FULL MOONS AND CHANGING TIDES

The full moon shone brightly over the dark camp, but failed to penetrate the fogginess of the swamp. The bodyguards stiffened at the sound of shouting at the far end of the camp. In unison, they drew their swords with one hand and tightened their grip on their lances with the other. After all, they were in hostile Earth Kingdom territory. You never knew when the Earth Kingdom army might discover their whereabouts and decide to attack.

They heard the sound of running footsteps long before they saw the messenger. He emerged out of the foggy darkness so suddenly that the guards, prepared as they were, jumped.

Regaining his composure, the first guard spoke. "State your business," he said in a flat voice.

"I carry an urgent message for my Lady Inna," the messenger's voice was raspy. "One of her spies has returned with news! He wishes to speak to her immediately!"

The guards glanced at each other. Only one spy had returned? Lady Inna would not be pleased.

"Her Ladyship has issued strict orders that she not be disturbed until first light," Said the second guard. "He will just have to wait."

"Who will have to wait?" inquired a cool voice from behind them. The guard whirled.

The guarded tent flap opened and a tall woman of about thirty stood in the entryway. She wore a thin white robe tied around her waist and her long white hair cascaded down her back. Her face was calm and commanding with cold blue eyes and high cheekbones.

"My Lady," said the first guard with a bow, "The messenger says that one of your spies has returned with news of the Avatar."

Inna's eye narrowed. "Only one?" She turned to the messenger.

"Y-yes, my Lady," Stuttered the messenger. He bowed awkwardly.

"Bring him to me immediately." She said dismissively. In a flash, she disappeared back into her tent.

A few moments later, two more guards returned with the spy escorted between them. They pushed through the tent flap and immediately bowed before their leader.

Inna now sat with her legs crossed on a grand-looking chair on the opposite side of the tent from the entryway, her eyes narrowed and her jaw set.

"What news have you brought me, Andreu?" she demanded in her chillingly cool voice.

Andreu rose from his deep bow. "The Fire Sage, Shan, is dead, my Lady. The other three of our team are prisoners aboard the Avatar's ship."

Inna clenched and unclenched her jaw. Everyone in the tent knew and feared that look in her eye. Finally she spoke.

"What happened, Andreu?" Her voice was hard now, and as sharp as icicles.

Andreu swallowed hard. "When we ambushed the Avatar, she was alone on the deck of the ship. Shan ordered us to attack her. She fought well, my Lady. I myself was knocked overboard and would have drowned, were it not for a merchant ship that came along hours later.

"When I looked back up to the ship's deck, the other three were all incapacitated. Shan had a knife in his back, thrown by someone on the watchtower ladder."

Inna stood abruptly, "The watchtower ladder?" She demanded, then without waiting for a response she continued. "I thought you said that you were alone when you apprehended the Avatar!" She began to pace rapidly back and forth in front of her audience, her hands clasped behind her back.

"We were, my Lady! I swear it!"

Inna's head snapped around to meet the spy's eyes. With one hand, she reached out toward Andrue and clasped her fist. He gasped clutched at his chest, sinking to his knees as he did so.

The guards in the tent shrank back and tried not to show their fear. They had seen their leader use the dark art of Bloodbending before, but they never got used to seeing someone lose control of their own body.

With her fist still clenched, Inna walked toward the helpless spy until she was standing above him. She leaned down and tilted his face up toward her. "I just want to know one more thing, Andrue," she whispered softly into his ear, "How skilled is the Avatar? I want the truth, Andrue."

Andrue averted his eyes. Inna tightened her fist around his heart. He gasped again. He could taste blood in his mouth now.

"The truth, Andrue," Inna repeated calmly.

"She is a Master Firebender," he said quickly. "Better than Shan was."

"Ah," said Inna in a satisfied voice, "And is the Avatar skilled in any other elements?"

"No, my Lady," answered the spy truthfully, "But she is on her way to the South Pole to begin Waterbending."

Inna nodded, satisfied at last. She released her grip on Andrue's heart and took a step back. The spy gasped and rubbed his chest, as if making sure it hadn't burst.

