Asami watched as Korra crouched and moved to the tent flap. She tried to keep quiet, but even her breath felt like it was too loud. She vividly recalled the last combat Korra had been in. She remembered Korra's dead weight hanging in her arms, with no idea if she'd ever wake up again. Spirits guide us.
She placed a hand on Korra's shoulder. Korra glanced back at her and smiled softly. "Would you stay here if I asked you to?" The words were barely audible.
Asami merely shook her head. Korra carefully took her sword from where it lay by her bedroll and turned her attention back to the campsite. "I'm going to try to draw them away, get everyone else up and armed."
Korra darted out of the tent. Asami waited until she heard the fighting break out before she followed suit. In the fading firelight, she could make out the assailants converging on Korra's location. They wore robes of the order of the Red Lotus. Her blood chilled as she remembered the last Red Lotus attack. Korra can handle herself. Get help. Asami made her way to the other tent. She didn't even have a chance to say anything before Mako ran out, pulling his sword from his scabbard. Bolin followed after him. Asami remained quiet, hoping they would be able to catch the assassins off guard. She crept toward Jinora and Opal's tent, trying to ignore the sounds of battle. Every cry made her want to flinch.
When she got there, the two had already gotten up. "What's going on out there?" Jinora asked as she pulled her robes on.
"We're under attack," said Asami. "Is there anything you can do to help?"
Jinora nodded and grabbed her staff. "I'll see what I can do," she said.
Asami left the two of them to help in the fight. She rounded on the first assassin she found. They struck out at her, but she ducked low and stepped closer to them, sweeping her leg to bring them down. She saw Mako and Bolin fend off their own adversaries. Frantically she searched for Korra. Her heart dropped when she didn't spot her. "Where's Korra?" she called to the boys.
"I don't know, I thought she was with you," said Bolin.
She caught sight of a familiar body lying face down. "Korra!" she gasped. She ran towards Korra only to be blocked by another assassin. This one struck out with daggers and Asami was forced to back away until she could find an opening. She tried to focus on the fight, and not on the fact that Korra could be bleeding out on the ground behind her.
The errant thought cost her, earning her a cut across her shoulder. She hissed in pain and rushed her assailant, punching them in the chest hard enough to knock them down. Her path now clear, she finally made her way to Korra's side. Carefully, she rolled her over. To her great relief, Korra still breathed.
The assassin she had knocked down got back to their feet, taking a staggering step toward them. Asami pulled Korra closer to her. "Stay back," she growled.
The assassin picked up their daggers from where they had fallen. Asami watched and waited, ready to counter any attack that was coming. The assassin raised their arm, poised to charge, but they never did. They froze in place, perfectly still.
"Asami, get her out of here!" She saw Jinora walk over, staff raised. The assassin struggled to look at her, eyes wide behind their mask. "We'll find you later, I promise. Just get Korra to safety."
Asami pulled Korra up in her arms and carried her over to the horses. She managed to coax Naga into laying down and maneuvered Korra onto Naga's saddle. She mounted up behind her, positioning Korra's slumped frame in between her arms as she grabbed the reins. "Go, Naga," she whispered. Naga struggled for a moment, trying to stand under their combined weight. Then, they took off. Asami kept her head low as branches whipped past them. She needed to find the road. She needed to get Korra help. Suddenly, fire ignited in front of them. Naga whinnied and reared back. Asami tried to hold on, but they both slipped from the saddle. With Korra in her arms, she couldn't roll when she hit the ground. Her head jerked as she struck something hard, and then there was only black.
Everything hurt. Korra wanted to open her eyes but something was covering them. She tried to reach up and remove it, but discovered her hands were tied. Memories from the fight came back to her. One of the assassins had landed a lucky blow and knocked her unconscious. Judging by the dry ache in her throat, she had been out for a long time.
"Is anyone there?" She croaked. She strained to make out the sound of movement.
"Korra? You're awake?" Asami. It was a small relief to hear her voice. She was alive, but captured too.
"What happened?" Korra asked.
"You were hurt. The others told me to take you and run, but we were ambushed. I don't think they're with the Red Lotus though. They seem too disorganized. I think they might be civilians. Their clothes look like Earth Kingdom."
Korra was surprised that Asami had picked up as much information as she had. "How long was I out?"
"I'm not sure, they put a blindfold on us after I knocked out the guards the first time."
"First time?"
"Let's just say they had to add extra restraints to me."
Despite their dire circumstances, Korra chuckled. "I don't suppose you can get out of them again, can you?" She heard the shifting of cloth, the clattering of metal.
"Well, their smith doesn't quite know their way around forging proper cuffs," Asami said. "I was going to wait until you were awake. Do you think you can move all right?"
Korra shifted her arms experimentally. Her head pounded, but nausea did not threaten to overwhelm her. "I think I can, if you can get us out of here," she said, then heard more clanging of metal. When it stopped, she asked, "Asami?"
"I'm here." The voice was near, a hand on her shoulder. "Give me a moment. They put you in shackles, too." She felt Asami's hand trail down her arm. She gave a few gentle tugs against her wrists, and the shackles fell away with a clatter.
"How did you do that?" Korra asked. She began massaging the stiffness out of her wrists. She felt Asami's hands on her face and the blindfold fell away.
"With a little flexibility, anything's possible," she said with a smile. When Korra only stared on, she added, "And I hid some wire in my shirt cuff. With the right pressure, you can pry out of nearly anything, but the locks require a more delicate touch."
Korra looked around at the dark cell. She supposed they were in some sort of makeshift jail. The walls were made of smooth grey stone and the door was set into the rock face. The door was a heavy wooden door, with bars covering the small window. Even at full strength she couldn't break it down. There was small window high up on the wall but it was too small for either of them to fit through. She couldn't see any light coming from it. Must be night. "So how are we going to get out of here?" Maybe it used to be a wine cellar?
