Blood and Tears
Chapter Two
With each halting step they took away from the prison mining camp, the need to move faster beat at Katara. One dominant thought kept cadence with her heart beat and with every breath she let out through clenched teeth.
Run … Run … Run.
A shudder wound its way up her spine as she thought of Arun and what would happen to them if they were caught.
Run … Run … Run
Zuko stumbled beside her and almost brought them both to their knees. She dug her fingers into his side where her arm wrapped around his waist, tightening her grip. She didn't look at him when a low, barely audible groan escaped his lips or when she felt the warm, wetness she knew to be blood coat her fingers. They didn't have time to stop and dress wounds.
Run … Run … Run
She'd looped the six feet of chain connecting them across their shoulders to keep it from tangling around their feet. The weight if the chain seemed to grow heavier with every step they took, holding them back, slowing them down.
Run … Run … Run
Sharp edge rocks and thorny vegetation bit into the bare soles of her feet. She missed the sturdy warmth of her boots. Glancing down, she noted that she and Zuko were leaving tracks on the dirt trail they followed. No shoes and bloody feet. She had no doubt that it would make things easier for any tracking dogs to find them.
Run … Run … Run
Already she was panting hard, the weight of the chain and the struggle to keeping Zuko upright and moving draining what few reserves of strength she had left. There had been too many days of hard work, meagre meals and restless, haunted sleep. Still she ran, pushing them onward with each faltering step.
Run … Run … Run
Words were gasped into her ear. "Leave me."
The words were spoken so softly that at first Katara wasn't sure she heard them. She only registered what Zuko had said, when he repeated them. This time she stumbled, the words a shock to her already overtaxed system. Putting one foot in front of the other and practically dragging Zuko along with her, Katara let the sudden anger that rose up inside of her loose. "I will not leave you," she hissed between breaths. "First of all, we are chained together still, so leaving you is not an option."
She quickened her pace, the anger fuelling her onward, even as the beat in her head continued.
Run … Run … Run
"And … huff … even … huff … if … huff … I … huff … could … huff … I … wouldn't … huff … leave you."
Katara stumbled again. This time Zuko caught her and brought her to a halt. The sudden stop caused the heavy chain looped over their shoulders to slide to the ground with a ringing clang that caused Katara to wince. The voice inside of her that urged to her to run wailed out its protest. Urgently she pulled at him. "They will be coming soon. We need to get as far away as possible."
"Not like this. Stop. Catch your breath. We need to think, not run like scared rabbits."
Realizing that he was right, Katara fought down the urge to keep moving, the need to run still sounding loudly in her ears, Trying to focus on something else, Katara took a step away from Zuko and for the first time since they'd left the camp, she looked up into Zuko's face, and gasped. The eye with the burn scar was swollen completely shut while a long gash zigzagged across his right temple. Blood had run down the side of his face and down onto his bare chest, leaving streaks of bright red among the dirt and mud that covered him. Where the blood had mixed with the dirt, a black crust had started to form. Zuko's split bottom lip was also swollen. More blood oozed slowly from it, running down his chin and mixing with the blood that was already splattered across his chest.
He wasn't standing completely straight either, but stood slightly hunched over with one of his arms held tightly against his ribs while the other hung limp at his side.
But that wasn't what worried her. Zuko's good eye wasn't focused on her, but somewhere over her left shoulder. The white portion of his eye was shot through with red, as if many of the blood vessels had been broken. The most worrying thing though was the size of his pupil. In the early morning sunlight, his pupil should have been contracted to a pinprick, instead, his pupil was large, almost eclipsing the golden hue of his iris.
"Zuko, your eyes –" she began.
He cut her off, his voice harsh with his own gasps for air. "Tell me where we are."
She stiffened at his curt tone. She answered, but from her own clipped words, there was no mistaking her anger. "I took the main trail out of camp." Seeing the scowl that marked his face at her words, she added in her defence, "I know that makes it easier for them to find us, but it was also the easiest to navigate. You're too heavy for me to carry."
Zuko's head tilt slightly and he scowled, seemingly in thought. "The main trail – the same one they brought us in on?" he asked.
"Yes."
"There was a river and waterfall. Have we passed it yet?"
Katara shook her head, and then realized he wouldn't be able to see her movement. Wondering what he was thinking, she said aloud, "No, it's still up ahead of us."
"We'll head there, then float down river."
He was insane. "The river is off the main trail. Getting there will slow us down."
