1. Hidden Gems
In the dead of night, Facilier, Ozai, Zhao, Vexen, Xayide, the Huntsman, Mim, and Wuya made camp a good distance away from the Fire Nation capital. The former three stood around a fire created by Zhao while the latter five sat around a fire of their own, conjured by Xayide.
"Maybe this gig won't be so bad," Wuya mused. "Sure, we might never see our home base or our friends again, and we have to rely on everyone else to make sure Mozenrath doesn't die, but at least we got to lay waste to a prison complex. Maybe we'll get to utilize our more destructive sides after all."
"For as long as Maleficent's henchpeople consider us useful," the Huntsman pointed out. "And knowing her grudge against us, it is highly likely she will have us disposed of after we have earned her the Fire Nation capital."
"At least the five of us went down together," Wuya replied.
"Unfortunately, the five of us are going down together," Vexen grunted.
"We're not going down at all if I can help it!" Mim grunted.
"You believe there is still hope for us?" Xayide posed.
"I know we're not going out with this level of indignity!" Mim huffed.
"Since when has dignity been a priority to you?" Vexen snapped.
"If y'all are talkin' mutiny," Facilier called over, "y'all are lookin' at an early bedtime."
"We were discussing no such thing," Xayide tried to assure him.
"Whatever you're talkin'," Facilier called back, "stop it."
"Can we at least talk about the weather?" Wuya asked.
"No," Facilier snapped.
The five sighed, rising and trudging over to Zhao's fire to hear more about the grand plan they hadn't signed up for.
"You promise I will be on the throne of the Fire Nation once more tomorrow night," Ozai reminded Facilier. "I wish to know how you believe this possible."
"You know what tomorrow night is?" Facilier posed.
"The Winter Solstice," Zhao volunteered.
"Also known as the longest night of the year," Facilier clarified. "For waterbenders, the full moon gives them extra power. For you firebenders, it's Sozin's Comet. And for me, it's the longest night. See, I work in Darkness now. My friends are a particular brand of it. Allow me to introduce you." He beckoned, and a crowd of Neo-Shadows stumbled into view of the fire.
"How adorable," Zhao said sarcastically.
"Know what these are?" Facilier asked.
"No," Ozai said flatly.
"Heartless," Facilier introduced. "Creatures of pure Darkness that cause rampant destruction and rip people's hearts out of their bodies. Oh, they may not look like much, but get an army of them together and you wouldn't believe what they can do. And these are just some of the little ones. Now try imagining an army of something more like this."
He struck the ground with his cane. A mass of pure Darkness rose up behind him, towering over the group. Ozai and Zhao craned their necks upward; Zhao gaped as a Darkside took on its humanoid shape.
"And that ain't even the half of what I can do," Facilier commented. "The dark of the Solstice will give my little friends extra power, and I can bring forth almost unlimited quantities of them. Then, of course, we'll have our five little bodyguards to walk us right up to the palace gates. I'd like to see what could stand against that."
Ozai walked reverently toward the Darkside, which stood obediently at attention. He reached out, placing a hand on the Darkside's lower leg. "Impressive," he said. "I believe I shall come to be very fond of these creatures."
"That's both a good and a bad thing," Facilier informed him. "See, if we're gonna make this work, I'm eventually gonna have to leave you to your post. If you wanna keep the Heartless around, you gotta make them respect you. But get too greedy with the Darkness, and it ain't gonna be pretty for you. I can show you how to make 'em fall in line with what you say, but use it carefully."
Ozai turned back to Facilier. "I still wish to know what makes this employer of yours so interested in the Fire Nation."
"She's interested in power," Facilier explained. "Power's what you had before your baby boy and his little friends decided to take it away from you. And power's what you will have when the whole thing's said and done. I think you're gonna like her when you meet her."
"I no longer have the power I once had," Ozai seethed, "and I never will again."
"Never say never," Facilier told him. "Pull this off, and I might be able to put in a word with her about lighting your fire back up."
Ozai mulled that over. "A proposition that seems incredible," he commented, "and yet most of what you have said and done seems equally incredible. Still, in the absence of fire, I shall need something else to hold my position. Command over these creatures should suffice. If I am to avoid the fate you warned against, where is my limit?"
"Maybe call in two or three big ones," Facilier suggested. "More around fifty of the little ones. Don't even think about doing anything on the scale I'm gonna do."
"What do you believe makes you fit to give me orders?"
"Not orders, your majesty. Warnings."
"And what do we do until tomorrow nightfall?" Zhao asked.
"Ask any questions you want about Maleficent," Facilier offered. "I'll tell you all I know. That should kill a few hours at least."
"And them?" Ozai motioned to the Huntsman, Vexen, Wuya, and Xayide, who had been listening in diligently.
"I'll shut them down if we end up talking about anythin' they shouldn't hear," Facilier responded.
He then tapped the ring that held Mim's soul just as Mim, in the body of a panther, leapt at Facilier from the bushes. She dropped unconscious on the ground mid-bound.
...
As the Wickford Castle elevator pulled into the basement, delivering Roman and Neo, they ran into the brothers Smisse in the ski lobby.
"Bonjour, mes amis!" the ski instructor, one Jacques Brunais, called from the equipment rental window. "Can I help you on this fine day?"
Neo nodded, skipping up to the window. Roman quickly hustled into the adjacent locker room, beckoning for the Smisses to follow.
"What's going on here?" Grany asked.
"Neo and I have it worked out," Roman whispered. "While she distracts the guy who runs this half of the operation, I'm going to crack all the lockers. Think about it. Purses. Wallets. Debit cards…that won't be of any use to us once we get off this world. Back to relevant things, jewelry. I am not walking outta here empty-handed."
"You have that little faith that Madame Frou Frou will actually find something of value here?" Rémington teased.
