Chapter 14: The Search
Long Feng stood on the deck of the Dai Li's vessel as it hung at anchor near the edge of the harbor where Azula's ship had put in. They would pull all the way in and dock in the port town the next morning, by which time the princess would be too distracted by her search to notice their presence until it was too late. For now, though, stealth was key.
A Dai Li agent with a spyglass in one hand hurried over and saluted his leader. "The princess and some of her crew have gone ashore, sir," he said.
"Could you tell who specifically went with her?"
"It looked like two ordinary soldiers dressed as civilians and the girl Ty Lee, sir," the agent said. "I wasn't able to get a closer look."
"You've done well," Long Feng replied. "You're dismissed." The agent hurried off, and the former Grand Secretariat turned to the shadows behind him. "You heard?"
Wei Ming stepped out of the darkness, a knife held loosely in one hand. "How did you know I was there?" she asked.
"I guessed," Long Feng replied. "You are skilled at hiding yourself, but you do have your habits."
She stalked over to the rail and stared out intently towards the town. "I'm going ashore," she said matter-of-factly. "Azula seeks her mother, and I will follow her. I'll report back to you when I have the information you'll need- and then we can move in for the kill." As she finished speaking Wei Ming smiled viciously, her eyes distant. In spite of himself, Long Feng found himself disquieted. He'd done terrible things during his life, of course- things that would have broken a lesser man- but it had all been for a cause: maintaining the stability and culture of Ba Sing Se at any cost. But he'd never taken the kind of pleasure in them that Wei Ming seemed to experience when contemplating her revenge. That level of emotion implied a lack of control he distrusted.
In that one aspect- enjoying the destruction of an enemy beyond all other pleasures- the shadow-girl and the Fire Princess were more alike than Long Feng imagined either would ever care to admit. And also like Azula, Wei Ming would someday prove a liability to the Dai Li- but this time he would make certain that his ally would not have the opportunity be a threat.
"Why do you hate Azula so much?" Long Feng asked calmly, phrasing the question as a casual question but not expected his companion to be fooled.
Wei Ming turned to face him, eyes narrowed. "What does it matter to you?"
"Curiosity. What could she have done to you that you would be willing to tack her across two continents for revenge?" That wasn't the whole truth, of course- as head of the Dai Li, Long Feng had learned quickly that information- getting the most complete picture of the facts yourself while controlling what others were allowed to know- was true power. He knew very little about Wei Ming, and asking her when her revenge was on the mind her defenses were relatively low seemed the most prudent way to learn. Either she would tell the truth or she would lie, and both could prove fruitful.
"Oh, it isn't anything she did, though she's certainly done enough, by all accounts," Wei Ming said softly. "It's more the fact that she exists at all…" her voice trailed off and her eyes lost focus, as if she was reliving some terrible memory. Then her gaze snapped up again and fixed on Long Feng like violet fire. "But don't think this ends with Azula," she hissed. "There are others who have wronged me, and they will all pay in time." Then she turned and wrapped her cloak tightly about herself, merging with the shadows and disappearing. Long Feng would pay a fortune to learn how she did that.
When he was certain she was gone he raised his hand and two Dai Li came up from where they had been hiding. "What are your orders, sir?" the first of them asked.
"Go ashore," Long Feng ordered. "Follow Princess Azula and report her findings to me. If she leaves the town, inform me and I will follow a day or so behind. Do not lose her if you value your honor, your positions, and your lives. Her mother is our gateway back into power."
"What about Wei Ming, sir?" the second agent asked. "I don't mean to question you, but isn't she already doing this?"
Long Feng turned to the agent and scowled. Was the man really that dense? "Wei Ming has allowed bloodlust to affect her reasoning," he said. "I don't trust her not to simply kill Azula- or try to- on sight, and that is something I cannot permit. We'll let her have Azula after the princess has served her purpose, but that is where her own usefulness ends as well."
"If Wei Ming does attempt to kill the princess before we have our information?"
"Then do what you must." Long Feng nodded to them. "Now go." Both Dai Li bowed and hurried towards the shore, removing their bulky outer robes to reveal civilian clothing beneath. Agilely they leapt from the deck to the rocky shoreline and hurried off into the night. Long Feng watched them go, and breathed the night air deeply.
"Soon," he whispered.
/
Azula pushed the door to the seedy tavern open and stepped inside, nose wrinkling slightly at the smell that hit her. This place- this whole region- was highly unpleasant, but she'd never been some helpless fairytale princess who couldn't handle a little work to get what she wanted. She strode boldly into the ramshackle building, Ty Lee and the two soldiers following close behind.
"Azula, why are we here again?" Ty Lee asked, looking at the tavern's various patrons, who seemed to be if anything less pleasant than their surroundings.
"Because this is a gathering place for lowlifes, thugs, and criminals," Azula whispered in reply. "In other words, exactly the kind of people who would have information on any strange occurrences- and be willing to sell that information. A Fire Nation noblewoman passing through a region like this? They'd notice."
