools of water erupted upwards and surrounded Pakku. Katara charged, but was knocked off her feet as Pakku bent the water at her. Sokka nervously wrung his hands, sweat running down his back. He should do something!
"Don't," A hand gripped him before he could go draw his boomerang. He turned to see Yue standing next to him. "Master Pakku isn't going to hurt your sister, just bruise her pride a bit."
Well that was a relief.
"Thanks Yue," He gave her an appreciative nod.
A small crowd had gathered around the courtyard, watching in awe as Pakku trapped Katara in a spinning wheel of water. Katara planted her feet into the ground and redirected the water away.
Sokka noticed that the other chiefs had finally caught up. He nudged Yue and pointed to Kuivuka, who smiled slightly as Katara was catapulted into one of the water pools. That wasn't the smile of somebody who wanted her dead. Hurt and humiliated, yes, but it was nothing compared to the almost gleeful smirk on Amak's face. That was the look of a man who would feed Katara to the orcas.
Tapak stood nearby, completely disinterested. As Katara leapt back up out of the pool and sent razor-sharp disks of ice at Pakku, the elderly chief shrugged and walked away. That was just as strange. Everybody else was glued to the fight. Even Sokka couldn't help but watch in awe as Pakku effortlessly deflected and destroyed the disks with little more than a flick of his wrist. He might have hated the man, but he was certainly a powerful bender.
Katara sent a jet of water at Pakku, who blocked it and sent it flying back at Katara, forcing her back to the ground. She slid along the icy floor and hit the base of the staircase. With a defiant growl, Katara leapt back to her feet and brought two pillars of ice down around the old master. But he simply waved his hand and reduced the pillars to snow.
"Well, I'm impressed. You are an excellent waterbender," Pakku complimented. To Sokka's surprise, it sounded genuine.
"But you still won't teach me, will you?"
"No."
Katara brought her hands to the ground, summoning a massive blast of semi-solid ice that rushed to Pakku. It passed by harmlessly as Pakku shot up on a pillar of ice that melted into a tidal wave he rode towards her. Katara reacted quickly with a precise blast of water shooting through Pakku's blind spot and knocking him off the wave. He recovered and solidified his tidal wave then slid along it to land a sharp punch at Katara's side.
Once more Katara met the icy ground. Pakku slid past her and leapt up into one of the pools. Just as she tried to get back to her feat, Pakku brought a great orb of water into the sky over her.
The crowd watched with bated breath as the orb split apart into spears of ice that rained down around Katara, trapping her in place. She struggled against her restraints, but couldn't move enough to bend them away.
"This fight is over," Pakku announced. He clasped his hands behind his back and strode away, leaving Katara locked in the ice.
"Come back here. I'm not finished yet!" Katara shouted after him.
"Yes, you are," Pakku smirked but paused as his foot hit something in the snow.
Craning his neck above the crowd members, Sokka watched Pakku pick up a familiar blue ribbon half-buried in the snow. A deep blue gemstone caught the morning sunlight. Katara's necklace!
"This is my necklace…" Pakku whispered.
"No, it's not. It's mine! Give it back!" Katara ordered, but Pakku wasn't listening.
"I made this sixty years ago for the love of my life," Pakku's voice was barely more than a whisper. "For Kanna."
"My Gran-Gran was supposed to marry you?"
Yue saw Sokka stiffen at Pakku's words.
"Your grandmother was engaged to Master Pakku?" Yue whispered to him.
"It's news to me as well," Sokka replied. Gran-Gran had never told him anything about Pakku or a life in the Northern Water Tribe. He always thought she'd been born in the South Pole.
"I carved this necklace for your grandmother when we got engaged," Pakku explained, pain flashing across his eyes at the memory. "I thought we would have a long, happy life together. I loved her."
"But she didn't love you, did she?" Katara guessed. The ice spikes melted, allowing her to approach the master. "It was an arranged marriage. Gran-Gran wouldn't let your tribe's stupid customs run her life. That's why she left. It must have taken a lot of courage."
Pakku heaved a long sigh. "Kanna never lacked courage, just like you. It was the reason I loved her, but it was also the reason she couldn't love me back."
Beside him, Yue blinked tears out of her eyes. Sokka took her hand in his, trying to offer whatever support he could. Though Yue had ample amounts of courage, leaving the Northern Water Tribe was not an option for her. The tribe needed her here and Yue knew it. As much as Sokka respected her courage and spirit, it was that unwavering loyalty to her people that set Yue apart. She was more than willing to sacrifice her happiness for them.
"You were too set in your ways," Katara pointed out.
