Disclaimer: We do not own anything except the original plot lines... now, I must go do battle with my penguin...
Authors Note: Ello people! Alright no doubt by now you have realized that this is a Mai chapter... for those of you who want more consecutive Sokka or Mai chapters I'm afraid that this business of me and Richard taking turns with chapters is the only thing holding our weekly updates together.. there will be a time in the near future that Richards story line will have progressed father then mine.. and in that event we may be forced to roll back to a bi-weekly update... not that I don't love this story.. just with life piling up I need 7-10 days to write my chapters... and thats not counting the time it takes Richard to Beta. I'm not trying to worry you, this story will live on... it just might slow down here and there and I'm warning you now.
And for those of you who loved Sokka's little ... incident last chapter... there is lots more coming... some very soon!
-Till next time
-the Two Handsome Hosts
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Remember to check out the forum!
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-Curtain Up!
Sokka: Master of the Black Sword
By: Richard Caine
Creative Consultant: Jade Knight
-Resistance Saga-
Chapter 9
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The Story of Mai
Part 3: Saturnine
-
Our wonderful vacation to the beaches had illustrated something to me very clearly. The hidden stresses on Zuko and me were growing stronger. Our little spat had hurt a great deal, and though I guess we made up for it, the gap between us kept widening. I knew that there was some decision that was driving Zuko crazy. From my revelation, I knew that betraying his uncle had cost him dearly. I also knew now that due to the fact that he was a genuinely good human being, he was probably going to do something… stupid. I actually wished I had enough of his confidence that he would trust me. Some analytic part of my soul knew that there was really only one way to deal with this, and that was with the truth.
Of course, that was out of the question, for both of us. I knew that Azula was effectively using me to ensure Zuko's good behavior. It hadn't bothered me that much before, but it was starting to get on my nerves.
Still, it was strange, because as far away as I felt from him, I also felt a deeper sense of connection. We were a stable thing in each others lives now. I'd never noticed it happening, but there it was. When he challenged me to feel, he had no idea how much feeling for me meant the kind of pain that was starting to drive him crazy. Somehow, though, I wanted to feel more now than I ever had before. I'd begun to discover a Gel-Hassad truism; the more you express, the less the pain bothers you. So there I was, paradox girl. There was the distance and the closeness all wrapped up together. It was strange, it was awkward, and it was wonderful. I'd honestly never felt so worried and so happy at once in my life. Even with the weight of the revelation from a week before on my shoulders, the distance seemed to lessen the hurt and the terror I'd felt that night. Perhaps I was deluding myself, but I hardly cared now.
On top of my admittedly teenage relationship nonsense, I was also frustrated by the attempt on my brother's life. Every evening I followed up on the matter, but I was getting nowhere with it. It was as if the place that my captive had mentioned didn't exist. Oh, the tavern itself was real enough; but the back room he'd described was either extremely well hidden or nonexistent.
Weeks of effort had been wasted trying to apprehend any of the men described by the assassin. My father's elite guard answered only to him, and through him to his current heir's regent; me. They had been extremely cooperative. There were also other contacts, which I'd been loath to approach. However, this was becoming ludicrous. That meant I would have to rely upon another kind of connection; the family kind.
I checked my outfit for the fourth time. It was hardly something I'd wear under normal circumstances, but I wanted to go unnoticed in a part of town that someone as publicly visible as a governor's daughter wouldn't be caught dead going into. The kimono had much fewer under layers than I was used to, and frankly not having my chest bound securely was a decided pain in the neck. I secured the front bow and arranged finished arranging the loops of my hair and put on my best false smile behind a fan.
Yup; sadly enough I made a very convincing prostitute.
I opened the door to the merchant quarter safe house and walked onto the busy streets. No one could ever mistake the beautiful if aloof looking 'lady of the night' with the prudish governor's daughter of the upper levels. I wound my way through the crowds, playfully swatting aside most of the passes that were made towards me as I wandered in a seemingly aimless way towards my actual target, the Painted Lilly.
The doorman gave me a look as I sauntered up and giggled at him. God I hated this part. He was an ugly brute of a man, tall and covered in greasy unwashed muscle; the perfect man for the job.
