Naheel was dutiful and came and sat with me for most of the day. I had spent one night already at the Temple, but had barely slept. Where was Etka now? Was he still under the guise of loyalty to Ozai?
When I did sleep, I had fevered dreams of Etka's assault. I saw him chasing me through the jungle, his golden eyes fiery with anger and hatred. I saw him attacking me, hitting me so hard I felt my bones break under his hands. And as I lay dying on the forest floor, I would watch, helpless, as soldiers took him away, struggling and fighting with him to drag him off to his death. I would awake in a fevered sweat, my heart racing, and glance frantically around for soldiers bursting in through the door, still under the shroud of my nightmares.
Naheel, who had spent the night beside me on the floor would always awaken when I did, and when a sleepless dawn approached us, he told me that I kept saying Etka's name over and over again.
"What did you dream of?" Naheel asked me over breakfast. Judging by the bags underneath his eyes, I knew that he hadn't slept much either.
I didn't want to tell him about Etka attacking me, Etka hurting me. I knew he did it because he had to, but that didn't mean the bruises hurt any less. It even pained me to chew my food. Naheel would never forgive Etka for what he had done, and I wasn't sure if I did either. Not yet.
"The Firelord," I lied, keeping a low voice. "I know he doesn't know where I am, but I'm still afraid that he'll find us here."
Naheel seemed satisfied with my answer, and exhaled through his nose. "We'll find a way out of this," He said purposefully. "Once Etka comes back for us, we'll get out of the city. And we're safe here. The Sisters are prepared in case of attack."
"And what if Etka doesn't come back?" I whispered, my voice low and fearful. This wasn't a lie. Part of my heart was aching from what Etka had done, but the dominant side still loved him desperately "What if they found out somehow? It's been two days now, Naheel. Something's wrong."
My brother picked up his bowl, and took my empty one up with it. "Come with me," He said, hushed. Naheel helped me to my feet and put our dishes away before leaving the large dining hall, filled with refugees and Sisters alike. No one seemed to even notice we had left, even though there were no rules about coming and going.
"I was on my own for several months after you had left home," Naheel explained, his voice rapid and excited. "And while I learned how to Waterbend more, I met an old woman who taught me how to use my ability for healing too." We entered a large courtyard, one of many in the Temple, and before us was carved a large statute of a past female Avatar from wood. The courtyard was vacant except for us, and Naheel and I sat down beside the edge of a pond full of lazily swimming fish.
I caught my reflection in the water, and stifled a gasp. I looked even worse than I felt. One eye was blackened while the same side of my cheek was scratched a bright red. One side of my mouth was still swollen, and I looked haggard, sick.
Naheel reached for my hand, and I forced myself to turn away. "I want to try and heal you," He explained. "Or at least take away some of the pain." I watched as he dipped two fingers into the pool, mesmerized as the water crawled up his fingers and around his hand, covering his skin with a rippling, waving blue.
My brother looked up at me, and I saw the determination in his eyes. "Ready?"
I nodded, and Naheel gently pressed his hand against my face, covering the entire side of my face with his long fingers. Instantly, I felt a gentle, cooling sensation ease over my skin, and the pain disappeared. I sighed in relief, tears of joy coming to my eyes. "Is it working?" He asked excitedly.
"It doesn't hurt at all," I sighed contentedly. "My face...I don't feel any more pain. Naheel, this is wonderful!" Tears came to my eyes, and my brother and I laughed together, tears rolling slowly down my cheeks. I realized how long it seemed that I had done so, especially with him.
We both heard a footstep from inside the courtyard, and immediately, Naheel took his hand away, getting up in defense. Before us stood one of the Sisters, who held her hands up in peace. I recognized her earlier as the one who had came to me when I had first arrived - Kateri.
"What did you see?" Naheel demanded.
"You can Waterbend?" Kateri asked in disbelief. She walked slowly towards us, her hands raised. She looked at Naheel in disbelief.
Naheel swallowed, and I saw him debating on whether or not to deny it, to tell her she was crazy and had imagined it. "I - I'm not going to tell anyone," Kateri said, placatingly. "I just...are you?"
I looked up at Naheel in worry. It was his secret to tell, his past to guard. "This is a safe haven, correct?" He asked Kateri, who nodded. "For anyone, regardless of nationality?"
"The Temple and the Sisters will guard and protect everyone," Kateri explained carefully. "You are still safe here."
Naheel's shoulders relaxed, and he sighed, casting me a look. "Are you alone?" I asked Kateri, holding my hand gingerly over my face. The swelling had gone down, but my skin still hurt when I touched it.