Inna now turned to one of her guards. "Admiral," She said, "Dispatch assassins immediately to take care of the prisoners aboard the Avatar's ship. If they are tortured, they may talk. Make sure the assassins can make it look natural; poisoning or some such bloodless death."

The Admiral saluted his Lady. "I will see to it immediately." He said.

"Good." She turned to the spy, who was still on his hands and knees gasping for air. Inna looked on calmly. Her cold eyes caught the light from the torches and glistened like those of a cat. "Get this spy out of my sight, Admiral." She said. "I don't want to ever see his face again."

xXxXx-Saga of Zia-xXxXx

"We are nearing our destination, Avatar." The Sage bowed from the waist as he spoke.

Zia straitened in her chair. She had been sitting in the ship's galley, hunched over a cup of steaming tea that the cook had made for her. For the last few days, as they neared the South Pole, the temperatures had been steadily dropping. Just as steadily, perhaps, her temper had been rising.

After the attack, the entire ship had been searched in an effort to find the knife-thrower. It had been in vain. The knife-thrower seemed to have vanished, impossible as it seemed.

As for the prisoners, they hadn't spoken a word when questioned. Their silence was another thing that annoyed Zia. She wanted answers. She wanted to know who wanted her dead and why.

Zia sighed. "Do you guys ever talk like normal people?" she asked irritably. "I've been on this blasted ship for over a week and you haven't called me by my name once!" Zia was used to the courtesy and stiffness of the Fire Nation aristocrats, but the way the Sages treated her was so ridiculously respectful that she could barely stand it. "Why couldn't you just say, 'We're here, Zia'? Or, if you must, 'We're here Lady Zia'? Why must you always call me 'Avatar'? I'm a real person, not some all-powerful spirit!" Zia slammed her cup down, sloshing hot tea onto the tabletop.

The cook and the rest of the galley staff stopped their work and turned to stare at her. In all likelihood, they had never heard anyone yell at a Fire Sage before. Even more interesting was the fact that it was the Avatar who was doing the yelling.

"Can't you drop the 'Avatar' for one damned second?" Zia was on her feet now, her nose just inches away from the Sage's.

The Sage blinked and shrank back.

"I did not realize that it was of any offence, Ava-" He stopped short. Zia was still in his face, her gold eyes narrowed and her fist clenched. He cleared his throat. "Ahem. I mean, I will do my best to not refer to you as 'Avatar' from now on, if it so pleases you."

Zia sighed and sank back down onto her stool by the table. "You guys are hopeless."

The Sage shuffled his feet uneasily. Zia glanced up at him again.

"Yes?" she inquired, not impolitely.

The Sage cleared his throat. "As I was saying, we are nearing the South Pole."

"So?" replied Zia. "We've been seeing icebergs for days. Don't you think I know that?"

"Of course!" retorted the Fire Sage. "We consider you one of the wisest people in the world!"

Zia raised an eyebrow.

"But," continued the Sage persistently, "We are now extremely close to the South Pole settlement.

"Really?" asked Zia, starting to get excited. It would be good to have her feet back on solid ground. "How close?"

The Sage opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the loud groaning of the ships engines shutting off as the ship came to a halt.

"We're here." said the Sage.

Zia leapt up from the table and dashed past the Sage and the galley staff on her way to the upper deck. Behind her, she could hear the Fire Sage shouting for her to be careful of ice on the deck - as if she hadn't already been told a hundred times.

As she burst out onto the deck, she gasped in awe.

She was surrounded by white and blue. Icebergs surrounded them on all sides and the blue sky and ocean were as clear as the spotless snow. Below her, on the ground, men in blue coats scurried to help the crewmen dock the large ship. She glanced over the railing and looked beyond the docks to what must be the village, surrounded by a thick wall of ice.

Now the other Sage, the leader, joined her on the deck, looking out over the Southern Water Tribe.

"This is where you will begin you're training." He said. "Welcome to the Sothern Water Tribe."

XXXXX-Author's Note-XXXXX

So what do you think of Inna? I thought it was about time that we saw what she was like.

Also, I'm sorry I didn't enlighten you more on the identity of the knife thrower, but believe me, we'll see him again very soon. ^_^

Please comment! Constructive criticism is welcome.

Flameo, hotman. =P

-MissBlueFlames