"The club's closed for the evening," he said. He leered at me a little, taking in what skin I exposed. "And I'm not interested in what you're selling."
I giggled and leaned forward cocking my head to the side. "If you don't let me in I'll tell Jai Roh that you wouldn't let me past. If you're lucky he'll just dock your pay. Unlucky and you'll never have the urge to look at a girl again."
I put my hand against the side of my face and kept my seductive pose. When he saw the black ring on my finger his eyes widened. "My apologies, I had no idea."
He stepped back and opened the door. I sashayed in and felt the heavy thrum of instruments and the scents of opium, sweat, and sex. It was a uniquely unpleasant smell. Still, I'd been here before, and I carefully picked my way over the bodies sprawled on cushions all around me. Most were calmly smoking their pipes or eating Fire Lotus. A few had abandoned their pipes for more amorous behavior. I shut it out of my perception as I pulled aside the beaded curtain on the far wall. It slid aside to reveal a mountain of a man sitting on a cushion. He wore his hair up in the typical fire nation fashion, and he wore an open coat and loose Earth Kingdom breeches. He was surrounded by a group of at least six other people. Two of these were obviously supposed to be floozies. They were barely dressed and the basked at his feet like captured slaves. I knew better of course; I'd trained both of them how to be assassins. The other four I didn't know. I blinked my eyes quickly, both eyelids and his body language changed instantly. All pretense of expression dropped from everyone in the room and I nodded to him. He returned it; good everyone here was clear.
"Yegoth still stands in her people's hearts," I intoned the greeting of the Gel-Hassad.
"Indeed it does," replied the man. This opium den was one of the places that The People used to congregate in the city. My distant cousins operated this particular 'establishment'. It would probably be court scandal for most to learn that relatives of the Jin Xiao family operated the largest drug and prostitution ring in the Capital. Of course, at least we weren't out there committing the hideous war crimes of some families. There was a certain amount of decency and respect in our 'bath houses' that the Zhao family's internment and 'entertainment' camps lacked. Like payment for services rendered or consent of all participants.
And they called us monsters. It almost brought a smirk to my lips; hypocrites.
"We are honored, but surprised, to see you've journeyed to see us," continued my cousin. "Your mother was most insistent that we not… jeopardize her position. The Elders thought it too important to the cause."
"It is, cousin Bei Fong," I said. "However, an incident occurred which has caused us to question the relative safety of our position."
I gave a pointed look around the room. Jai Roh Bei Fong made a circular gesture with his hands. Two men and one woman gave a blink of their inner sclera, revealing their Gel Hassad heritage, and they took up an assembly of instruments and began to play. They were actually quite good. Just loud enough to make a whispered conversation unheard, but quiet enough that it didn't disturb the dynamic of the opium house. My assessment of Cousin Jai Roh's agents had risen.
I began without anymore preamble, passing him a scroll with all of the information I'd acquired so far in my search. "Twenty days ago there was an attempt on my life and that of my baby brother Tom-Tom. A professional assassin team; eight of them, came into my home and assaulted us. I was lucky enough to be home at the time, and they won't trouble anyone anymore, but I have not been able to track the source of the problem and it is something I cannot simply allow to fester. Anyone who strikes at The People deserves our talons through their guts."
Jai Roh looked both shocked and insulted by what I'd said, his Gel-Hassad impassiveness giving way to an expression of anger. He must have been quite pissed to endure the agony that his unique facial expression would cause. "They broke the sanctity of your home?"
"Yes," I replied. I leaned forward and uncovered my eyes, sighing. "In addition, it was not merely a kill strike. It was retrieval. They had orders to bring in my brother alive and my corpse for study if possible. Someone, or something, wants to unmask us. Unacceptable; this is the heart of the problem. I need to find their bankrollers. You have control of The People's assets in the Capital. Set them on our enemy. Anyone who would dissect one of our children has to die; in a very painful way."
By this time, cousin was worked into a proper fury. When he straightened up, I was surprised by both his height and his physical condition. He looked as though he could throw a tank. Maybe even could in his true form. "As you will my lady, I will set my best agents on this case. The resources of The People are at your disposal for this task."