"No," Roman hissed, suddenly aware of what he had implied. "But do you really think I should pass this opportunity up?"
"You can crack combination locks?" Grany asked.
"You're really surprised by that?" Roman replied. "I have a natural ear for it. Anyway, where were you two idiots going?"
"Outside," Rémington said proudly.
Roman sighed. "You know, when I said 'idiots,' it was a term of endearment. I didn't expect you to actually want to go outside and freeze your asses off."
"We've already cased the interior of the castle," Rémington reminded him. "We have no idea what's waiting for us on the outside."
"Well, I only have a limited amount of time before Neo can't stall any longer," Roman told them, "so I'm not gonna argue. Just get out of here and let me do my work."
He pressed his ear to one of the lockers, gently twisting the combination lock as he listened for a delicate click. Rémington and Grany turned their attention to the door at the far end of the locker room, which led directly outside.
The temperature had hardly improved. Rémington and Grany soon found themselves in a wide plain of snow as more flakes billowed down from above.
"Maybe this wasn't a good idea," Grany muttered through clenched teeth.
"We've been through colder," Rémington reminded him.
A quick look around revealed the presence of a shed in the distance; a great stone wall curved around from its left side. "We should check out that shed," Grany suggested. "At the very least, it will be warmer than – Rémy, where are you going?"
Rémington trudged around the wall to its other side. "There's no reason to put a wall this big here unless it's hiding something."
"Rémy!" Grany followed his brother with a reluctant sigh. He knew there was no talking him out of this.
The wall led to a corner behind the shed; draping ivy obscured part of it completely. "There," Grany told Rémington. "It's a dead end. Are you happy?"
"A dead end?" Rémington repeated. "Are you sure?" He reached out to brush aside the ivy, revealing metal bars that peered into the space beyond. When he turned back to Grany, the grin upon his face was far too smug.
"All right, then," Grany retorted. "Open it up."
Rémington shook the bars; they held firm. He traced his finger over the intricate design; rather than simply running straight up and down, they curved into a circle at the center. Under Rémington's touch, the circle shifted slightly. Rémington seized and rotated the circular bars until a click was heard; still the gate did not move. It was then that Rémington noticed the lock. He gently withdrew the key he carried, inserting it; the gate was shoved wide open, allowing access to a small stone-walled area that, in less snowy conditions, might be termed a garden. Forgoing any snide cracks, Rémington strode into the garden, waving to beckon Grany after him.
Stone benches and a dried-up three-tier fountain adorned the stone walls. Inset of one wall was a bust of a face neither of the Smisses recognized. Set out near the center of the garden space was a pillar that bore an ornamental armillary sphere.
"This does look suspicious," Grany admitted. "Maybe it's what Egan was looking for the whole time. What if he knew where it was, but he also knew he was missing the key?"
"Then we are two steps ahead of him," Rémington assured Grany.
Grany pulled one of the stone benches out from the wall. "But what are we looking for?"
Rémington approached the armillary sphere, giving it a good look-over. He nudged it with a finger, and it moved. He twisted it ninety degrees from its original position with a creak.
"Rémy," Grany sighed as he turned back to face his brother, "there's a point where messing with random things really isn't going to help…us…"
He'd noticed it over Rémington's shoulder. The bust had turned ninety degrees as well.
"What?" Rémington asked.
"That statue," Grany informed him. "When you turned that arrow thing, it turned too!"
Rémington focused on the statue as he gave the armillary sphere another turn. The bust now swiveled all the way around; a wooden lever protruded from the back of the sculpted head.
"Did you know it would do that?" Grany asked incredulously.
There was altogether too long of a pause before Rémington stated, "Yes."
They raced for the statue; they pulled the lever together. The base of the pillar that held the bust opened up via loose panel, revealing an intricately patterned metal box locked by a keyhole.
"You think your key will work on that too?" Grany asked.
Rémington knelt, inserting the key into the box. The lid popped open, and the object inside caused the eyes of both brothers to widen in amazement. The box's contents consisted of a golden disc, half a foot in diameter, inset with a glimmering red gem.
"What is that?" Grany wondered out loud.
"Something valuable," Rémington replied as he plucked the disc from the box. "Also, it's ours now."
"Three steps ahead of Egan!"
Rémington stood, brushing snow from his shoulders. "All right. Want to check out that shed?"
...
Mozenrath was dragged into a darker, smaller chamber, where he was propped up in a chair by a pair of Dai Li agents. Despite the warnings he had been given regarding his health, he struggled, but he sorely lacked the strength necessary to break their grip. They sat him down; they bound him to the chair with restraints made of stone that tightened at their will. There was no sliding out of these.
One of the men stood at the very center of the room, a metal ring surrounding him. "Hello," he greeted.
"I'd say it's nice to meet you," Mozenrath spat, "but really, this is as far from nice as it can get."
"Do not worry," the man said as the door was shut, leaving him alone with Mozenrath. Under any other circumstance, Mozenrath thought, his companion would be a dead man. But Mozenrath was powerless and on the verge of death himself, bound by a strong elemental force. He cursed his situation mentally. The man went on: "You are safe here."
"I wasn't worried," Mozenrath growled. It was only somewhat of a lie.
"You will not be harmed here," the man continued. There was a flicker of light; a brilliant lantern illuminated into view, slowly traversing the perimeter of the metal ring. "You may feel as though the Dai Li see you as their enemy. The Dai Li are your friends. Long Feng is your trusted friend, and you are going to tell him who you are and why you are here."
Mozenrath bit his lip, shuddering. He then realized there was no reason to hide his laughter, and he let it out loudly. "I'd like to know what gave you THAT delusion," he managed through his guffaws.
"Long Feng is a trusted friend," the man repeated. "You are going to tell him who you are and why you are here. In fact, you are going to tell him everything he asks you to tell him."
