Chapter 5 – Tracking Leads

The old shaman descended a worn stone staircase to an ancient lava chamber beneath the formerly abandoned monastery that served as the headquarters for her cult. She approached a doorway at base of the stairs that was decorated with a bronze relief dragon sculpture. Closing her eyes and directing her chi, she breathed a green flame into the mouth of the bronze dragon, and the door slid open. The chamber beyond contained a shallow, hot spring fed mineral pool. A small, green flame, burning without source, occupied and alcove beyond the pool, casting the chamber in an eerie, otherworldly hue. The shaman kneeled before the flame and waited. The flame began to pulsate and and a low voice reverberated off the smooth obsidian walls of the chamber, "What news do you bring me, Child?"

The shaman looked up at the flame and answered, "Most happy news, Great and Wise One! As instructed, we have successfully brought the daughter of R'Kyu's line here and she will soon give birth to a child of Roku's line. Very soon you will have the proper vessel to walk free of this prison."

…...

Sokka walked down the long hallway the Firelord's throne room, and was surprised to see the doors closed and guarded by two masked imperial firebenders. As he approached, one of the guards addressed him, "The Firelord is in closed session with his ministers, Ambassador. No admittance unless you have news of the Fire Lady's whereabouts."

Sokka put on his most charming, diplomatic smile and said, "No problem, I was just..."

He was brought up short when the doors flew open and a flame shot over his head with a shout of "Get out!" from the young Firelord.

Sokka watched incredulously as the ministers rushed out of the room, the last one with a distinct singe on the hem of his robe. 'Just great,' Sokka thought. 'Zuko's in full Angry Jerk mode. Can't say as I blame him.' Confidently, he strode past the guards into the throne room, but was taken aback to see that Zuko was obscured by the (typically unused since Ozai's fall) wall of flame surrounding his throne.

"Zuko," Sokka called out, "you OK buddy?"

The flames reached the ceiling, then quickly extinguished, revealing a very worn and worried looking Firelord.

"How the hell do you think I am, Sokka?" Zuko answered. "My wife and unborn child have been missing for three days, and even with all the resources of the Fire Nation at my disposal, I'm powerless to find them. And my own sister may or may not be behind it all..."

"I know you don't really believe that," Sokka countered. "She's doing everything she can to find Mai, and she has uncovered the only significant lead we have."

Zuko sighed, "I know. It's just really hard to fully trust her. But you didn't come here to talk about Azula."

Sokka smiled, "I didn't. First I want you to know that I have the White Lotus fully engaged in this search as well."

Zuko brightened a bit, "I knew you would. Have you gotten anything from any of your agents?"

"Yes. I'm heading up out to North Chung-Ling to see an old friend and check it out myself. The word is that preacher you banished was spotted there two days ago," Sokka explained.

Zuko nodded, "Then go, and take Azula with you. She can requisition an airship to take you there."

Sokka shook his head. "No need for an airship. Too conspicuous anyway. My skiff is faster."

"Agreed," Zuko said. "But take Azula anyway. She'll be useful if you have to interrogate anyone. Just don't let her kill that preacher if you find him."

…...

"So please explain to me again why I am headed out to an outer island with you on this scow instead of coordinating the military search for my sister-in-law?" Azula groused.

"First, Moon Spirit is no scow, she's an authentic Water Tribe skiff hand crafted by the best shipwrights in the world augmented with an advanced steam engine built by the Mechanist himself," explained Sokka. "She's twice as fast as one of your Imperial class battleships and half again as fast as an airship. The only thing faster is a sky-bison. Second, as Zuko and I both have already explained, you are coming along because there's a good chance we'll need your unmatched interrogation skills, and Admiral Joon is more than capable of coordinating the military end. Besides, if the blockade was going to turn up anything, it would have by now. This lead is our best bet at finding Mai."

"You're a terrible liar," Azula scoffed. "I'm here because Zuko still doesn't trust me."

"Maybe," Sokka conceded. "But can you think of a better way to earn his trust than finding Mai and bringing her home unhurt?"

"No, I really can't," the princess agreed. Changing the subject, she asked, "You call your sword 'Moon Blade', you call this boat Moon Spirit, do you think you will ever name something after someone else you love?"

Sokka smiled, and locked the wheel. He pulled some blueprints out of his pack and unrolled them on the deck. "This is a new airship design I've been working on with the Mechanist. I call her Blue Dragon."

…...

Azula came up from the cabin as Sokka steered Moon Spirit into a secluded cove on the opposite side of the island from North Chung-Ling city. She was dressed in a style favored by women in this part of the Fire Nation: a skirt over loose leggings that reached just below her knee with a midriff revealing top that strapped over her left shoulder, her long black hair hanging loosely about her shoulders. Sokka remembered Katara wearing a similar outfit when they were hiding out here all those years ago.

"Why must I wear peasant's clothes? My General's uniform is much more intimidating," she groused.

"Because we're here incognito," Sokka explained as he fashioned his wolf-tail into a Fire Nation top-knot. "If that preacher is still on this island, he won't be for long if he finds out you're here."

They disembarked from Moon Spirit and Sokka let out a bird call into the jungle. A few seconds later, Piandao emerged from the bush leading two komodo-rhinos. The sword-master smiled, "Good to see you again, Grand Lotus, Princess."

Sokka shook the older man's hand. "Good to see you as well, Master. How solid is this lead?"

"Well, you're here to see that for yourself. I consider the source trustworthy. You'll find him in a tavern off the town square, near where the fire fountain once stood," stated Piandao.

"Are you coming with us, Swordsman?" Azula asked.

"Regrettably, no, Your Highness. I have other business related to the search for the Fire Lady," Piandao explained.

"How will I know who your source is?" Sokka asked.

"You'll recognize him when you see him," the sword-master smiled cryptically, as he handed the beasts' reins to Sokka and Azula. He then turned and disappeared back into the bush.

"He has spent entirely too much time with your uncle," Sokka remarked.

Quirking her eyebrow, Azula simply said, "Indeed."

They mounted the beasts and rode into town. The place had changed little since the end of the war. Numerous factories still pumped acrid smoke into the sky. Small time con-men still gathered in alley-ways duping marks with rigged games. One significant difference was Ozai's fire belching statue no longer dominated the town square. The edifice had been removed, leaving only a platform with exposed gas pipes as a reminder of what once stood there.

The pair found the tavern, dismounted and secured their beasts, and went inside. Katara during a full moon couldn't have blood-bent the grin off of Sokka's face when he recognized the big, gray eyed firebender tending the bar. "Chit Sang, how the hell are you?"