Zuko snorted in disgust. "We'll never outrun them anyways, not like we are. We need to get to the river. They won't expect that. We should be able to find something – a fallen log, brush, something – that will allow us to float downriver."
Katara was staring at him in disbelief. "Are you crazy? We are weighted down with six feet of chain. We'll both drown before we get down river. Not to mention, you can barely stand on your own, there is no way you can hold on to a floating log."
Zuko fixed sightless eyes on her. "Right now, we don't have a choice." His face seemed to darken and his next words were forced out through clenched teeth. "I'll hold on. If they think I'm just going to roll over and die quietly, they are greatly mistaken."
The words were said with such fury that Katara had no doubts that is Zuko still had his bending abilities that his fists and arms would be wreathed in flames at this moment. It wasn't like they had much choice at this point anyway. "Fine," she conceded, "we will go down river."
Zukon gave her a twisted smile that lacked any warmth and a short bow. "If my lady will lead on . . ." He gestured outward with his hand before wrapping it once again around his ribs.
She didn't think he'd find it amusing to know that he'd gestured back the way they'd come. Katara wisely decided to keep that bit of knowledge to herself.
Arun stretched his arms wide as he ducked through the low opening of the mess tent. He was feeling good. The mine was above quota for the week and he was expecting a bonus from his employers for his efficient handling of the prisoners.
He cracked his knuckles. Life was good. A smile spread across his face as he contemplated his two latest prisoners. Life was very good indeed. The Fire Nation whelp was the perfect distraction. The boy was stubborn and offered much amusement. And while Arun often wondered why the boy had been sold to him by one of his own nation, Arun knew better than to ask questions. The pouch of gold he'd received to take on the boy and Water tribe girl that was with him, was more than enough reason to accept the gift the fates had dropped at his feet.
The girl had made the deal all that sweeter. Perhaps he wouldn't wait until the shift was over to claim her. It'd been awhile since he'd had a woman with as much fire as that one.
Chuckling, he headed for the yard where he'd left the unusual pair. Not seeing them where he'd left them, he wondered if perhaps they'd already gone down into the mines.
"Nazir!" he yelled.
Nazir, his second in command, poked his head out of the supply hut a few seconds later.
"Did you take the Little Dragon and the Water girl down into the mines?"
Nazir spat a stream of Betel nut juice between brown stained teeth. "Not me. I haven't seen the Fire brat," he said, wiping his chin with his thumb.
Arun growled in irritation. Hiders always put work behind schedule. It took time for the guards to look for hiding prisoners. He hated hiders. When he found the two of them, he'd kill the boy this time. He didn't care how much he'd been paid to keep the boy alive. When, and if – and it was a big if – the cloaked and masked person that had sold the pair to him came back as promised, he could always claim a mining accident. Besides, as far as he was concerned, one more dead Fire Nation soldier was never a bad thing.
"Get two of the guards and search the camp. When you find the boy and the girl, bring them to me."
Zuko gave the girl a twisted smile and a short mocking bow, holding in the grunt of pain that wanted to force itself past his lips. "If my lady will lead on," he said, gesturing vaguely off to the side with his good arm.
She took the hint, although he could hear her grumbling, the occasional word coming clear. Most were not complimentary of either him or his parentage. Fortunately, he was entirely too tired to either care or get angry. He was in considerably more pain than he let on. Each gasping breath sent a band of constricting fire across his ribs. His left arm was useless and hung limp; his collarbone definitely broken. His eyes were the most worrisome. He could see nothing out of his scarred eye and the vision in his remaining eye was fading to black around the edges. What sight he had was blurred, the images doubled. Dizziness and nausea rolled through him if he tried to focus on any one thing for too long.
If it weren't for the girl, he'd make his stand and die on his feet like a warrior . . . like a Prince. He'd be damned before he'd die in the dirt of an Earthbender prison mine.
With his good eye half-lidded, he watched the blur of the Water girl as she gathered up the chain that bound them, the heavy links clinking together. The sound reminded him of happier times in the palace, the sound of metal wind chimes ringing through the court gardens. Zuko knew he'd never see those gardens again. The Avatar, his only means of redemption, was dead. Zuko's honour was little more than ashes. There were only two things his remaining honour demanded of him now – return the girl to her people and find the one who'd sold him to the mine. He would accomplish both tasks before he died.
Ignoring the continued mumbling from the girl, he focused on not showing his pain as the chain was once more looped across his shoulders. He would not show his weakness.
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Note:
Please, if you leave a review for this or the second chapter, please leave it on Caeria's. Because she is the one who wrote the first two chapters. Thank you.