"No," Mozenrath insisted, his eyes following the path of the lantern. What was the point of that light, anyhow? Was it supposed to intimidate him? Was it some form of torture that only worked on the citizens of this world? "I'm not."
"I see," the man said with a nod. "Give it some thought. Perhaps you shall change your mind."
"I'm not going to…" But, really, what was the point of that lantern? Mozenrath couldn't seem to draw his gaze away from it. "Change…my mind." He blinked, trying to regain his train of thought. He would have shaken his head, but it was bound in place with a stone band, forcing him to face forward. Round and round he watched the lantern go. "I'm not going to tell Long Feng a single word about…" About what? "About what I'm doing." There it was.
So bright, so lustrous, round and round.
"Long Feng is a trusted friend," the man at the center of the ring insisted.
"N…" Mozenrath couldn't finish the word. It was the lantern, he realized. It was distracting him. He needed to look away. He needed to shut his eyes.
But he couldn't.
"You will tell him who you are and why you are here."
Round and round.
"Long Feng is a trusted friend."
Flashes before his eyes, faster and faster.
"You will tell him who you are and why you are here."
Flash, flash, flash went the lantern.
"Long Feng is a trusted…"
Round and round, round and round, the only light among the darkness, the only thing Mozenrath could see, and with it, an affirmation repeated over and over.
It wasn't true.
But it was all Mozenrath could hear, outside of his own mind or within it, just as the light was all he could see. And as the light passed before his eyes, the words sounded ever more real.
Round and round.
Flash, flash.
Long Feng was a trusted friend.
Light against the darkness.
Round and round.
Mozenrath was going to tell Long Feng who he was and why he was there.
He barely noticed when the words the man was saying changed: "The Earth King has invited you to Lake Laogai."
...
Mozenrath barely needed to be escorted back to the holding cell where he had first been chained. He practically walked there of his own accord, wobbling on his skeletal legs. He was guided to the center of the room, where he knelt in order to keep his balance. There he waited, docile, as the other agents of the Dai Li filed out.
Long Feng returned, striding confidently into the room. He stood tall over Mozenrath, who smiled at the sight of his trusted friend.
"I see you have enjoyed your stay at Lake Laogai," Long Feng stated with a knowing smile.
"I have," Mozenrath repeated, his own smile naïve, honest, empty.
"What have you learned?" Long Feng asked.
"You, Long Feng, are a trusted friend," Mozenrath stated. "I'm going to tell you anything you ask of me."
"Good," Long Feng replied coolly. "Let us start with who you are."
"My name is Mozenrath," Mozenrath said calmly. "I am a sorcerer who hails from the Land of the Black Sands. I am a conqueror."
"A sorcerer, hmm?" Long Feng repeated. He wasn't sure what to make of the use of the term. No one in the four nations could actually honestly consider themselves a sorcerer. Yet Mozenrath's hypnosis had rendered him unable to tell anything but the truth. "What brings you, a sorcerer, to Ba Sing Se?"
"I am dying," Mozenrath answered. "My friends have brought me here to look for the Spirit Waters that will cure me."
The Spirit Waters, Long Feng thought. That would mean that Mozenrath's coterie was headed for the North Pole. A better diplomat might have thought to send word of warning to the Water Tribe, but Long Feng was only concerned with his own territory. What happened in the Water Tribe was outside of Long Feng's realm of relevance. And to that point, he asked next: "What do you plan to do in Ba Sing Se?"
"I had planned to leave it alone once we found the Spirit Waters," Mozenrath answered. "But now that I know it's here, I want to conquer it. I want to live in this palace. I want to be the next Earth King. That day is probably very far off, but it is something I want."
Long Feng couldn't have that. "I am afraid for that, you shall have to die," he said solemnly.
Mozenrath didn't make any sort of response. He simply awaited the next question.
Long Feng went for the one that now burned in his mind: "Who are these people you call 'friends'?"
All the while he asked his questions, he was unaware of the creeping presence slinking up behind him, slipping through the shadows, lithe and thin, sliding fluidly into the room with a graceful roll. As Long Feng asked this final question, he was suddenly taken off guard by the pair of limbs wrapping around his waist from behind, lifting him up off the stone floor. He didn't even register that it was the limber legs of someone standing on his hands, rather than a pair of arms, that had just encircled him. In a sharp second of surprise, Long Feng was grasped, lifted off the floor, pivoted over backward, and thrown down hard across the room.
Righting his position to standing on his feet, Ragdoll waved at Mozenrath. "Hellooooooo," he greeted. "You've certainly gotten yourself into a pickle this time, haven't you?"
"This isn't a pickle," Mozenrath said placidly. "It's a dungeon."
Long Feng peeled his face from the floor to get a better look at the entity that had just humiliated him and dealt him a good amount of pain. It wasn't that he cared at all about Ragdoll's identity. He just wanted to know where his target was. He slammed his fist on the ground so that sharp shards of earth would spring up beneath the interloper, impaling him.
Ragdoll leapt, pirouetting through the air the moment he felt the tremor. He landed gracefully in front of Long Feng with an arrogant bow.
Long Feng sprang to his feet, clapping his hands together. He brought two slabs of stone up from the floor, one to either side of Ragdoll, and with a flowing gesture, brought them careening to each other at high speed in order to smash Ragdoll flat in the middle. Ragdoll cartwheeled out of the way, letting the slabs shatter each other. Not to be outdone, Long Feng stomped the ground, breaking it into shards that hovered before him; he shoved those shards outward at Ragdoll. Ragdoll's body twisted in impossible ways, outmaneuvering every single fragment of earth, only suffering a few grazes.
As Long Feng continued to pursue Ragdoll in this fashion, the second member of the rescue party attempted to enter the room quietly. The sound of sandals slapping the stone did not go unnoticed; Long Feng spun to take his attention away from Ragdoll, sending a slab of stone zooming toward the new intruder.