Asami smiled. "You're asking me? The civilian?"
Korra sighed. "Can I do the apology when we aren't being held captive?"
"Fair point." Asami stroked her chin thoughtfully. "We can't count on them being stupid again."
Korra studied the door. "Too bad you can't pick the lock."
Asami took the metal pin from Korra and turned it over in her hands. She looked over at the door. "There may be another way."
"I'm open to any ideas."
"This looks like some kind of basement, or cellar. Thankfully, it's not a jail cell. You can tell because the door hinges are on the inside." She brushed her fingers over the metal hinges. "I think I can use this." She held up the pin from the shackle. "To leverage the pins out of the hinges. But again, the problem is the sound." Asami frowned. "Even if the metal doesn't creak when I remove the pin, once the hinges are removed, I don't think that I can keep the door from clattering to against the wall, or floor. It's too heavy."
Korra shrugged. "It's all we have." She eyed the door, trying to gage it's weight. Looks like oak, maybe? "I can try to keep the door from falling."
Asami shook her head. "I think it might take both of us to have enough leverage."
Korra started to nod, but stopped when her head protested. "Together then." They moved to the side of the door. Asami jammed the pin from the shackles into the hinge. She wiggled it a little to position it.
"Okay." Asami shifted her grip to the end of the metal pin. The small pin didn't leave a lot of room to grip it. Korra squeezed beside her and placed her hands over Asami's. It wasn't the best grip, but it would have to do. "On three?"
"On three," Korra agreed.
"One, two three." Asami grunted as she pulled down on the metal pin. Korra threw her weight into it, adding her strength to Asami's. For a moment nothing happened, then the pin started to give. Korra gritted her teeth against the sound of metal sliding against metal. Finally it loosened enough for them to pull the metal out the rest of the way. They knelt by the bottom hinge. Asami jammed the pin into place once more. They pushed downward, but the metal wouldn't budge. Korra could make out the sounds of footsteps heading their way.
"Move out of the way." She wanted to be between Asami and whoever was about to come through the door.
"No, I can do this," Asami muttered through gritted teeth.
Korra grabbed Asami's shoulder. "Asami we're out of time."
Asami stood and made a frustrated noise. In one fluid motion she brought her leg up and then down again in an arc striking the pin with the wooden heel of her boot. The hinge pin creaked and gave. Korra jumped out of the way as the door pivoted and swung outward. They darted out into the hall.
"Which way?" Korra asked.
Asami glanced around. "I don't know."
"Well, I guess we start with going the opposite direction of them." Korra nodded toward the hallway where they heard shouting and footsteps. Asami grabbed Korra's hand and they took off running. As they moved through the halls, Korra went over their options. If we get captured again, they'll likely separate us. They might not bother with capture, if we've annoyed them they might decide we're more trouble than we're worth. She was panting hard. Normally this kind of exercise would be fine, but her head still ached, and she wasn't sure the last time she'd had water, or food for that matter. They rounded a corner and nearly collided with a man in Earth Kingdom clothes.
His eyes widened. "Death to the Kingslayer!" He drew his word and rushed at them. Korra dropped into a defensive position. She prepared to take the man on, but Asami rushed forward ducking under his swing and swiftly bringing up her foot. It connected his arm, knocking the sword away. She followed with a sharp shove to his chest. The man tumbled backwards into the wall. One more quick kick across his face left him slumped unconscious on the floor. Korra felt paralyzed. She had never seen Asami move like that. Her eyes burned a rage Korra had never seen before.
Asami turned to her. "Don't just stand there staring, come on!"
Korra forced her legs into motion. The continued through the compound until they finally found a door leading outside. Korra immediately headed for the trees. That was their best chance to lose them.
Asami tugged on Korra's hand. "What about Naga?" Asami hissed.
Korra froze. "What?" She looked back at the building they had come out of.
"I was riding Naga when they captured us," Asami explained.
Korra pulled Asami down into some bushes. "Do you have any idea where they would have taken her?" Korra tried to tell herself that she needed to find Naga to make it easier for them to escape, but honestly she simply couldn't live with herself if anything happened to her.
"I don't think they would have held her inside." Asami squinted at the building.
"Alright lets see if-" Korra stopped talking when she spotted shadowy figures dropping from the trees near the house. These people weren't wearing the same clothing as the Red Lotus from their camp, and didn't seem to be with the people who had captured him. "Spirits, how many people want me dead?" Korra asked. She watched as the one of the figures made their way around the house, reappearing a few moments later, leading Naga. Korra's heart hammered. Two more emerged from the house, sheathing their weapons. The three figures stood by her horse and seemed to converse for a moment. Finally one of them spoke loudly enough for them to hear.
"Knight-Commander Korra, we were sent on behalf of your squire, Kai. In order to let you know that we are friends, he instructed us to tell you that 'He won't be copying any more books for you.'"
Korra glanced at Asami. "Stay here, if it's a trick, I'd rather be captured knowing you can break me out." Asami opened her mouth to protest. "They only mentioned me. You can position yourself to ambush them if they try anything." Korra took her hand. "Please Asami."
Reluctantly Asami nodded. Korra squeezed her hand before standing up and making her way to the people. The one who had spoken stepped forward and pulled down the cloth covering her mouth. "Knight-Commander Korra." She stuck out her hand. "I'm Su Beifong, it's a pleasure.
A/N: Hello everyone! Finals are happening! Things are crazy! Sorry for the delay, but summer is approaching and we will soon be able to resume regularly updating things, hopefully. Thanks all for your feedback and for commenting. We love hearing from the fans. Check out our Tumblr accounts (Sy Itha & Michelle Magly) for more hijinks & regular updates on other things.