"Perhaps you're right," Pakku sighed. He glanced at Katara with the ghost of a smile on his face. "Kanna would certainly be proud her granddaughter inherited her courage."
Katara glared up at him. "I know I'm proud of it."
"Indeed you are."
Pakku turned to look over the aftermath of his duel. Towering pillars of ice and mountains of snow were scattered across a battlefield torn apart by cracks and scars.
"I've spent my whole life living by the traditions of my people," Pakku began. He turned back to Katara. "It cost me the woman I loved, but I won't let it cost me the privilege of teaching a gifted waterbender."
Katara's eyes widened. "You'll train me?!"
"You and the Avatar," He confirmed.
Sokka couldn't help but feel happy when he saw the wide grin of jubilation on his sister's face. It may have been hard for him to understand this bending stuff, but there were few things Katara wished for more than a master to show her the way. If she was happy, he was happy.
"But I still expect both of you here early tomorrow morning," Pakku continued, fixing them both with a hard stare. "Do not make me regret this decision."
Aang and Katara could not have nodded quicker.
Sokka's good mood could never last. In less than an hour, Yue would come find him to meet Suluk and they'd all have to discuss how absolutely screwed they were. Not even the thrill of explosives could dispel his sombre mood, but at least it gave him something to do.
A new invention stood before him, or at least that was what he was calling the device. It was little more than a solid cube of ice about as large as a person with a hole filled with black powder. The ice should be enough to contain the blast, but just in case Sokka made sure to point the device at the massive glacial wall surrounding the city.
With the way the evening sun made the ice shine brightly in his eyes, he was beginning to regret his decision. But the light wouldn't stop Sokka. It was about time he gave Katara's idea a test.
Loaded into the carved hole was a crude metal ball, commissioned specifically for this project. It had cost far more than Sokka felt comfortable with, but it would all be worth it if the projectile didn't shatter into pieces.
As he lit the fuse and leapt behind an ice shield, Sokka found himself desperately wishing for this to work. Just give him something, he pleaded to the universe. Just one thing he hadn't failed in. Aang was the Avatar. Katara was on the path of becoming a waterbending master. But Sokka? He couldn't even catch a single spy.
If this proof-of-concept worked, it would lead to all kinds of new designs. Sokka could finally feel like he was good for something. He'd have an accomplishment to be proud of, a weapon that would allow a man with a boomerang to be more than a mere casualty in the war between bending masters.
Sparks fizzled and the world seemed to hold its breath. There was a moment of silence, where it seemed like nothing would happen…
Until a mighty bang shook the earth.
Sokka watched in awe as fire erupted across the field, shattering the ice block into pieces. The sound of the explosion echoed off the titanic glacial walls, but the projectile was nowhere to be seen.
"Damn it!" Sokka leapt out of the cover, icy fragments raining down around him. He grinded his teeth together. Of course it didn't work! It would never work! It was stupid to think he could ever-
CRACK!
He leapt back in shock as pieces of the glacial wall tumbled down in a miniature avalanche of debris. Sokka stumbled backwards in terror, half-expecting the the rest of the wall to come down with it. When nothing happened, he cautiously stepped out from behind his barricade. There was something he had to check.
Up close, the unweathered ice glowed blue in the sunlight. It would have been a beautiful sight, had Sokka's attention not focused on the centre of the web of cracks. An iron ball was buried in the ice, slightly malformed but still intact.
"No way…" Sokka exhaled. He looked back at the remnants of the ice cannon. That had to be at least 400 metres. The projectile had travelled that far and caused this much damage all by itself?
It took a lot of effort to wedge it out of the crater, but Sokka managed. He carried the iron project back over to the blast site where Yue was waiting for him with an expression of disbelief on her face.
"What in the unholy depths was that?" She exclaimed, pointing up at the scar left in the wall.
"I have no idea," Sokka admitted. "But I aim to find out."
Forget explosive-launched grenades. Inert projectiles would work just fine. And the moment he was back in the Earth Kingdom, Sokka would prove it.
That brief moment of elation ended just as quickly as it came.
"I mean, I can't say I'm too surprised," Suluk admitted to them. "Everyone knows Kuivuka has always been a greedy pig who'd sell out his nation and people for profit, but are we sure it's him?"
The trio were all squeezed into a canoe, letting the natural currents of the waterways carry them down to the suburban areas. It felt odd discussing their plans in a public area, but there was enough distance between the other canoes that they felt safe conversing in hushed whispers.
"We found his standard in the flagship of the smuggler fleet. You don't just hand out family standards to random criminals," Yue explained, her voice slightly muffled by the cloth covering most of her face. "If Kuivuka had the flag commandeered off one of his ships, he'd have to inform my father."