There was the slam of impact: a great echoing CRACK.
"One down," Long Feng muttered.
He was chilled when a voice emanated from behind the slab: "Ooh, good shot! That would have been absolutely FATAL on a mortal!" Ayam Aghoul stepped around the slab, twisting his head back into place with another loud CRACK.
"Wh…" Long Feng stepped backward in disbelief, knowing he was looking at a dead man. "What ARE you?"
A tap on his shoulder reminded him that Ragdoll was still in the room; Long Feng spun to send more spikes of stone Ragdoll's way, only to be thwarted again by Ragdoll's athleticism.
Aghoul raced toward Mozenrath, looking over him for chains only to be surprised to find none. He knelt before Mozenrath, asking, "And is there any particular REASON you're not chained up?"
"I don't need to be chained up," Mozenrath replied with a blank smile. "Long Feng is my trusted friend. I don't want to leave him."
Then Aghoul saw Mozenrath's dilated pupils. He clicked his tongue in disapproval. "What a BASIC hypnosis." Sparks flew from his fingers as he snapped them in front of Mozenrath's face.
Mozenrath's pupils immediately retracted; he blinked to get a good read on his surroundings. "Aghoul?" he said in confusion.
"In the flesh," Aghoul replied with a sly grin. "Which I understand you're still not." He stood, quickly stepping behind Mozenrath and sweeping downward. "Don't read too much into this." He scooped Mozenrath up easily, one arm below Mozenrath's shoulders and the other under his knees. "I just figure this is more dignified than throwing you over my shoulder."
"I have one question," Mozenrath said.
"I have several," Aghoul retorted, "but what's yours?"
Mozenrath pointed to where Ragdoll was dancing out of reach of every blow Long Feng struck. "WHAT IS HE DOING HERE?"
"I think he wanted to get that reaction out of you, to be honest," Aghoul confessed. This was followed by a sharp whistle; "OH, RAGDOLL! WE'RE LEAVING!"
"On my way!" Ragdoll rolled into a wheel, pursuing Aghoul's flight from the holding cell with Mozenrath in arms.
"STOP THEM!" Long Feng cried as he raced after Mozenrath's rescue party.
Five Dai Li agents fell into step in the hallway down which Aghoul ran and Ragdoll rolled, putting their earthbending together to build a massive wall covered in sharp spines; this behemoth chased Aghoul, Mozenrath, and Ragdoll down the hallway, threatening to impale them, gaining on their flight.
"Any time now…" Aghoul muttered.
A thin projectile whistled through the air from in front of the racing rescue party. When it connected with the wall, the orange crystal set in the tip of the arrow detonated with a BOOM, reducing the wall to shards that crumbled to the floor.
Mozenrath turned his head to see Ravess standing before himself, Aghoul, and Ragdoll, waiting for them to catch up to her before loosing another arrow back at the Dai Li. It exploded in midair, knocking the agents back; Ravess lowered her weapon and fell into stride alongside Aghoul.
"Impressive rescue party so far," Mozenrath commented. "Who else can I expect?"
"This is it," Aghoul answered casually.
"This is it," Mozenrath repeated dryly. "You, Ragdoll, and Ravess. That's all."
"Well, Yzma and Zevon are taking a spa day," Aghoul explained, "Snatcher and Roman are on some heist on another world entirely, and these two were in the room next to me when I got your text! Did you want me to waste more time trying to round up anyone else?"
"Besides, I resent the implication that we aren't enough to get the job done," Ravess huffed.
They broke loose from the dungeons, Ravess' arrows clearing a path whenever they found it blocked. Their path took them up and out of the palace, off the grounds, and into the streets of Ba Sing Se.
"Where to?" Aghoul asked Mozenrath as he, Ravess, and Ragdoll entered a thick throng of civilians.
Mozenrath opened his mouth to answer.
Long Feng had refused to give up his pursuit. As Aghoul, Ravess, and Ragdoll had kept running, so had he. He cringed as they became lost among the crowd; he barreled into the square, hoping against hope. He had one last shot. If he couldn't kill Mozenrath, he could at least make Mozenrath not his problem anymore. "THE EARTH KING HAS INVITED YOU TO LAKE LAOGAI!" he shouted.
Mozenrath froze before he could utter a syllable; his pupils widened.
"LEAVE THIS CITY AND NEVER RETURN!" Long Feng screamed, barely audible to Mozenrath's ear – though "barely" was just enough. "GET AS FAR AWAY FROM BA SING SE AS YOU CAN!"
Aghoul was caught off guard when Mozenrath's knee slammed into his face and a bony elbow jammed into his stomach. He dropped Mozenrath, who scrambled upright, barely able to run but attempting it anyway. Mozenrath was consumed with a desire to follow the order that had been issued him, and he was going to accomplish the goal of abandoning Ba Sing Se, whether he had to run, walk, or crawl.
Long Feng's display had attracted the attention of several passers-by. "Are you all right?" someone asked him.
"I am fine," Long Feng said coolly. "There is absolutely nothing wrong."
Aghoul, Ravess, and the now-standing Ragdoll cast their eyes over the crowd, searching desperately for signs of Mozenrath, but there were none to be found.
"Tell me we didn't go through all of that just to LOSE him," Ravess groaned.
"Can we not simply call him?" Ragdoll asked, never losing his signature smile.
"He's under a hypnosis," Aghoul explained. "Those must have been his trigger words. If we call, he sure won't answer."
"So NOW what?" Ravess moaned. "Do we just search the entire WORLD at random until we stumble upon him? Or do we have to give him up for dead?"
"Certainly there's a way out of this jam," Ragdoll mused. "What about that locator spell? The one that flies his personal belongings directly to him?"