I stood and gave him a forward bow. When I straightened, I relaxed my face slightly. "Just find them Jai Roh. I'm tired of hunting them. I'll take care of the rest."
Jai Roh's poise was feral and alert. "Don't worry cousin. We will."
-
When I arrived back at my house, I quickly took to my own chambers. I hoped Jai Roh would be able to figure out what had eluded me. After that chat, he'd probably mobilized the many agents of the People in the Capital. I'd taken the time to change and try to clean off the worst of the scents from the den at the safe house, so I was running a little later than I would have liked. I was supposed to meet Zuko in a few hours for a late lunch. I unsealed the locks on my door and opened it, my thoughts wandering to my potential outfits.
"Hello old friend," Azula said. My head snapped around to see the Princess sitting on a chair next to the door. How the hell had she done that?
"Hey," I said, deciding to play the friend card. "Nice trick."
"Thanks," she said with her vicious smirk. "I have some news for you."
I nodded for her to continue.
"Father has found, to his irritation, that Ba Sing Se has become restful since we left. Apparently I was a better governor than the fool they have in place now. It's on the verge of a full blown rebellion. Even with the Dai Li and a full division deployed to the city, it's too massive to control that easily. At least, too easy to control in such an indulgently humane fashion as the current governor seems to want to do. This isn't one of our tame cities from 100 years ago who remember nothing but our rule."
I inhaled and rocked back on my feet. "So what's your dad want to do about it?"
"Suppression," Azula said, as if she were discussing flower arranging. "We're to go in with another division and crush the rebellion in as spectacular a manner as possible. We will be deploying six of the new heavy airships to get there as quickly as possible. Father doesn't want anyone to be able to take advantage of the eclipse to do some serious revolting. If any of those fools figured it out, and we know that at the very least the Avatar's companions knew, then we could be in for trouble. I want to bring you and Ty Lee as well."
"Alright," I said. "But why bring us? You'll have a full division."
"Shock and awe," she replied airily. She crossed her legs and leaned back in the chair. "Ty Lee is a perfect mix of disarming and dangerous. As for you, I don't know anyone who can cause fear as effectively as you can, other than me of course."
A psychopath had just complimented my intimidation skills. I felt slightly impressed and sick to my stomach at the same time. Mostly I was sick.
"What are you going to need us to do?" I asked quietly.
"Some extremely showy victories will be the perfect thing," she said. Her golden eyes gave off a feral glint. "Between that and a few well placed massacres, this should be a simple task."
"Is Zuko coming too?" I asked. She nodded.
"Daddy wants to test little ZuZu. I think he wishes to know if his son has acquired the appropriate virtues of a fire nation prince."
"Huh," I managed. It was times like this that I was glad for my facial inflexibility. "I think that you should leave Ty Lee and Zuko out of the population suppression."
"Really," she said in her usual drawl, but her eyes were alight with a dark curiosity. "Now why should I do that? We do make a good team you know."
She was baiting me. I felt as ancient as the Old Ones in that moment. "Because it would break them; break them past the point of usefulness to you. And I know they're too useful to you at the moment for you to just throw them away. You just got back into your brother's good graces; make him kill civilians just to prove a point and you could lose that. I don't even think we need to speak about Ty Lee. Force her to kill innocent people and she would snap like a twig, no matter how deluded she is."
"I never thought I'd see the day," Azula mused, looking at me with a piercing gaze. I met her eyes without blinking. "Mai is caring about someone other than herself for a change. Very well, your arguments have weight. I'd rather not have my brother get an unfortunate case of stupidly moralistic behavior, and though I think you're underestimating Ty Lee, you do have a point. Her eccentricities make her unpredictable in a situation like this. You do know who this leaves the burden with, don't you Mai?"
"I do," I whispered.
"Good," she said. She gave me a winsome smile. "It was a pleasure as always. Give my regards to ZuZu. I haven't seen him much lately. He seems to be avoiding me for some reason. I can't imagine why. Oh, and you reek of opium and sex. Might want to talk to ZuZu about that… he might wonder where you've been."