"If you say so." Ty Lee sounded unconvinced. Azula ignored her and made her way to the bar, pounding on it to get the barkeep's attention.
"What'ya want?" he demanded in a rough, uncultured voice.
"Information," Azula said. "And I'm willing to pay." She reached into a pocket and withdrew two gold coins, which she slid across the bar, causing the barkeep's eyes to light up.
"Well, now," he said, "What'ya need to know?"
"Have you or anyone you know seen a Fire Nation noblewoman- gold eyes, black hair, a bit taller than me and very beautiful- pass through here in the last few years?" Azula fixed the man with her eyes, letting them bore into his face as if she were trying to read his mind. She smiled slightly as he flinched- it was pleasant to remind herself that even without the resources of royalty, she could still scare people when she needed to.
"No, I haven't," the barkeep said nervously. "But I do know someone who might be able to help you. His name's Chang- he's a mercenary, travels around a lot, and he comes in here most nights. If you wait for a little while, he should be here soon. He usually sits over there." He pointed at an empty table in the corner.
"Very well." Azula turned and walked away from the man, business concluded.
"Maybe you'd be willing to add in another gold piece for my help?" he asked from behind her.
Azula snorted. "Don't push it. You've given me nothing of value so far- I'm not known for my generosity." The princess selected a seat near Chang's table and waited, joined by Ty Lee and the soldiers.
They waited for what felt like half an hour, watching various ruffians and thugs coming and going, before finally the door opened and a weathered, middle-aged man stepped inside, walking up to the bar with an easy confidence in his step that showed that he felt completely comfortable in this rough setting. Ordering his drink, he turned and walked over to the table that the barkeep had indicated as Chang's. Azula got up and walked over to him.
"Are you Chang the mercenary?" she asked.
"Yeah," he said. "You want to hire me, girl? I'll warn you- I don't work cheap."
"I'm not interested in hiring you," Azula said, resting her hands on the table. "But I am willing to pay- for information. I've heard you travel around a lot. I need to know if you've seen a Fire Nation noblewoman around here in the last few years."
"Apart from you, you mean?" Chang said with a slight smirk. "Yeah, I can tell what you are- pale skin, black hair, gold eyes – and the way you're looking at us like we're scum you're about to scrape off your boots, of course. That cloak doesn't hide it if you know what to look for."
"The person I'm looking for is in early middle age, taller than me, and very beautiful," Azula said without missing a beat. She removed a few gold pieces from her pouch and began to idly toy with them. "Give me useful information and these can be yours- and I have more where they came from."
"Well now- let's see here," Chang said to himself. "I can't say I've seen anyone quite like that myself- but I do know someone who has. An old friend of mine- name of Yin Tzu- was doing a job for some warlord about a week to the south of here. Can't remember which one – there's a lot of those types around here. Anyway, about five or six years ago, Yin Tzu and some of his buddies were hired to kidnap a woman and take her to the warlord's castle. I remember him telling me about that, because he told me later that he'd never seen eyes quite like hers before- like liquid gold." He looked at Azula straight on. "Just like yours, in fact."
Azula's gaze bored into Chang's, and though she could tell he was nervous he didn't flinch or look away. "Are you telling the truth?" she asked in a quietly dangerous voice. "Because if you're lying, I will find out about it- and then you will suffer the consequences."
Chang laughed bitterly. "Girl, you offered gold. I don't lie when there's gold involved- it's bad for business. You pay me to do something, I do it." He held out his palm. "Now then, unless there's anything else you want to know, I'll be taking my payment now."
"One more thing," Azula said. "Your friend. Where is he now? He'd better not be dead."
"No, he's still alive. He's retired now, and lives in a village about a day south of here." Chang looked from his palm to Azula and back again. "Now then, I did my part. Money."
"Here." Azula dropped a small handful of coins into the mercenary's waiting hand and left him counting them eagerly as she walked back over to her table. "I have what I need," she said to her companions. "We're leaving."
Ty Lee and the two soldiers quickly got up, the acrobat looking particularly relieved. Together they headed towards the door- only to be blocked by a pair of large and particularly thuggish looking men.
"Out of my way, scum," Azula said. "I have business elsewhere and I'm not interested in delays."
"Come on," one of them said with a broad grin that the princess found reminiscent of a hungry rhino. "Stay awhile. It's not often we get such attractive company around here." He leered at both Azula and Ty Lee.
One of the soldiers stepped forward, but Azula waved him back. "I'll handle this," she said, stepping towards the thug who'd spoken. "I'll tell you one last time," she said in a voice that made the frozen tundra of the North Pole seem warm in comparison, "get out of my way, or you'll regret it."
"I knew I'd regret a lot of things I've done," the man said, "but I did 'em anyway." He reached out a meaty paw towards the princess's arm.