"We don't HAVE anything of his!" Ravess reminded Ragdoll.
"That's where you're wrong," Aghoul realized. "We have something of his, all right. It's just not here."
...
"You wish to rent some equipment?" Jacques Brunais asked the woman standing before him.
Neo gave an enthusiastic nod.
"You realize the weather is not ideal for skiing, mademoiselle," Jacques reminded her.
Neo nodded again, conveying that she was well aware.
"You wish to be fitted and have your equipment set aside for later?"
A nod accompanied with a toothy smile.
She mustn't be able to speak, Jacques realized. "Have you ever skied before?"
Neo shook her head this time.
"Then we have much to discuss. Let us start with your shoe size."
Neo pointed to her feet and gave a shrug.
"You…do not know your own shoe size?"
Neo shook her head. She would take any route to drag this out while Roman opened the lockers.
"Easily fixed, mademoiselle. I can measure it here…"
Roman could hear their discussion as he gently popped open the first locker, careful to go slowly so the sound of the metal lock would not alert Jacques. A purse yielded him twenty dollars in cash and little more.
Three lockers down was something of more interest, but not of any value. A bag contained several forms of ID – licenses, passports, and so forth – all of which bore a picture of the same face. However, each identification document was labeled with a different name, and in many of the photographs, the woman had changed her hair.
So there's someone here with a past, Roman thought. Someone who really isn't who she says she is.
He continued down the line as he listened carefully to Jacques for any clue that he might be wrapping up with Neo. Cash and jewelry entered his pockets swiftly.
One locker door pried open to reveal much more than Roman had expected. The shelves bore wooden boxes and books; some papers were pinned to the door's interior. But propped upon the very top shelf was an object of intrigue: a golden disc, six inches across, with a blue gem at its center. Had Roman been outside with the Smisses, he would have recognized it as a sibling to their treasure. As it was, he only recognized it as valuable. He stuffed it quickly into his coat, realizing his pockets had filled up. As he quietly closed the locker door, he made note that it was actually labeled with a name; he'd gotten into the staff lockers without realizing it. And according to this locker's plaque, he had just robbed Jacques Brunais.
"And I believe that concludes all we can do for today," Jacques told Neo. Roman, recognizing his cue, backed off from the lockers.
Neo flashed Jacques a thumbs-up before peering into the locker room, waving to Roman to come forward. The pair stealthily slid into the twisting hallways of the basement level as Jacques turned back to cleaning the equipment he had shelved.
"Neo," Roman whispered as he brought the disc just far enough of hiding for a glimpse, "you are not going to believe what I found."
Neo's face lit up with joy as she beheld their new treasure.
...
Twin skimmers sailed over the Atmosian wastelands, careening past dry desert landscapes, pools of red-hot lava, and the stomping grounds of monstrous creatures. The tiny vehicles steered into a canyon, lowering to the ground and parking at what from above would appear to have been the fissure's end. In reality, on ground level, the mouth of a great cavern opened up, leading into blackness.
Riku slid off his skimmer, regarding the cavern with interest. "You ready?" he asked his companion.
Kairi stood next to him, nodding firmly. "Let's go."
Together, they entered the cave, treading carefully. Each had their right hand on the hilt of their drawn sword and their left hand extended outward, holding a small flame in the palm for light.
The path extended straight onward for quite some distance before forking into five different branches. "This could be a problem," Riku commented.
"Hang on." Kairi closed her eyes. "You remember what that man said about the Aurora Stone showing itself to someone with a heart of pure light, right?"
"Yes."
"I just have this weird feeling deep inside that I know which way we should go." She opened her eyes, using her sword to point at one of the tunnels. "And it's that way."
"Lead on."
Kairi and Riku forged through a veritable maze of dark tunnels. Every time the path forked, Kairi's instinct took the pair down a direction about which she had definitive feelings. All the while, it seemed they were heading deeper and deeper into the insides of some enormous beast that had swallowed them, and their destination was the stomach.
Suddenly, a glow, not caused by the flames they bore. "Look!" Kairi cried. The flames were doused, and Riku and Kairi rushed to kneel over the spot in the ground where the glow was nestled. It took the form of a spherical crystal, half embedded in the rock below. Kairi placed a hand on it, giving it an experimental tug. "It's buried."
Riku chipped at the surrounding stone with the edge of his blade, loosening it enough for the stone to pop free. Kairi lifted it, cradling it like glass. "You think this is it?" she wondered out loud.
"Your heart did lead you here," Riku reminded her. "That has to mean something."
A rustle; a scrape. More illumination, emanating softly from the sudden emergence of dozens of pairs of yellow eyes stacked atop each other. Riku and Kairi were suddenly reminded of the other half of the legend the man had told them.
"Heartless!" Riku cried.
He and Kairi immediately went back-to-back, blades pointed outward; Kairi dismissed the crystal to her magical storage. The Heartless squirmed, excited at the prospect of new prey.
Riku peered back over his shoulder. Kairi did the same, catching his eye. They nodded to each other.
Just as the Heartless closed in, they leapt, blades swinging.
...
As the Smisses explored the exterior of Wickford Castle and Roman and Neo hatched their plan to raid lockers, Snatcher wandered the halls, searching for an aim of his own. There had to be something he hadn't looked into yet that the others weren't covering, and he was going to find it.
His walk took him into the small reading lounge set off from the lobby, where he came across the sight of a young woman, dark hair cut close to her head, clothed in a bright red shirt and black pants, flipping through one of the books from the shelf. Perhaps that was the angle he had yet to pursue, Snatcher thought: interrogating the locals. Surely someone here had to know something he didn't.
He smoothed out his skirt as he took the adjacent seat to the woman. "A pity the library is closed down," he began, keeping his voice high, his accent strong. "These books make for such dry reading."