She sashayed out of my room without even a glance back. I had to admit, she was a pompous bitch, but at least she had style. I sighed and fell forward onto my bed with an undignified flop. I wanted to scream into my pillow. It wasn't because of what she might have implied, or how she could have scented something I could barely detect with enhanced senses. She was just that good. It was the fact that every time I felt like I was getting my feet under me she kicked them out again.
This, I reflected, was why I stayed out of major league politics. You never knew when a psychotic tyrant would stop by and casually ask you to murder a few hundred people to make a point. I couldn't let Ty Lee or Zuko do this, or even learn who had done it. They would be shocked and angry about it, I was sure, but at least they wouldn't have to see the blood. It was times like this when I asked myself what I had become; and what I was willing to do to stay alive. The worst part was, I really didn't have an answer to either question.
-
"They made you take the sedan chair again didn't they?" I asked. Zuko turned his amused expression to me and shook his head. We were reclined on the couch, and I snuggled into his chest. His body had a wonderful kind of heat that I found hard to describe. When you've spent most of your life alone the way I had, contact with another person was like a guilty pleasure. Just snuggling was more important to me than I'd ever wanted to admit. I think it was to him too.
"I spent so long walking everywhere by myself that it just seems… stupid I guess," he said and sighed. "But it is fun to order them around every once in a while."
I said nothing but I curled up against his chest and ran my gloved hand down his flank. He kissed my forehead and sighed. "I can't believe he's sending us out again. I thought my sister had Ba Sing Se in an iron grip."
"I think they were in shock," I said. "But shock doesn't last forever, and Ba Sing Se is the biggest city on the planet. To think that they couldn't or wouldn't fight back is stupid. The Fire Lord knew that; and I think Azula did too."
"I wonder why she left then," he mused. I shrugged into his shoulder.
"She was there to capture the Avatar and bring you and Iroh in," I said. His spine stiffened and I immediately realized that my bluntness was a mistake. "Sorry, but it was what she got us for; with the Avatar dead, I guess, and Iroh in prison and you back home I think it's everything she set out to do. Maybe better in fact. Ba Sing Se was just a stepping stone."
"God," he whispered into my hair. I felt a great sense of desolation in his voice. "She's just that good isn't she? I used to hate her for it, you know? She was always better than me, always stronger, a prodigy. She's smarter, craftier, and more ruthless than I'll ever be. What do I have that she doesn't?"
"I don't love her," I said quietly. My own eyes widened at my speech. I nearly hit myself in the head. Zuko looked down at me with shock and a little fear. I could feel the stress of the moment causing the tips of my fingers to elongate their talons. Looking up into his eyes I saw a lot of different expressions flash across his face. I prayed to the Old Ones that he wouldn't notice my slip, but it didn't seem like he did. Indeed after his moment of shock he actually pulled me closer, and I buried my head in his shoulder.
I waited for a shout of outrage or some other outburst, but Zuko said nothing. He just held me close in the tense quiet.
"You don't have to say anything," I managed to croak. I didn't want him to lie to me… but some part of me really wouldn't have minded if he did. The instant that I said that, his grip tightened.
"That makes three," he whispered. I managed to move my head to look at him. He looked down at me with a blank expression. "You're one of only three people who ever said they loved me."
He looked away and his scarred face seemed heavy with emotion. "The only others either died for me or I betrayed."
I blinked my eyes. "Who were they?"
"Mother and Iroh," he said briefly. I'd found that I could get under his guard, but only for an instant and only if I didn't push. He reached down with one calloused hand and tilted my face up until we were level with one another. "That means more to me than I can say."
Our kiss was wet, tears trailing from both of our eyes as stress leeched from our bodies. But there was also a fierce hunger there that lit up a fire through my entire body. He broke the kiss and looked down at me.
"I love you too," he said, so quietly I almost couldn't hear it.
After that we didn't do a whole lot of talking.
-
"We have news mistress," Jai Roh bowed before me. I waved my hand and he stood tall and nodded. "This society that you have been seeking is embedded throughout the capital. Our agents have mapped much of its makeup. However, we have found no man exactly matching the description you stated."