Azula spun away from his grip with a speed that left the man's mouth hanging slightly open. She brought her hands up and struck him hard on the stomach, neck, and head. The man collapsed in a heap, groaning. The other man pulled up his fists and lunged at the princess, only to fall back before what looked like little more than a human-shaped blur delivering quick, precise blows. Then he was down too, paralyzed by Ty Lee's chi-blocking.
"Anyone else interested in messing with us?" Azula asked idly. The other patrons quickly pulled away, and the princess smirked. "All right, then. We'll be going." With that Azula and her companions stepped out into the night streets.
"I'm so glad to be out of there!" Ty Lee said with absolute sincerity as she hurried up to stand at Azula's side. "Did you find out anything?"
"Yes." Azula kept her eyes straight ahead. "We're heading south. There's a village a short distance from here, and a man lives there who may have helped kidnap my mother. He and I are going to have words."
/
Yin Tzu shut the door to his small house behind himself and stepped into his kitchen, pulling the vegetables he'd just bought out of his pack and slipping them into the stew he'd been preparing for most of the afternoon. That done he sighed happily and seated himself by the fire, breathing in the smell and waiting for his meal to be done. The old man had once been one of the most fearsome mercenary warriors in this spirits-forsaken part of the Earth Kingdom, but since he'd retired a few years ago he'd been finding more and more pleasure from simply sitting by his fire and resting.
A knock sounded on his door, snapping Yin Tzu from his reverie. He jumped to his feet, finding old reflexes still there and active, and turned towards the sound. "Who's there?" he demanded angrily. "I don't want to talk, so go away."
"I'm afraid I can't do that," a cold female voice said from the other side. "Open up, and I might be able to offer you some money. If you don't- well, I'd really hate to have to kick your door in." The woman's tone suggested that she'd feel no such thing.
"Fine, fine- you don't have to be so pushy!" Yin Tzu grabbed his sword from where it hung on the wall- couldn't be too careful, after all- and then hurried over and opened the door. The person who'd spoken was younger than he'd expected- not much more than a girl, really- but the look in her golden eyes and the easy confidence of her stance told him that this was not someone to trifle with. Another girl- this one looked rather friendlier- stood behind her, along with two men who dressed like commoners but carried themselves like soldiers.
"I want to ask you some questions about a job you did a few years ago," the girl in front said. Her features seemed familiar, somehow, but Yin Tzu couldn't place them. "Answer to my satisfaction, and I'll give you some gold. Displease me and you'll regret it."
"What do you need to know?" Yin Tzu asked. "I did a lot of jobs over the years."
"This wasn't too long ago," the girl said. "Just a few years ago. I talked to your friend Chang yesterday, and he said that you helped a warlord kidnap a woman with golden eyes. I need his name, and the place he had you take her."
"That would be Jian Chin," Yin Tzu said. "A real nasty piece of work- steer clear of him if you're smart, girl. Not the sharpest sword in the armory, true, but he's a powerful enough earthbender to make up for that. I took the woman to his fortress. It's on a cliff several days to the south- one of the oldest buildings I've ever seen."
"Jian Chin," the girl repeated, seeming to taste the name. Then she fixed Yin Tzu with her gaze, and he found himself trembling slightly in the face of those merciless eyes. "And did Jian Chin tell you the name of the person you were to kidnap?"
"No, he didn't, I swear!" Yin Tzu lied, but those terrible eyes remained fixed on him and he finally gave in. "Yes," he said softly. "He didn't want me to tell anyone. Her name was Ursa, and he said she was the Fire Lord's former wife. That's why he wanted her." Yin Tzu looked at the girl again, seeing the similarities between her and the noblewoman he had abducted- and then, with a cold feeling in his gut, he realized who this visitor was. Even here they'd heard stories about the girl who brought Ba Sing Se to its knees single-handedly- and he'd just admitted to kidnapping her mother. Yin Tzu prepared himself for a quick and painful death.
It didn't come. Azula simply counted out three gold coins and held them out to him. "That is for your help," she said, and then turned to go.
Suddenly she spun around and struck Yin Tzu with a flying kick that sent him stumbling back against the wall, gasping in pain. "And that was for laying hands on royalty." Then the princess did turn and leave the house, followed by her companions, without a backward glance at the stunned mercenary behind them.
/
We get a little more insight into Wei Ming's history this chapter. I deliberately wanted her to have not been (directly) wronged by Azula as the motivation for her vengeful crusade, for reasons that I'll discuss later, but we get a bit more of a hint that her backstory isn't pretty. There's a reason she hates everybody, and the Fire Nation especially, but even Long Feng hasn't guessed it yet.
Azula finds out information on her mother's location rather quickly, and that was also deliberate on my part. I didn't want to waste too much time on her digging through an ultimately-irrelevant investigation, and didn't think she'd need too – most people in this area know of Jian Chin, and though he's not exactly advertising that he's got Ursa, neither is he going out of his way to hide that fact either. Tracking that information to its source wouldn't be that hard for someone of Azula's talents. No, locating Ursa was never the hard part. Getting her away from Jian Chin without getting killed? That will be rather more difficult…
-MasterGhandalf