"I know!" the woman said indignantly as she put the book back on the shelf. "There's nothing in them I don't already know about this place."
"You must be quite well-read, then," Snatcher complimented.
"I'm a photojournalist," the woman replied. "Weird old mansions are kind of my thing. And this one is one of the weirdest."
"Oh?" Snatcher asked. "How so?"
"Well, you know about the tower that was imported all the way from France, right?"
"I am afraid I am unaware of this little fact."
"So you know how when you first drive up to the hotel," the woman explained, "one of the towers looks different? It was actually built in France, and it's way older than the rest of the building. Rumor has it that tower is actually connected to Marie Antoinette."
A name Snatcher didn't know, but he wasn't about to betray that. "Come to think of it," he mused, "I do know the tower of which you speak. I noticed it upon our arrival. My traveling company and I were slightly distracted by the inclement weather. Oh, how my darling Torchwick was inconvenienced! But now I recall the sight. Though I do not recall having entered it from the inside."
"That's the weird part," the woman said. "You can't get INTO the tower from inside. Or outside. Why ship it all the way from France if you weren't going to make it part of the building? That seems super suspicious to me. Though I wouldn't put anything past crazy old Ezra Wickford. You know, the guy who built this place. He shut himself away for, like, fifty years."
"Did he, now?"
"Yeah. It was nuts."
"It seems this building has a far more fascinating history than I first thought," Snatcher commented. He briefly wondered if the tower had anything to do with the strange door Roman and Rémington had mentioned finding in the bottom of the elevator shaft. A hidden entrance, perhaps? "Oh, my dear, how rude I have been! I haven't once asked your name."
"It's Lisa," the woman introduced, leaning over her arm rest to extend her right hand to Snatcher. "Lisa Ostrum."
"A pleasure, Miss Ostrum!" Snatcher grasped her hand, shaking it firmly. "Or is it Mrs.?"
"Oh, I'm not married," Lisa practically laughed.
"I am surprised. You seem such a lovely and charming young lady. I would think suitors would be clamoring for your hand!"
Lisa chuckled. "What about you? What's your story? And who did you all come here with?"
"My name is Penelope Frou Frou," Snatcher lied smoothly as he let go of Lisa's hand. "My significant other and three of our close friends came here for a little rest and relaxation. We did not expect the heavy snowfalls to dampen our plans so. Luckily, we have found entertainment enough inside the building."
"Doing what?" Lisa asked. "It's dead boring here without access to the library. Can you even believe that? Dexter totally thinks one of US vandalized it! Us guests, I mean."
"Oh?" Snatcher replied. "And what do you believe?"
"I don't know," Lisa said all too coyly. "If somebody wanted to destroy the library, that must mean they were looking for something important in there. I wish I could go check it out for myself. It would make a great addition to the piece I'm writing on this place, but Dexter keeps warning me not to make a spectacle out of his hotel. I just think some intrigue would spice it up!"
"Truly a pity," Snatcher said with mock sympathy.
"This whole place just seems like a mystery waiting to be solved," Lisa admitted. "The French tower nobody can get in, the eccentric founder, the library vandalism…what are they hiding here that they don't want us to see?"
Snatcher decided to test the waters. "Perhaps something to do with Monseiur Egan's ill reputation."
"Ill reputation?" Lisa repeated. "Oh, yeah, the bad checks! Trust me, I did my homework on the guy. Hey, you know what would be really weird?"
Snatcher took a stab at reading her mind. "If he believed there were something of value in the library," he whispered, "and ransacked it of his own accord in order to search for it before covering up his crime by blaming a wayward guest?"
"Get out!" Lisa smacked Snatcher's upper arm. "That's exactly what I thought! That guy's definitely hiding something."
"Perhaps," Snatcher suggested in a low voice, "he seeks recompense for the inheritance he was denied."
"Inheritance?" Lisa repeated.
"My sources tell me he was set to inherit the castle," Snatcher whispered, "but it was denied him."
He had his reasons for disclosing. Lisa was obviously interested in the secrets of the castle. If she were holding any cards, Snatcher wanted to lay down a few of his own to encourage her to play.
"No way!" Lisa hissed. "That would have to make him crazy Ezra's son or something! How did you even know that?"
"You have been doing your investigations into this castle's secrets," Snatcher told her, "and I have been doing mine."
Lisa gasped. "Did you actually find a way to get into the library?"
"Why, Miss Ostrum!" Snatcher placed a hand over his heart. "That would be breaking and entering! I am far above such base crimes!"
"That wasn't a 'no,'" Lisa realized.
Snatcher winked.
"Something's going on here," Lisa stated, "and you're in on it."
"Something was going on here well before I arrived," Snatcher told her, "and I wish to become involved."
"Me too!" Lisa said with a nod. "I've been digging ever since I showed up!"
"Digging, hm?" Snatcher repeated. "Not in the library, perchance?"
"You think I was the one who broke in and messed everything up?" Lisa asked, suddenly perturbed. "No way! The investigations I've been doing are perfectly legal!"
"Such as?"
"Well…" Lisa weighed her options. "I did actually find something. But I'm not quite sure what to make of it. Hey, maybe you'll know what it is! Can you help me?"
"I would be honored to do my very best," Snatcher told her.
"Okay," Lisa said as she rose from her seat. "It's weird, Penelope."
Snatcher bristled at her use of his false first name. He had become accustomed to people delegating to "Frou Frou."
"I already feel like we have some kind of…castle-investigating bond," Lisa went on as Snatcher rose. "I think we're gonna be good friends."
"The feeling is mutual," Snatcher responded, though it really wasn't.
Lisa led Snatcher upstairs to her room on the first floor. "I'll just need a minute." She disappeared into the room. When she re-opened the door, she poked her head around it, asking, "Okay, are you ready to see what I found?"