"Interesting," I said. I turned to the fountain next to me and allowed my fingers to elongate into talons and played them through the water. "What is this organization's ostensible goal?"
"To change the Fire Nation from the inside, mistress," the Gel-Hassad agent said. "They desire a turn to the days before Sozin's comet. They preserve the old ways of the Fire Nation in hopes that the world will turn once again to sanity."
"Let us pray for our sakes that it does not," I said. Both of us knew the truth; the more distracted the elemental benders were, the less likely they would be able to detect our comings and goings, and the less likely they were to be able to stop us. "Why the interest in my family then?"
"That I cannot say," the agent replied. "We do not have any reason to suspect that the White Lotus even knows that we exist."
"Where can I find an agent of the Lotus?" I asked. Jai Roh smiled grimly.
"It is said that one of their grandmasters was taken prisoner as of late; by your companions no less."
"Iroh," I said quietly. The agent nodded.
"We agree with that assessment," he replied. "He is the highest ranking member we know of; and he cannot escape from you in a prison."
"Then I think it's time to pay Zuko's uncle a visit," I said, feeling tired. "Very well then; give my compliments to your men. They have done a commendable job in a short time frame. Your assistance won't be forgotten."
"As you say Mistress," the agent said and gave a deep bow.
After dismissing cousin Bei Fong, I returned to my chambers and suited up for a little bit of a nighttime stroll. My insertion suit wasn't much like my normal clothes at all. It was made of soft and dull black leather and it was tight enough to not catch on anything, but loose enough to move in freely. The back had two vertical slits in it, so that I could deploy my stabilizers without damaging the suit.
I strapped on a belt that contained some of my knives and strapped my heavy shuriken to my right hip. Hopefully I wouldn't need any of this. I also secured a pouch at my back that contained appropriate lock picking equipment and a few extra surprises in case I was made. I grabbed my larger supply pack and heavier tools, strapping them securely to my back. To complete the ensemble I pulled my hood up and wrapped a scarf around my lower face and tucked the ends into my hood. The only things anyone could see now were the bridge of my nose and my eyes.
I decided to cheat a little bit, slipping into my other form as I moved out onto the roof. The way that the Capital was constructed, it was crowded enough that a person with above average jumping ability could get through most of the city solely on the rooftops. In my natural form, I was more than strong enough to handle that.
I stopped short of the prison, spending a few minutes analyzing the structure. The approach to the tower was well lit and well guarded. The jailors had anticipated just about any kind of human approach to the tower. However, as I crept up the side of the caldera and looked down at the tower, I knew there was one thing they hadn't considered in its construction; the principal of flight.
I pulled out a staff, inspired by the work of the air nomads. I tapped the ends of the staff and a pair of flexible wings extended from the midsection. I was not an airbender, and as such the wings were much bigger than a nomad's glider, but the principal was the same, with a little twist of Gel-Hassad science. A storm spirit was bound within the spine of the glider, the runes carved into the ironwood glowing as I spoke the invocation prayer. It couldn't allow flight, exactly, but it did make the user a lot lighter. I probably weighed close to 175 pounds; I'm an athletic six foot tall girl with an exoskeleton, but with the glider I might have weighed twenty at most. I strapped on the contraption and looked down at the spire below me. What I was doing was risky, but Jai Roh agreed with me. If we could get something out of the old man, then maybe we'd have a better lead to follow. I closed my eyes and waited for the wind to blow in from the sea. It always did this time of night. When the wind current picked up I held the glider out and hung on for dear life as I was swept up and away from my hiding spot. I circled in the updraft until I was high enough to swoop in to the top of the tower.
I spotted a pair of guards standing on the courtyard rooftop of the prison spire. I pulled the first item out of my pouch as I examined my landing spot with a critical eye. I'd need to keep them off of me, and I'd always found that fire did the trick. As I passed overhead, I dropped the little cloth bag on a torch. It had the desired effect immediately, flaring into an all out blaze. The bag was instantly consumed leaving no evidence but a quickly spreading fire on the roof. The two guards predictably ran underneath me, and I swooped low towards the trapdoor into the prison, folding my glider as I landed. The sudden return of my weight caused me to shuffle a bit, and I nearly fell over, but I managed to make it across the rooftop without any more trouble. I swung open the roof hatch and threw myself down the stairs as fast and quietly as possible.