"Is there really no other explanation?" Sokka asked. "I don't like Kuivuka at all, but he doesn't seem to have the intelligence to run something like this. I met him at that welcoming feast. Yeah he could be faking it, but why? It's not like anyone would be suspicious of an intelligent chief."
"You'd be surprised," Suluk remarked dryly.
Choosing to ignore him, Yue shrugged. "Who knows. But he fits our suspect profile exactly and we have hard evidence against him."
"Then why didn't he speak up during Katara's appeal? He had ample opportunity to halt our progress in training Aang without bringing suspicion on himself."
"Just because Kuivuka is willing to betray his nation for profit doesn't mean he wants the Fire Nation to win. Sure, he's certainly not the picture of a proud and patriotic Water Tribe man, but he won't benefit from a Fire Nation victory," Yue nudged Suluk. "Back me up here."
"She's right," Suluk agreed. "Criminals often convince themselves their actions aren't causing anyone harm. Kuivuka may be okay with profiting off war, but the Fire Nation winning won't do him any good."
That was fair reasoning, but it didn't settle the pit of unease in his stomach.
"So, where do we go from here?" Sokka asked.
"I don't know," Suluk answered honestly. "From what I've gathered, Kuivuka has some major influence over the Pitkuraks. The approval of my uncle's transfer came straight from a department head and he's just one step below Chief Yutu in the ranking."
"Well we can't just give up!" Yue argued passionately. "This isn't just an information leak, it's a threat to national security!"
"Kuivuka has the muscle to defend his interests directly and enough influence over the courts to have them throw out what we have against him. Without some pretty damning evidence, we have nothing."
It didn't make Sokka feel any better to know that both Yue and Suluk were right. This was a threat to national security, but it wasn't a threat he could vanquish with a well-aimed boomerang throw.
"So we get this evidence," Yue countered. "We do what we've done for the past week and use our intelligence and individual skills to find what we need to lock Kuivuka away for good."
Suluk shook his head. "That's easier said than done. You won't find much evidence Kuivuka can't bribe an investigator to throw out."
"Then what do we need?" Sokka spoke up.
A moment passed as Suluk took a moment to think. "Well… financial records would be a good start. You said there were missing documents for bank accounts in the Earth Kingdom? Finding those would do a lot for the case since you could actually prove Kuivuka receives money from the Fire Nation. Finding something tying Kuivuka to Naujaat would also help a lot, but your real prize is evidence of correspondence. Letters with Kuivuka's seal addressed various Fire Nation liaisons. That kind of thing."
"And how do we get those?"
"That's the thing. If these documents exist, Kuivuka would only keep them in a safe location. I'd guess his manor, nowhere else would be secure enough for incriminating documents like that. It's going to be a lot harder to break into a manor belonging to a chief than some smuggler town. If you're caught, it's off to Kakkaaktuk. And trust me, you don't want to end up there."
Suluk and Yue shivered at the thought. Sokka just looked between them blankly.
"What's so bad about Kakkaaktuk?" He asked.
"It's a prison built in the ice caves just outside the city designed for the worst of the worst." Yue explained, her skin paler than usual. "I've only heard stories about it. Prisoners wallow in cold, wet darkness. Maybe they get let out, maybe they don't. Maybe the guards simply 'forget' to throw food down to them. It would certainly explain all the stories about cannibalism that come out of that place," Despite the warm evening air, another shiver went up Yue's spine.
"Those stories are true," Suluk confirmed in a dark tone. "Your only chance of seeing daylight again is if the Pitkuraks want evidence from you. Then they'll let you starve for a few days and bring you out to be interrogated. At that point, most people would sell out their mother for a hot meal and the promise of never seeing those ice caves again. I really wish we didn't need a place like Kakkaaktuk, but sometimes the only thing that keeps the scum of the tribes in line is fear."
"Do they really let prisoners keep weapons?" Yue asked.
"Oh yeah. If they don't need anything from a prisoner, they throw them into a cell with a bunch of other armed prisoners. It's a good way to execute somebody without jumping through legal hoops. Even if they aren't immediately killed, the constant stress of being locked away with vicious and armed criminals causes insomnia and drives the weak prisoners insane. As for the benders, they get tied up and hung upside down in a pool of water just deep enough to reach above their nose, forcing them to breathe through their mouth and making sleep almost impossible. I used to have nightmares about that as a kid."
The blood rushed from Sokka's face. "Are we sure we still want to do this?"
Five minutes ago, he didn't think he could get any more fearful of the consequences of failure. Now he understood why the criminals of the Northern Water Tribe could be terrified into compliance.
"I don't think we have much of a choice," Yue sighed. "Kuivuka is a threat to the Northern Water Tribe. I'm not going to let him sell us out anymore."