"Yes," She said, casting her eyes around her to be certain. "I saw you both leave and I...I just - " Kateri fussed with her headscarf, looking uncomfortable.
"Why did you follow us?" I demanded, lowering my hand from my face. Kateri's eyes widened, and her mouth fell open.
"Your bruises," She gasped. "They're almost completely gone."
"Answer her," Naheel cut her off abruptly. "Why did you follow us here?"
Kateri's face flushed, and she looked briefly at the ground to collect herself. "Well, I wanted to follow Naheel," She said, looking uncomfortable. I glanced up at my brother and saw his cheeks glow slightly pink. I couldn't help but stifle a smile. "I had had my suspicions for a while that he was from the Water Tribe. You, Anahi, are from the Fire Nation, correct?"
I didn't really know how to answer that. My parents were. But I was raised in the Southern Water Tribe, that was where I had identified from.
But no member of the Water Tribe looked like me. No member of the Water Tribe was a Firebender.
"Yes," I said quietly.
"Then how can Naheel be your brother?" Kateri insisted. "Forgive me, but you look nothing alike."
"You can be related by more than just blood," Naheel said firmly. "It is true, I'm from the Water Tribe. We don't have the same birth parents, but Anahi is my sister."
Kateri visibly relaxed, knowing that her suspicions had been true. "Naheel, what you possess is a gift," She told him, stepping closer to the both of us. "Think of all the people that you can help with what you can do. All of the injured, the sick - "
"No one can know," Naheel said darkly, staring at Kateri intently. "No one else can find out who I am, or who my sister is. We have to remain anonymous."
Kateri began to walk towards us, and my brother stiffened, surprised. She continued past my brother and sat down beside me, taking my hands in hers. "How can I help you?" She asked earnestly. "Both of you have been through so much; I can tell. What can I do for you?"
"We don't need - " Naheel began, but I cut him off.
"You can help," I said, an idea striking me, looking up at Naheel. "She can help. She can leave the Temple - we can't." Naheel sighed and looked down at Kateri.
"It's asking a lot of you," He said gravely. "I don't know..."
"There's a man I need to find," I told her. "His name is Song Etka, and he's at the Fire Nation Palace. I just need to know that he's alright. He said he would come for us, but it's been two days now and..." I paused, my voice trailing off. "If you could find anything about him, anything at all - "
Kateri's eager expression had faded when I had mentioned the Royal Palace. "I know it's asking a lot," I said softly. "But if I step outside the Temple, I'll be seen put to death on the spot."
Kateri looked at me hard, her lips pulled into a frown. Naheel and I held our breath. "If you tell me your story, I'll help you," She conceded, and my face lit up.
"Really?" I cried, but Naheel butt in.
"I thought that the Sisters weren't supposed to ask questions like this," He frowned. "I thought the refugees here were to remain anonymous."
"And you still shall remain anonymous," Kateri replied with a coy smile. "The Sisters aren't supposed to conduct secret espionage acts for said refugees either, but since we're both breaking rules here, I think it evens out."
I laughed, surprised at her boldness, and decided that I liked Kateri, regardless of Naheel's reservations. My brother looked flustered, caught between a well thought-out comment and making a half-attempted retort.
"What I'm about to tell you is hard to believe," I murmured, my hands closing around Ozai's dagger against my chest and pulling it out. I prayed that I wasn't making a mistake. "But the Firelord doesn't only have two children. There is another child."
I began to tell her the whole story, starting from the beginning when I had discovered my ability and run away from home. I spoke slowly, trying to read Kateri's face, which was a placid mask as I told her my story. I ended with my confrontation with Ozai, and fudged over the details of how I had escaped and how Etka had brought me here. After I was finished, Kateri was silent for a long time, and I allowed her to process.
She stood, her hand resting over the hilt of her sword. "Anahi, you and I will change clothing," She said determinedly. "If they see a Sister trying to get into the Palace, it will attract attention right away."
"You'll go?" I asked, getting up excitedly.
"Yes," Kateri said, glancing over at Naheel. "I'll find out what I can."
Kateri stepped out of Kosumi Temple without her traditional robes for the first time in twelve years. She felt so strange, so vulnerable, with Anahi's loose, open robes. Bared arms and an uncovered head felt so strange to her, and Kateri felt on edge, naked even. She ran a hand through her hair nervously, and her hand found the small knife she had hidden under Anahi's robes. It wasn't necessary, but having the knife with her still made her feel safe. It was a last resort, if all else failed.
Kateri walked with fast-paced, determined steps. She wasn't happy about what she was going to do, and certainly not pleased with herself, but she reminded herself that she was doing it to help a person in need, and possibly two, if she could find Etka.