The interior of the prison was dimly lit. I once again allowed my body to change and I climbed up the wall onto the high ceiling. The gripping pads on my hands and the balls of my feet allowed me to hang just like a spider sloth, just waiting for someone to pass underneath.
I scurried along the ceiling. It turned out to be a good idea; I must have dodged at least three patrols before I made it to Iroh's cell. It was strange; there wasn't even extra guards posted here. The cell itself was a simple affair; an open doorway and then a decently sized room split in half by iron bars. It was far too simple to hold the Dragon of the West. He might well be the most dangerous person I knew other than Azula. This cell couldn't hold him unless he wanted to be held; interesting.
It was even more interesting when I poked my head silently around the archway to get a better look at him. He was doing situps while hanging upside down from his cell's skylight by his feet. His shirt was off, and I had never seen a man look so incredibly strong. Not even Jai Roh was that muscled. He looked like some sort of idealized sculpture of Agni as the Ancient Flame.
He instantly stopped, dangling from his feet. He couldn't have possibly heard me, and there was hardly any light to see by. I had to use my Gel Hassad eyes to see four feet in front of my face.
"Pardon me for being so rude," Iroh said. "But you are blocking my air."
I nearly cursed; of course. Deciding to go with an Azula style plan I went for shock and awe. I moved as fast as I could, moving across the ceiling faster than most could run, and dropping down to the ground silently. I hunched over and extended my stabilizers to make it much harder for him to judge my height.
"General," I rasped. "I see you've been using your vacation well."
He showed a remarkable lack of surprise for someone confronted with a storybook monster. Oh, his eyes widened and he allowed himself to fall, but he landed with a cat's grace and there was no panicking or yelling, nor the mindless fear I'd received whenever I'd used this for before.
"I am afraid you have me at a disadvantage," he said. "You must have gone out of your way to see me, but I do not know your name. Would you enlighten an old man?"
"No," I said. I rotated my neck until I was looking at him like an owl, head bent at ninety degrees to my spine. That one always freaked them out.
"I did not know your people had such flexibility," Iroh said in his usual cheerful voice, but his tone was hushed and his eyes sharp as a blade. "What does an agent of the Crypt Gods wish with a simple prisoner of the Fire Lord?"
I had to give him points for his cool. He must have seen some pretty strange shit in his life to not be freaked out by a human with an exoskeleton. I had heard the term Crypt Gods before to refer to the dead Old Ones; but it was a damn archaic term. Probably only the oldest of the Royal Library's scrolls would even mention us in a legendary capacity. I suppose it was fair, since modern human tongues didn't really have a good word for us.
"Hardly," I hissed. "I'm here for information grandmaster. I need to know about the attempted murder of a child. My employers have not limited my use of force."
This got Iroh's attention. I don't know if it was the offhanded mention that he was a grandmaster or the infanticide, but suddenly he changed from a kindly (if ripped) old man into The Dragon of the West. I was very happy that there were bars between us. It would give the two or three seconds I needed to get the hell out of there if I had to.
"Explain yourself," he said in a level voice, just above a whisper.
I threw a white lotus tile at his feet. "Twenty two days ago, my employer was assaulted by a strike team of eight people within the confines of their house. The assassins, when under the knife, confessed that their orders were to retrieve the youngest of the family for dissection, and to bring in the corpse of the eldest child if possible. They also revealed that their employer was overly fond of Pai Sho and had a particular fondness for white lotus tiles."
I called on all my intimidation skills to flare up my ridges and stabilizers, standing nearly seven feet tall from stabilizer to foot. "I want to know why the White Lotus society put out a hit on the Jin Xiao family. And why they didn't know enough to send a hell of a lot more force. What are your people playing at General?"
Iroh looked stunned and he sat back against the wall. "I do not understand. That doesn't make sense."