"Yue's right," Suluk affirmed. "I'd be neglecting my duty as a protector of this nation if I didn't help."
"Then it's settled, we will infiltrate Kuivuka's manor next," Sokka tried to keep the tremor out of his voice as he spoke.
Yue shook her head. "I think I know someplace we can go beforehand. The Royal Vaults. That's where we store our currency reserves, artefacts and history, but they also contain the deeds to property. Including the property owned by the chiefs. If we want something connecting Kuivuka to Naujaat, that's where we'll find it."
"You may have to hold off on that," Suluk replied.
"Why's that? I'm the princess, I can get us in easily."
"No, it's not that. Don't turn your heads, but there are two men in a canoe following us."
Dead silence reigned as Suluk led them away from the main street with their followers shadowing them at a distance. They were soon joined by a second pair in a canoe. Then another. Suluk slowly propelled them forward with waterbending, the three canoes matching his speed.
"What do we do?" Yue whispered.
"I have some grenades," Sokka told them. "I say we lead them away from any witnesses and blow those canoes out of the water!"
He went to grab one of his grenades, but Suluk stopped him.
"Bad idea. I recognise some of those men. They're Pitkuraks. Dirty and corrupt Pitkuraks, but if you kill them you'll bring the entire department down on us."
"Then we have to lose them," Sokka decided.
"What do you think I'm trying to do? I know an old processing area nearby. They use it for the summer catches to descale fishes, but it's winter so it should be abandoned."
Their pursuers must have realised what they were doing, because the three canoes suddenly surged forward. All pretenses of subtlety were gone as Suluk leapt to his feet and shot them forward. Sokka grabbed an oar and steered them into a side alley, trying to lose the three canoes.
"Take a left up here!" Suluk ordered.
Sokka dug the oar into the water. It was nearly ripped out of his hands but he managed to turn the canoe. Yue was flung to the side, almost tipping overboard. White seaspray shot off the bow of the canoe, drenching Sokka in icy water.
The other canoes followed their wake. Turn after turn they chased them even as Suluk shot into the maze-like processing area. Leather tarps spanned the canal, strung between the large ice buildings built above the docks on either side of them.
An idea struck him. "Yue, take the oar and get me over to the edge!"
"Got it!" She gripped the oar so hard her knuckles turned white and forced them to skirt the edge of the canal.
Sokka stumbled at the sudden jerk of motion, but found his footing again and grabbed Yue's spear. Leaning as far out as he dared, Sokka readied his weapon. As they approached one of the tarps, he swung out and sliced clean through the rope holding it in place.
The tarp collapsed into the water. Two canoes managed to shoot out before it could land, but the third was not so lucky. There was a splashing noise as the third group of pursuers were knocked off their canoe and into the water.
"Good work Sokka, but they're still gaining on us!" Yue shouted, taking the spear back from him.
The last two canoes had pulled up beside them. A man brandished a sword, swinging it to Suluk. Sokka batted it aside with the oar and Yue returned with a thrust of a spear. The canoe swerved away to avoid the strike then came around to stab at them again.
"Go right! Go right!" Suluk ordered.
Sokka yanked hard on the oar, swerving in front of one of the canoes and into another side alley. It was long and thin, surrounded on either side by the walls of the neighbouring ice buildings. This gave him another idea. He reached down for one of his grenades and loaded a detonator. Just before they reached the end of the alley, Sokka pelted the grenade with all his strength at the ice wall.
A loud bang sounded off as a plume of icy debris rained down over the two remaining canoes, blocking their vision. The trio shot off into the main canal and ducked into another alley, with only one canoe still hot on their trail.
But as they made the next turn, they came face to face with a dead end channel. Suluk cursed himself but didn't slow down.
"Hold on!" Suluk shouted. Yue and Sokka gripped onto the side of the canoe as it smashed into a dock ramp.
The sudden deceleration flung the trio forward, but they kept a strong grip on the canoe. It skidded up the ramp and across the pier before coming to a stop. Sokka rolled out of the ruined canoe, massaging his aching neck. He helped Yue to her feet just as the last canoe reached them.
Two men disembarked, one wielding a vicious-looking club while the other got into a waterbending pose. A spike of ice shot towards them only to shatter against Sokka's sword. Yue and Suluk dragged him away, sprinting away from their two pursuers on foot.
Sokka raced through the maze of the abandoned seafood processing equipment, jumping over a long blood-stained table with the two thugs just behind him. The waterbender sent a hail of ice, but Yue pulled him out of the way. As they rounded a sharp corner, Suluk pressed Sokka and Yue into the wall.
"Get ready," he whispered.