As she approached the outer walls of the palace, she spotted her target, a lone soldier standing guard at his post. This was a quiet part of town, and few people were out and about. If any of the other Sisters found out about this, Kateri knew that she would be in deep trouble. But if anyone was going to defy the Firelord's regime like this, if anyone had even remotely a chance, it was the Sister's of the Kosumi Temple.
"Hey there," Kateri called flirtatiously, unaccustomed to flirting with men in this way. There weren't that many people milling around this part of town, and this soldier surely wouldn't go amiss.
The soldier straightened up, regarding her comment, and Kateri moved closer, adopting a coy, reserved smile and swaying her hips just so. The soldier cleared his throat, and straightened his stance, looking straight ahead.
Kateri's fingertips crackled, and she moved closer, sidling up right in front of him. The soldier eyed her in apprehension, looking as though he were debating to push her off of him or not. Kateri dropped her voice, her flirtatious gaze now threatening. "You will go behind that building there, and you will take off your uniform and give it to me. You will not cry out, you will not fight, and you will not make a scene. Am I clear?"
Clear blue lightning sparked from her fingertips, darting dangerously close to the soldier's face. His eyes widened, reflecting the the electric blue in his dark irises, and the soldier cleared his throat. "Fine," He said in a low voice, moving towards the building. Kateri watched him like a hawk, keeping her hand against his back. If he tried anything, she could take him down in an instant.
Kateri looked around furtively, nervous that someone would spot them. The soldier stopped behind the house, and before he had a chance to move further, Kateri sent a bolt of lightning thundering towards the back of his head, knocking him out cold onto the ground.
It had almost been too easy. Kateri hurriedly raced to change into the uniform, pulling the armor over Anahi's clothes. It was stifling hot, and once again, Kateri was hit with doubts as she tucked her hair underneath the helmet and slid the face mask over her eyes. The uniform was a bit too big, but it would suffice.
Kateri felt a slight bit of guilt at leaving this soldier like this, and picked him up, moving him further into the shade and out of sight. She figured that she had at least an hour before he woke up and she needed to flee.
Etka was breathing heavily, tasting blood on his tongue that ran from his nose and showed no signs of stopping. They had taken away his bending; some strange woman had struck him with a knifed hand and left him crippled, weak, and barely able to even walk. He had heard someone call her a chi blocker, and Etka was afraid that this would last forever.
His bending ability wasn't the focus here though. The soldiers in charge of his beating only cared about one thing: where Anahi was hiding.
It had been Azula who had betrayed him. She had followed him with a team of men from the palace and seen him with Anahi. Apparently, they had left before Etka had taken her to the Temple, because since his return, he had been subject to ruthless interrogation as to her whereabouts. He figured that he could be content with this. As long as Anahi was safe, hidden away, he could try to forgive himself for what he had done to her.
The soldiers here knew how guilty Etka felt for assaulting Anahi, and this played into how they tortured him. "She loathes you for what you've done to her," They'd leer at him, in between beatings, playing on the fears that resounded so painfully within his heart. "She hates you. She'll never love you again after what you've done to her."
Etka was strong, but not strong enough. He told himself that these were all lies. Anahi had kissed him hadn't she? After he had told her he couldn't forgive himself, that he was sorry, and that he loved her, she had kissed him, right? Kissed him, but never told him she loved him back.
Etka was starting to believe that. Someone who had done what he had didn't deserve to be loved.
Kateri's heart was racing as she moved through the halls of the palace, feeling ready to be sick at any moment. This was a terrible decision, and especially going alone. She felt that she stood out amongst everyone else, her movements merely poor imitations of what the soldiers did. It was only a matter of time before she was caught.
Kateri passed two soldiers, who were speaking in low voices, and she paused, slowing down to listen. Making it look like she had paused to survey the courtyard made it easy to overhear their conversation.
"If he doesn't squeal, they will kill him," A soldier said in a low voice. Instantly, Kateri's heart quickened. They could only be talking about Etka...
"He's not talking though," The other added, sounding slightly worried. "If they kill him before he's said anything, the Firelord will be furious. And then we'll have no where to go from to find the girl."
"Etka will tell us," The first said with an air of cockiness. Kateri felt sick. "In two days time they're going to publicly beat him, they'll take away his Captainship. If he doesn't tell us where Anahi is, he'll be put to death."
Kateri had heard enough. She tried not to run out of the palace, and back to the safety of the temple, burning the Fire Nation uniform in her wake. This changed everything, and Kateri realized that she was now a part of something she wasn't sure she wanted to be.