He gave me a sharp look and then shrugged his smock back over his shoulders. "Let me tell you why. I cannot tell you much of the organization, but I can tell you two things. One, we do not put out contracts on the lives of children. Two, I can honestly tell you that I have never met another who knows that your kind exist. Mai."
"You really are as good as Zuko says you are," I replied. I knew that there was a significant risk of his figuring out who I was. It was a calculated gamble, and I prayed to the Old Ones Zuko was right about the old man. "Okay, General, time for a little bit of honest trust."
I un-wrapped the scarf around my face and pulled my hood back, staring at him. He met my alien eyes without flinching. In fact he looked more in awe than anything else.
"So it is you," he said. I could tell his eyes held a thousand questions, but he knew better than to ask.
"Yes," I said. I narrowed my eyes. "I want you to spread the word to your men and the Society. The Jin Xiao family is off limits. If anyone tries to kill me or my brother, and I find out it was your society, I will have my agents go on a rampage that will double the murder count in the Capital until they've destroyed your entire infrastructure. Is that clear enough to you?"
"Yes," he said after a moment. "But I fear you may be overestimating my capacity. I am still a prisoner here."
"Because you choose to be," I spat back. "These walls couldn't hold me, couldn't hold Zuko, and as sure as the Void is cold, it couldn't hold you."
It was his turn to grin a little. "I see you are as good as Azula thought you to be. My niece is a demon, but a good judge of capability. You know, we now both have damning information about the other. Information that is too dangerous to let anyone else know about."
"True grandmaster," I said. "Very true. Mutual suicide would occur were it to be revealed."
"Then why take such a terrible risk?" he asked. I rocked back and unfocused my eyes. I don't know what I looked like, but Iroh looked taken aback.
"Because I had to know," I whispered. "I had to know if one of the only other people who loved Zuko was capable of ordering the capture and dissection of an infant boy."
I refocused my eyes and once again Iroh had placed his face into an unreadable mask. I reached within myself and turned on my Void sight looking at him. Around him coiled a dragon with long whiskers and scales the color of banked coals. It was as if all he was waiting for was a little fuel to be added to burst into a raging inferno. The dragon regarded me with an intense look, but not necessarily unfriendly. I closed off the sight before I overloaded my poor brain like I had with Zuko.
This man was no more capable of killing a baby than Zuko was. Oh, if disturbed he would be an avalanche of destruction the likes of which I really didn't want to be around to see; but in his heart he was a good man. Perhaps even a great man; one who had seen suffering and still remained standing, and a man who had discovered his own path. I could hardly believe that he was Ozai's brother, or Azula's uncle.
"You do love him," Iroh said. I was the one who broke the gaze, looking away. Iroh grunted. "That is a dangerous thing. My nephew cannot stay as he is now. He has begun to see the price of his father's ways. He will not remain under his father's wing forever."
"I know that," I whispered. I looked back at him and I couldn't force my face to take any expression at all. "He is a good man, like his uncle. And if he has to… leave me because of it, I won't stop him. I just hope he won't do something stupid."
"I hope so too," Iroh said. He looked pensive. "He knows now some of the truths that have been hidden from the world about his great grandfather and the Avatar Roku."
I almost asked what he meant, but he rolled on. "That was an interesting trick that you did with your eyes. What was it?"
"You could see that?" I couldn't help the surprise in my voice. Iroh nodded.
"It was like your eyes were replaced with the night's sky for just a moment," he said. He rubbed his long beard. "It was some kind of merging with the spirit world; that much I could tell."
"Hm," I said. That was an interesting revelation. Some whose souls had wandered to the spirit world had their eyes opened in the process. I wondered what Iroh had done to get his sight. Such trips weren't made lightly. I didn't even know someone could see the use of Void sight. Of course, I'd hardly ever met anyone who could interact with spirits other than the Gel-Hassad, and I'd never used it on them. "I was looking at you General, that's all."
Iroh raised an eyebrow, but when I stopped there he shrugged. "I hope you saw whatever it was you were looking for."
"I did," I said. I narrowed my eyes. "You are an honorable man. Send word to your people. Find out who authorized this, because I am going to make an example out of them General. I am sorry for your sake if it is one of your men, but they crossed someone they shouldn't have."