Right on cue, the two pursuers appeared around the corner. Sokka leapt at the waterbender, landing a punch against his jaw and followed it up with a vicious knee to the guts. The waterbender stumbled backwards and brought up a shield of ice, but Sokka shattered it with a hard kick. A thin stream of water struck Sokka, leaving an angry red mark on his chest. He growled and ducked low to avoid a second strike. Sokka punched his foe in the stomach then twisted around to slam the hilt of his sword into the waterbender's temple.
He collapsed like a puppet without strings. Suluk froze the waterbender to the floor before slamming the nonbender into the wall, binding him with ice. His struggling ceased as Yue brought the tip of her spear to his throat.
"Why were you chasing us?" She demanded.
"Chasing? What would ever give you that idea?" He replied with a smug grin, waving his hands as best as he could with them bound near his hip.
Sokka rubbed the red welt on his chest and approached the restrained man. "I'm pretty damn angry right now, so don't test my patience."
"Oh I never intended for that."
"Funny guy, aren't you Taqtu?" Suluk sneared. "I always knew you would be the first to accept a bribe. You were always so weak-willed, a strain on the department's record."
"Oh Suluk, ever the self-righteous crusader."
"You can bet on it," Suluk drew some water up into his hands and froze it into a sharp point. "Now how about you start answering questions, or I'll turn you into a blubber muncher?"
He brought the ice spike down so it rested just above Taqtu's privates.
"Alright alright, no need for any of that," Taqtu shrunk away from the blade. "Before I start talking, can you tell your whore to take her spear off my throat?"
Yue growled and dug the spear deep enough to draw a thin stream of blood. "You're doing an awful lot of talking already!"
"I can't answer with a spear on my neck," He reasoned. Reluctantly, Yue withdrew her spear to let him talk. She tried to ignore Taqtu's smug grin. "Finally. Now, what burning questions do you have to ask me? Come on, I don't have all day."
"Why were you chasing us?" Sokka asked, stepping next to Suluk and leaning close to the man.
He shrugged. "Oh, certain people in the Pitkuraks didn't like Suluk poking his nose in their business. It would seem you've drawn a lot of unwanted attention in some very powerful circles."
"Give me a name, or do I have to beat it out of you!?" Sokka gripped the man's parka and brought a fist near his face.
"The truth is, I don't know much. I'm just following my orders. The ones who did are probably pulling themselves out of the canal a few blocks away."
Sokka studied the corrupt Pitkurak closely. He seemed just a bit too confident in his information. If that was the truth, then where was the fear in his eyes? Morlaq had nearly pissed himself at the idea his superiors would learn that he sold them out, but Taqtu was as cool as the afternoon polar air.
"You're lying. You know exactly who gave you these orders, and you're going to tell me if you value your fingers."
Taqtu leaned as far forward as his binds would let him. "You don't scare me, boy. You talk big, but you're soft. You don't have the stomach to follow through on that threat."
Sokka paused. Did he really have it in him to hurt this man, even if he was a corrupt traitor? It was one thing to kill, but to deliberately cause pain for your own benefit was a line he hadn't yet crossed.
A sickening crack reached his ears as Sokka brought his boot down on the man's fingers, the sound soon drowned out by Taqtu's screams of pain.
"Oh you bastard!" He cried, straining against the ice bindings. Sokka could see his index and middle fingers were bent in unnatural directions. "I'll see you sent straight to Kakkaaktuk for this! Mark my words!"
"Unless you want me to do the same to your other hand, you'll tell me what I want to know."
"There isn't anything you could do to me that would even approach what they would do if they found out I led you three to them!" Taqtu snarled, breathing heavily as blood began to drip down the ice wall from his broken hand. "I'll never talk!"
A long moment passed when Sokka just studied the man. As much as he hated to admit it, Taqtu was right. The merchant was a coward Sokka had leverage over. He had nothing on Taqtu. Nothing he'd risk betraying Kuivuka for.
"Fine," Sokka said, ignoring the twin looks of disbelief on Suluk and Yue's face. He turned to Suluk. "You can release him."
Suluk looked at him like he'd grown a second head, but let the bindings melt. Taqtu collapsed to the floor and immediately went to nurse his hand. The trio left him, walking down the path in silence until they ducked into an alley.
"What the hell were you thinking!?" Yue shouted the second they were out of earshot.
"Yeah Sokka, we needed that guy to put Kuivuka away!" Suluk shared Yue's outrage.
Sokka held his hands out, trying to placate them. "I know it seems like a bad idea, but we can't get anything out of him. He knows that anything we do to him, Kuivuka's guys will do ten times worse. But that doesn't mean we won't catch his middleman."