"My dear, I am positively dying with curiosity!" That sentiment was hardly a lie.
Lisa stepped around the door and into the hall, holding out an object that made Snatcher's eyes widen. It was a golden disc, six inches wide, with a green jewel inset at its center.
"I found this when I was investigating," Lisa explained. "Don't worry. It was hidden in some kind of secret alcove. It doesn't belong to anyone. But I have no idea what it is or what it's supposed to be for."
"Puzzling indeed," Snatcher remarked. "It appears quite valuable."
"It does, doesn't it?" Lisa agreed. "At least, it LOOKS like gold and an emerald. It's probably just brass with green glass in it. I'm seriously stumped."
"I will take it into consideration as I continue my search," Snatcher told her, hoping against hope.
"Hey!" Lisa suggested. "You already got way farther than I did in just a couple days. You can probably figure out what it's for a lot sooner than I can. Why don't you hang onto it?"
Exactly as Snatcher had hoped. "Oh, I couldn't dream of doing such a thing," he replied. "It is your hard-won prize!"
"Come on," Lisa urged. "Think of it as a gesture of friendship. It means I trust you. You just have to promise me one thing."
"And what is that?"
"If you figure out any more dirt, you'll share it with me right away."
"Two heads are better than one," Snatcher affirmed. "Perhaps between the two of us, we can crack the codes of this strange old manor." He reached out, taking the disc into hand. "To friendship."
"To friendship!" Lisa agreed.
Not a few minutes later, Snatcher hurried back to his room. As he closed the door behind him, he became aware that he was not alone. Not only Roman was waiting for him, but Rémington, Grany, and Neo had also gathered.
"Hey, Archie!" Roman greeted, holding up the disc with the blue stone. "You're not going to BELIEVE what we found!"
"The plot thickens," Rémington said as he displayed the disc bearing the red stone.
"Indeed," Snatcher agreed in his natural timbre as he held out the green-stone disc. "It does."
...
"Maybe I'm a hypocrite," Ruby sighed as she, Sora, Papyrus, Jasmine, Stork, Zuko, Katara, and Aang strolled the Royal Plaza. The sun had gone down long ago, and the group was taking in the sight of the city by night, lit by innumerable flames.
"How?" Katara asked.
"Because I got so mad at Sora for abandoning his family," Ruby moaned, "but I did the same thing to my dad and my sister. I just took off to go try and take care of the bad guys on my own. I thought leaving a silly letter would make up for it, but that probably wasn't good enough. And now I'm not even tracking the same bad guys I left home to follow."
"Well, maybe we just need to stop by your house in Remnant sometime soon," Sora suggested. "You could check up on your family!"
Ruby shook her head. "I left them for a reason," she insisted, "and I'm not finished with that reason. I just feel like it's too late to turn back now."
"What was the reason in the first place?" Katara asked.
"Looking for Cinder Fall," Ruby explained. "The person who put together the destruction of my school. The reason my friends and I got so split up."
"But you all look like you're getting along fine now," Aang pointed out.
"Well, these are my good friends, all right," Ruby sighed, "but they're not my oldest friends. I was part of a team back in school, and we were almost inseparable until the incident. Now Blake doesn't want to see me, Weiss's dad wouldn't LET her see me, and…I'm sure my sister is fine, but she just lost so much. She wasn't the same."
"I can't imagine how I'd feel if that happened with me and my friends," Aang said morosely. "I mean, sure, some of us are separated by distance right now, but we're close in other ways. I'm sorry that happened to you and your team."
"I don't know," Katara suggested. "If you were really that close, maybe you'll find a way to get back together and patch things up."
"That's what I think!" Sora asserted.
"You're right," Ruby said with a smile.
"Would it be helpful if we stopped chasing Mozenrath and started looking for Cinder once we're done here?" Jasmine asked. "After all, there is a chance we'll be able to stop Mozenrath on this world and move on to other things."
"Would that be okay with everyone?" Ruby asked.
"IT IS ONLY OUR DUTY TO HELP OUR SWORN FRIEND ON HER QUEST TO FIND HER ARCHNEMESIS!" Papyrus said confidently.
"Well, I don't know if she's my archnemesis," Ruby muttered.
"Eh, it's either chasing our own doom one way or chasing our own doom another way," Stork said with a shrug.
"Let's do it!" Sora asserted.
"Well, if you need to change gears," Katara stated, "then we'll have to be sure to stop this Mozenrath right here and right now."
"I know we can do it!" Aang chirped.
"It sounds like it's what needs to be done for our own safety anyway," Zuko pointed out. "What affects you affects us. This is all tied together now."
"Fire Lord Zuko!" A messenger clad in red bolted across the plaza. "FIRE LORD ZUKO!"
"What is it?" Zuko asked with concern once he noted the messenger's panic.
Slowing in front of Zuko, bending over to catch his breath, the messenger relayed, "There's been a break-in at the prison. Most of the guards on duty were killed, and your father is gone."
...
It was immediately agreed upon that the Fire Nation prison break warranted investigation; Zuko found himself accompanied by Aang, Katara, Sora, Ruby, Stork, Jasmine, and Papyrus as he investigated the site of the incident. This turned out to be somewhat regrettable, as the corpses of the fallen guards had not yet been cleaned up, and this made Papyrus uncomfortable to a great degree; he ended up distancing his visual focus from them as Katara and Jasmine led him through by the hands. Stork waffled between wanting to vomit at the sight and being strangely intrigued by some of the more mangled corpses' methods of death.
"You think this was Mozenrath?" Sora asked Jasmine.
"I don't know," Jasmine admitted. "I've seen him attempt to do things like this, but he's never gotten this far. Remember, Maleficent apparently also has agents here."
"And she's definitely gotten this far before," Sora realized. "It could be either of them."