"You'll get no arguments from me," Iroh said. He looked at me with his weighing eye again, measuring me against some standard. "There is no one else who knows, is there?"
I closed my eyes. "No, General, no one else knows. Only you and my people are aware. Neither Azula nor Zuko even suspect."
"You have taken an awful risk," he said. His voice sounded concerned and caring. "This could mean the end for your family if I were to talk."
"It isn't the worst risk I've taken," I replied. I opened my eyes. "You niece is going to take the three of us and a full division to Ba Sing Se. We're to suppress the populace. Zuko is coming with us. The Fire Lord believes it will be an opportunity for him to showcase his loyalty."
I didn't know the Dragon could curse so effectively. I cut him off with a slicing gesture. "I don't have much more time old man, so listen well. She is going to do this the most brutal way she can. We're going to have to instill absolute terror of the Fire Nation into the people. You know what that means?"
"Of course," Iroh said heavily.
"Zuko will be spared that much," I said in my flat voice. "I've seen to it that he won't be involved. Only one of us will be responsible for that work."
Iroh's eyes widened. "You… you would do this to protect my nephew?"
"I would," I said in as level a voice as I could manage. I could feel my hands shaking. "He is special General, a man to be treasured. I couldn't allow him to be destroyed by this; and it would destroy him. It's what Azula wanted, but I think she's willing to take me instead. I think my 'noble' sacrifice amuses her."
"You are right," Iroh replied. "Both about my niece and my nephew. This will cost you a great deal young lady."
"I've already given up a lot for less," I said, and it was true. I'd been an assassin for three years. I'd racked up a decent sized body count before my parents left for Omashu. But I was honest with myself. I'd killed men and women with my bare hands, but never anything remotely like what Azula had planned. I looked down at the ground, feeling the weight of what I would have to do. I caught Iroh's eyes on the way down and what I saw surprised me.
His eyes were kind as he looked at me with a sadness that only true understanding brings. "Even if he never learns what you have done for his sake, know that there is at least one other who does know and who thanks you with all he is for what you are about to do. And is one who would do exactly the same thing were he to be in your position."
I snapped my head up to look at him head on. Even though I was taller than him by at least a head, I felt small and lost. He carefully reached his hand through the bars and grabbed my wrist before I could pull it away. He ran his fingers down my hand's exoskeleton in a comforting way. It was like a dam of some kind in me let loose, and my knees buckled. The armored plates on my shins scraped against the prison floor, and I could feel tears running down my face though my expression was constant. Even though I was some kind of legendary monster that claimed to love his nephew, he didn't seem to care. I don't know how long I sat there, and it was longer than I wanted to stay. But someone who understood offering me any comfort was something I didn't think I'd see for a very long time.
"I'm doing it for him," I said in a rough voice. I pulled my hand away and slowly got to my feet. "I'll do what's necessary. Do this for me. Find out who would kill my brother. Then give me their names. I'll take care of the rest."
"I will do this," Iroh replied with a nod. There was a deadly firmness and calm in his voice, so much more frightening than anything I'd ever heard from Azula. "If they are within my organization, you will know as soon as I can arrange it."
"Good," I said. I wiped the tears away onto my sleeve. Such a display of weakness would have gotten me in trouble anywhere else, but I was so tired of trying to keep it all inside.
"Now go," Iroh said. There was a strange glint in his eye as he nodded at me. "And may the spirits walk with you and protect you in all the empty places which you must walk."
I felt a strange shiver run down my spine, almost as if something that hadn't been paying attention before had its eyes on me. I fled the prison. For a place designed to hold people in, it was remarkably easy for me to get out. I really didn't feel much like going home. Even after a completely sleepless night, I felt too wound up and nervous to sleep. So I used my glider to land at the edge of the volcano's lip.
As I stood on the lip of the caldera and watched the sun rise, I tried to clear my mind. I had hoped to find out more about the attempt on my brother, but I'd only ended up facing some of the ugly truths that were just over the horizon. Tom-Tom was safe. I had bigger things to worry about. Things like retaining my sanity.
Richard Caine - Jade Knight
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