Yue crossed her arms and scoffed. "And how do you expect to do that?"
"They'd want him to report his failure immediately. So we'll take a leaf out of their book-," Sokka watched as the escaped thug ran away, leaving his comrade unconscious in the ice. "and follow him straight to his employer."
It was slow progress. Their target didn't exactly seem eager to return. He walked slowly, occasionally stopping to just meander along the edge of the canals or dip his injured hand in icy water. How long Sokka had spent crouched around corners or sliding behind walls was a mystery, but the sun had already made its descent on the horizon. He wiggled his toes to return feeling to them.
Yue was somewhere on a nearby roof. Unlike him or Suluk, she was light and nimble enough to walk on the icy roofs without them cracking under her weight. Suluk was on the opposite end of the street, keeping watch over all three of them from a distance, leaving Sokka as the one tailing Taqtu directly.
He strode across a bridge as casually as he could with Taqtu a mere two dozen paces ahead. As Taqtu turned to look over his shoulder, Sokka quickly mingled in with a group of men leaning on the railing. His heart beat heavily in his chest and he prayed Taqtu didn't look too closely.
Taqtu turned back around, allowing Sokka to make his way to a narrow alley, all the while ignoring the confused looks of the men on the bridge. He forced himself to maintain a casual pace, fighting against his instinct to run. Any moment Taqtu could turn around and see Sokka trailing him, but if he started running he'd only draw more attention to himself.
For once, his luck held. Sokka let go of the breath he was holding as he ducked into the shadows cast by the setting sun.
It couldn't be much longer. Sokka had noticed that as Taptu approached the meeting point his face had grown paler. No doubt the man's mind was thinking of all the different ways Kuivuka's thugs could express their displeasure in his failings.
"I think I know where he's going," He turned to see Yue peeking down at him from the roof. She pointed towards the docks. "There's a derelict suburb downstream of this canal. Taptu has been heading that way for a while now."
"Any idea on how we should sneak through this place?"
"I can't be much help," Yue replied. "I just know it exists because Dad keeps receiving petitions to have it demolished."
Suluk appeared in the alley next to Sokka.
"What's the holdup?"
"I know where Taqtu's heading," Yue explained.
"Yeah, so do I. He's heading for Sukkaituk. Used to be fairly busy during the war, but now it's just filled with the city's lowlifes and degenerates. About the only reason to go through that shithole is if you want to do something illegal outside of prying eyes, so it's no wonder this iteq is heading that way."
Sokka shared a nervous look with Yue. "That place doesn't sound very safe."
"It's not as bad as you'd think. Most of them are too drugged up to really care who passes through. Just… don't mention you're with a Pitkurak. They get antsy about that."
The group split up to follow the corrupt Pitkurak. As Sokka was led further towards the sea the houses began to look more and more ruined. Some were partially melted, others looked like they'd been cracked and refrozen many times by inexperienced waterbenders. Instead of bustling streets, these sidewalks and canals were almost empty.
It was no wonder why. The canal had grown stagnant and had gained a slight green tinge. A pungent odour assaulted the nose, overwhelming the crisp polar air. Sokka watched in disgust as Taptu kicked the rotting carcass of a fish into the canal where it joined others slowly rotting away.
About the only people who seemed capable of tolerating it were dirty vagrants lounging along the sidewalk. A few sent Sokka suspicious glances, but most didn't even bother to look his way as he stepped over them. Sokka suspected he could've rolled some of them into the canal and they wouldn't even realise they were drowning.
Out of the corner of his eye he could see men watching him from a window on the opposite street. One of them met his gaze. With a wicked grin, he brought a bloodied knife to his face and licked it. A shiver went up Sokka's spine and he hurried out of sight, one hand gripped firmly on his sword and the other to a pouch that carried the last of his grenades.
Occasionally he spotted Yue and Suluk on the opposite street. They kept to the alleys, but Taqtu wasn't too worried about being followed anymore. It seemed even he would rather hurry through this toxic wasteland than linger a moment longer.
Soon enough Taqtu came to a courtyard built onto an ice island in the middle of a canal intersection. Crates were stacked haphazardly against each other, sheltered from the weather by a large leather tarpaulin. A few lamps scattered around the island cast an orange glow over the canal. Taqtu gulped as his eyes landed on the three men waiting for him.
"You're late," the middle one announced. Seeing the dour look on the man's face, Taqtu hurried across the ice bridge.
"I'm sorry Kitik, there were a few… complications," Taqtu stammered. He tried to hide the way he winced in pain with every movement of his hand.
Kitik glanced between Taqtu's hand and the pale expression on the man's face. There was a snort of laughter. "A complication, you say? Where are the other five men I sent with you?"
