Chapter eighteen Forgotten Love

The pain was unbearable. He couldn't focus, the scars from the fire pricking him like the fire was still there. He felt his skin, dry and crackled. As he touched it his body screamed in pain the slightest touch all too sensitive. He rolled over, his burning in protest, and fell off the bed he was on.

"Easy there," Nazca heard a voice say. He expanded his sight, attempting to focus and blurrily found a man standing near him. He felt a bed next to him and he realized he was inside in some strange room with a bunch of beds.

"Where am I?" Nazca asked, his voice strained and dry.

"I hate to say it," the man said grimacing, "but you're in prison. You showed up right at our front door and when they saw your waterbending they told me to bring you back to health and then they could throw you in a cell."

"How do I look?" Nazca asked, trying to form a smile but it just ended up as a grimace.

"Awful, what happened?"

"I bit off more than I could chew and ended up getting burned."

The man smiled, "Firebenders."

"Yep."

"So I've been trying to nurse you back to health but these burns are extremely severe, it'll take a while and you'll definitely be scarred."

Nazca thought for a moment wondering what to say, trying to determine if he could trust him.

"Can you keep a secret?"

"Depends."

"It's a skill that I have that will help me recover but I don't want the fire nation to force me to work for them."

The man thought for a moment then said, "Only because you're a kid, I keep your secret."

"Good, then can you draw me a bath. And fill it all the way up."

The man looked at him quizzically than brought Nazca over to the bathrooms, supporting him as he walked.

"My name is Shen," he said he then sat Nazca down and grabbed a bucket of steaming water, "The heated water comes from the lake, its heated by the lava of the volcano. Right know were in the crater of the volcano and the water gets so hot here it will actually boil. That where we get our name, the boiling rock," Shen explained then, "So what do you need the bath for."

Nazca hobbled over to the water and sensed it a set it to a comfortable temperature. He shakily climbed in that laid down submerging all but his head, "I can heal," He said with a smile then submerged his body.

He focused his energy, channeling his waterbending to use the power he had once found. He felt the energy flow through him then leave as he released it into the water. The water became soothing and he felt his skin soften, the pain became less intense and he felt the burning subside. He stayed under for a minute healing as much as he could, then broke the surface, filling his lungs with air.

"Whoa," Shen said, "You where like glowing." He then looked at Nazca's body and gasped.

"How do I look now?"

"A hundred times better, how do you feel?"

"A thousand times better," the pain had virtually receded from his body he could focus. He inhaled then expanded his mind, using all four elements to shape the place. What Shen had said was true, he was in a prison on what seemed to be a boiling lake. He was in what appeared to be a hospital wing and he felt the real cells under him, the hospital was on the top floor. The building was shaped to resemble a U. Nazca was at the head and in between there was a place where all the prisoners where located at the moment.

The building was located on an island in the middle of a boiling lake and the outsides of the lack where shaped by the walls of the volcano. The only way to the island beside through the boiling lake and scaling the fifty feet high cliffs surrounding it was the gondola.

"Call the guards," he told Shen, "Have them escort me to my barracks, in the mean time fill me in on what happens here."

Shen called for escorts then began, "It's simple, you live your life in your cell, get your food and sleep there and every once in a while you're allowed into the courtyard for a break."

"So we are let out of the cell."

Shen nodded, looking at him puzzled, "You better not be thinking of breaking out of here," he said, "Nobody has escaped from here, nobody."

As the guards rounded the corner Nazca smiled at Shen, "I'm nobody."

He awoke the next day plotting, dinner had been delivered to him through a slot and it seem rather predictable, the guard seemed to do it lazily, not caring when or if the prisoners ever got their food. The doors where made of metal, easily movable, the tricky part would be scaling the wall unnoticed. He might be able to get through the water b cooling the water around him as he moved but it would be extremely difficult and when he reached the cliffs he wouldn't have enough energy to scale them, if he hijacked the gondola there would be nothing he could do to prevent them from cutting the line. He was thinking of an alternate way off of the rock when the door slid open. Free time he guessed, and walked outside. He was on the second floor and he felt people walk by him towards the stairs. He followed them as they descended into the courtyard. HE walked over to a deserted place and sat down. He expanded his mind sensing who else was here that might help him create a distraction. He felt a large man with a beard walk over to him. He had hunched shoulders, and multiple wrinkles and a deep voice.

"Hey what's your name?" He asked.

"Nazca."

"What are you doing all the way over here by yourself?"

"Thinking," Nazca replied still smiling.

"Your new here aren't ya," The man sighed than sat down in front of him. "No one has ever escaped from here."

Nazca nodded understanding, "Someone will."

The man shook his head, "You seem young to be in a top priority prison, what you do?"

"I threw myself on their doorstep and they arrested me for waterbending."

"So you a waterbender huh," the man nodded thinking, "Say come over with my pals, we protect you here, no one will mess with you."

Nazca thought about it then realized that it would be good to have someone on his side, "Your willing to help me even though I'm a waterbender?"

"It wouldn't matter if you were the avatar, we're all prisoners here," He turned and started walking back to his friends, "My name's Sorn," he said, "Got thrown in here for stealing."

"They through you in here for just stealing?" Nazca asked surprised.

"Stole a couple of royal artifacts as a matter of fact, I even stole a headpiece that was to be worn by the crown prince." he said smiling, "Did it for the now traitor general Iroh, although if you ask me, I think the fire nation is a traitor to the world."

They arrived at the small group made up of five people other than Sorn, "This here is Vahn," he said pointing to a heavily bearded man, "Feln and Zilk," he said as he pointed to the two sitting across from each other, "Quan," He said indicating to a thin and muscular man standing across from him, "and Hevh," he said pointing to a tall bulky man in the corner, "he doesn't talk much and will only hurt you if you piss him off," He said laughing, "Everybody else, this is Nazca, and he'll be joining us until he escapes," He said smiling.

The others laughed and the man named Quan said, "Nobody has ever nor will ever escape from here bud, get that through your head before you do anything stupid."

Nazca shrugged, "I'm nobody."

The other men shook their head then Nazca stopped. He felt her not so far from him, sitting by herself, appearing to be plotting something, Nazca's heart raced as he realized who it was. He began walking to her then turned around and said to the men, "If you would please excuse me I think I know somebody."

"Who?" Sorn asked.

Nazca pointed to her, "That girl sitting over there."

The men shrugged, "See you around then."

Nazca raced over to her his heart pounding in his chest. He covered the remaining feet then stooped trying to catch his breath and slow his heart. The girl looked up at him and asked, "Can I help you?"

Nazca shook his head smiling, "Man, am I glad to hear your voice again, Suki."