Taqtu shifted nervously. "Er… well you see-"
But he didn't get to finish. The man to Kitik's right leapt forward and grabbed Taqtu's bloodied hand, squeezing hard. Howls of pain echoed off the ruined houses, making Sokka sick to his stomach. Taqtu was released and immediately collapsed to the ground, tears brimming in his eyes.
As Taqtu gathered his breath, Kitik loomed over him. "You have some nerve returning to me alone and empty-handed. Perhaps you're smarter than you look. After all, you know what happens to people who make me go searching for them. Now tell me again. What. Happened?"
"Suluk wasn't alone! He met up with five others!" Taqtu lied through pain-stricken gasps. "Some of them were powerful benders! We tried all that we could, but the benders could just throw our canoes around like they were nothing!"
A moment passed where Taqtu looked anywhere but at his accuser. No doubt there was sweat dripping down his neck. He just lay there on the ground, trembling nervously under Kitik's gaze.
"I believe you. Really, I do," Kitik gestured for the other men to drag him back to his feet.
Just then a loud thud came from the alley behind him. Sokka's head snapped back, hand darting to the hilt of his sword. He glanced behind him. Nothing. With one last cautious look, he turned back towards the island courtyard.
"So… do I still get paid?"
Kitik clenched his fist and the two bodyguards threw Taqtu back to the ground. One stomped down on his injured hand, forcing another agonised shriek from the broken man. Sokka didn't want to see this, but he found his eyes drawn to the display by some sick curiosity. The deafening screams muffled the sound of footsteps in the snow behind him.
"No, you're not smarter than you look," There was a warm smile on Kitik's face, a sharp contrast to the visceral display of human suffering he'd just ordered. "You're just so stupid that running away didn't even cross your mind. A smart man wouldn't lie to me and then demand payment."
A flash of white caught Sokka's eye. He turned to see a long gondola gliding across the foul water. It was a beautiful thing, crafted out of bone laced with metal. Intricate wave patterns were carved along the bow. It looked utterly out of place in these downtrodden slums. Eight men stood on the vessel, with four on either side. In the centre, a ninth was sitting beneath a canvas shelter. It was hard for Sokka to see this mystery man from this distance, but he looked somewhat familiar.
"And would you look at that, the boss has arrived," Kitik commented. He turned back to Taqtu with a murderous glint in his eyes. "I wonder what he's going to do with you…"
"No, please!" Taqtu cried, tears brimming in his eyes. "You can't tell him!"
"I'm afraid the decision is now in his hands. But I will enjoy watching the show."
Suddenly the sound of footsteps sprinting across the snowy waste reached his ears. Sokka turned around just in time for a fist to meet his temple. The blow sent blinding pain through his skull as the hard ice rushed up to meet him. Sokka fumbled for his knife only for a hard boot to stomp down on his arm. A kick to the temple ended what remained of his struggle.
Two pairs of rough hands dragged Sokka across the snow-covered bridge. He could feel warm fluid dripping down his neck.
Through dark spots plaguing his vision, Sokka could see a broad-shouldered man standing impassively at the front of a row of thugs. Up close all details he'd missed could be seen clearly. The expensive yet practical parka that seemed far too thin for anybody to wear comfortably in the northern winter. Braided hair of a Water Tribe warrior. An ornate warclub strapped to his hip.
It was Chief Yutu. All of Sokka's determination gave way to dread. The commander of the Pitkuraks himself was in on Kuivuka's conspiracy.Oh fuck...
"It would seem we have an unexpected visitor," Yutu mused.
The chief spoke softly, but there was an undercurrent of something that made the hairs on the back of Sokka's neck stand on end. It was like walking on a frozen lake. One wrong step and you fall into oblivion.
Kitik pointed an accusing finger at Taqtu. "Idiot! You led him here!"
But Yutu didn't seem to share his underling's anger.
"Patience, Kituk," Yutu stepped forward and forced Sokka to look up at him. The Water Tribe teen gave the chief a hateful stare, but Yutu only chuckled. "Sokka, if I remember correctly. What kind of trouble have you been getting into?"
Blood pounded in his ears. How dare this traitor patronize him! Sokka opened his mouth to speak, but the men holding him gave his arms a sharp twist. He bit down on his tongue to silence his cry of pain.
I won't give them the satisfaction.
Yutu turned to Taqtu. "Now how about you explain how he escaped?"
"He says they had help from powerful benders," Kitik answered for the snivelling man, putting emphasis on his words. "Couldn't even look me in the eyes for it."
"I see. Well in that case…" Yutu gestured to the two men holding Taqtu.
They both drew knives and Taqtu somehow paled even further. His stuttering pleas and apologies were silenced as both men plunged their knives into his chest. A faint gurgling noise was all that escaped his lips as the knives were stabbed into his torso over and over again. Even after the life left his eyes the thugs continued until Taqtu's remains looked more like a meaty pulp.
Yutu made another hand gesture and the body was dumped on the bloodied ground. Sokka had to stop himself from gagging.
"Now that we've gotten that out of the way, have you considered that our friend here has a talented waterbender for a sister?"
Kitik's face pales, making him resemble the recently deceased man. He took a cautious step away from the chief. "Well you see, I don't know anything about this troublemaker and-"
But Yutu simply raised his hand and the words died in Kitik's mouth. He gulped and took another step backwards. The chief gestured towards a group of men waiting nearby.
"No Sokka's accomplices are nearby. Find them."
Each of them drew a club and raced across the bridge, only to cry out in surprise as it melted beneath them. A jet of water erupted from the canal, carrying Suluk to the nearest of Yutu's men. He dragged a large boulder of ice from the ground and flung it into the man's chest, sending him flying off the island.
"No need, I'm already here," Suluk announced himself.
Kitik was the first to react. A spike of ice shot off to Suluk, but it was shattered in a flick of silver. Yue leapt out from behind a crate, her spear glinting in the moonlight as she sliced through another spike. Seeing that his captors were distracted, Sokka twisted around to kick both of them in the guts. They collapsed to the ground with a pained moan.
Sokka drew his sword and swung it at the nearest man, only for it to be batted aside by a club. He turned to see Yutu standing before him, lazily twirling his weapon in little circles. With a nervous gulp, Sokka gripped his sword in two hands and got into a ready position.
In the blink of an eye, Yutu surged forward. Acting quickly, Sokka raised his sword to block but the sheer force behind the blow broke his stance, sending him sliding back along the ice. He thrust forward for Yutu's exposed torso but was forced to leap back to avoid a strike aimed for his skull. The club shot past mere inches from Sokka's nose with all the force of a boulder. He cursed his luck. Yutu had enough reach and power to keep Sokka on the defensive until one of them was too exhausted to fight on, and the chief was showing no signs of slowing down.
The next few swings Sokka managed to evade but Yutu had backed him into a wall of crates. With no option of escape, Sokka was forced to block Yutu's downward strike directly. It tore through Sokka's defence, ripping the sword from his grip. The club continued on, colliding hard against Sokka's temple, sending him crashing to the ground.
Even with the black spots dancing in his vision, Sokka could see Yue finish off another man with a quick stab to the gut then turn and see his collapsed form.
"SOKKA!"
Yutu stepped over Sokka to face the princess. He held his club aloft, the head of it leveled at her torso. But she refused to be intimidated and gripped her spear tighter. Just as she ran forward to stab at the traitor chief, Suluk caught her arm and pulled her away.
"Get back, you can't beat him!" Suluk ordered. He sent jets of water at another two men then turned back to Yue.
She tried to wrestle herself out of his grip. "They have Sokka!"
With what little strength he had left, Sokka shouted to his friends.
"Go! Leave me, I'll be fine!"
Yue gave him one last remorseful look then turned and fled. Suluk propelled them across the canal and out of sight, leaving Sokka alone. The young man gae a rueful smile. At least they wouldn't share his fate.
"After them!" Kitik ordered.
The remaining half a dozen men surged forward, but Yutu raised his hand and they were still.
"Those two are already long gone. Leave them, we have what we need right here," Yutu said. Sokka felt himself being rolled onto his back, forced to stare up at the towering man looking down on him with a sadistic grin.
"You will tell us the identities of your other associates." He ordered.
"Like hell I will!" Sokka managed to say, even with his vision closing in around him.
"Oh you will," Yutu chuckled. He turned to Kitik. "This boy has a sister. She will be leaving Master Pakku's training grounds tomorrow afternoon. I would like you to arrange for her to be… escorted to a secure location. Perhaps our friend here will be more talkative after we show his dear sweet sister our hospitality."
Sokka's blood ran cold. Fiery bitterness gave way to frigid horror and angry tears forced their way out of his eye. His insides felt colder than even the biting touch of ice on his skin.
Not Katara. Anyone but her!
Kitik nodded. "And what about the boy?"
"I think he needs some time to cool off, don't you?" Yutu asked as he picked up Sokka's fallen sword and gave it a few experimental twirls. The other men hastily nodded in agreement.
The feeling of being lifted onto the gondola didn't register in Sokka's mind. At that moment, he doubted anything could.
"Set a course for Kakkaaktuk," Yutu ordered.
He was wrong.