They stopped before the cell that had belonged to Ozai, where a pair of freshly stationed and obviously shaken guards awaited. "Fire Lord Zuko," one of them greeted. "You're obviously aware of the damage."
"I am," Zuko replied. "And I think…no. I know this was all done to get to my father. This kind of slaughter is something he'd endorse. Did anyone witness the breakout? Did anyone hear or see anything that might clue us in to where he was taken?"
"No, my lord," the other guard said. "Every guard on this level either escaped or…didn't. There were no witnesses."
But then, from a little ways down the hall, an interruption: "Not among the guards, anyway. But did anyone think to ask the other prisoners?"
Immediately, Katara spat, "What is SHE doing here?"
"I don't know," Zuko grumbled. "She isn't supposed to be here."
"Who is she?" Sora asked, curious.
"My sister," Zuko growled.
"What's the matter, Zuzu?" the female voice persisted. "Aren't you happy to see your sister again?"
"I'm guessing there's a reason you didn't bring her up earlier when we were talking about family," Stork said gingerly.
"Maybe we should see what she knows," Ruby suggested.
"She'll lie," Zuko insisted. "She's always been a good liar."
"But it's the only lead we have," Ruby insisted. "And…she's your SISTER."
"Maybe you got lucky, having a sister who loved you and wanted to be your friend," Zuko told Ruby. "I'm glad that was your life. But it wasn't mine."
"She's right, though," Katara pointed out. "Not about her being your sister, but about her being the only lead we have."
Zuko said nothing, but he nodded, knowing full well he'd been backed into a corner. He marched toward the cell from which the voice had come, his new friends in tow.
A teenage girl with long, dark hair and a coy smirk leaned against the wall of the cell, watching Zuko's approach through the bars. "Now that's more like it," she said coolly.
"Azula," Zuko greeted stiffly as he neared her. "I thought you were being rehabilitated in a mental institution."
"Oh, I was," Azula confirmed. "But my health improved drastically as of late, and I was proclaimed cured. They still believed I was too dangerous to let walk free, however, on account of things that they insist upon referring to as 'war crimes.' So I was transferred here."
"Why doesn't your story make sense to me?" Zuko countered.
"How else could I have gotten here?" Azula retorted. "Once you can explain it yourself, you have every right to question me."
"It is true," a guard piped up. "The doctors at the institution signed her over to us, citing a drastic improvement in her mental state."
Something still didn't quite ring true to Zuko, but he had no clue what to call out. "All right," he commanded. "Tell us what you saw."
"You think I'm going to give you something for nothing?" Azula gave a short laugh. "It's like you've completely forgotten who I am, Zuzu."
"What do you want?" Zuko asked sharply.
"As you can see, I'm perfectly mentally stable," Azula presented as her case. "As for the things I said and did during my stint as acting Fire Lord, I promise not to do them again. I'm a good girl now, Zuko. It just isn't fair that I should still be locked up here. I could tell you everything I saw and heard if you would order your guards to unlock my cell door and let me walk free into the capital with all crimes forgiven."
"You can't think I'm going to do that," Zuko growled. "I'm not setting you on the Fire Nation people just so you can lie to me."
"Fine," Azula huffed. "Don't let me out. Then I won't tell you anything about the plan I overheard our father discussing with the people who broke him out. You'll just have to find out the hard way when he comes for you. Which he will."
"Uhhhmm, Zuko?" Stork piped up. "I think she knows something about your dad. I wouldn't ignore her if I were you."
"What do you want me to do?" Zuko cried. "Let her out?"
"Well, what's the worst she did?" Ruby wondered.
"People have died at her command!" Zuko insisted. "She even turned on her own best friends!"
"No, they turned on me!" Azula snapped. "They were too foolish to know what they were dealing with!"
"They knew exactly what they were dealing with," Zuko growled. "You hurt and controlled Ty Lee and Mai from the very beginning. That's why they 'betrayed' you."
"Water under the bridge," Azula said coolly. "I completely fail to see how it's relevant to here and now. I have information you need, and you have the key I need. What could possibly be so complicated about that?"
"MAYBE SHE DESERVES A SECOND CHANCE," Papyrus suggested. "SHE DID PROMISE SHE WOULDN'T DO ANYTHING BAD AGAIN!"
"Didn't you hear what I said about her being a liar?" Zuko said incredulously.
"BUT HOW WILL YOU KNOW IF SHE CAN DO BETTER IF YOU NEVER LET HER TRY?" Papyrus asked.
"That's a strange-looking friend you have," Azula observed. "All the same, he has a point. I really have put my days of murder and domination behind me, Zuzu. But you keep refusing me the chance to prove myself."
"If you really meant to leave your old ways behind," Zuko insisted, "you'd tell us what happened to our father without making me bow to your demands first!"
"You're just wasting time," Azula reminded him. "And the more time you waste, the closer our father gets to his goal. Do you really want to find out what it is by running out of time?"
Zuko sighed, turning his back to Azula. "I don't know," he admitted to his friends. "I don't feel like letting her out would be safe for anyone, even her. But she really is our only lead."
"Papyrus made a good point," Aang observed. "She's acting pretty suspicious now, but if we let her out, maybe she could have a chance to change."
"We need to get that information somehow," Katara emphasized, "and there's really no other way to do it."
"No humane way, anyway," Stork brought up.
"What if you put her under supervision?" Jasmine suggested. "Let her leave, but have her watched."
"There really isn't a way to win here," Stork added. "It looks like you just have to pick whichever way of losing won't be worse. Get surprised by your dad, or get backstabbed by your sister?"
"And if the information she gives us isn't even real?" Zuko asked.
"Like I said, there's no way to win here," Stork reiterated.
Zuko closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before letting it out. "She's terrible," he said at last, "but nowhere near as terrible as our father."
"That really isn't flattering, Zuzu," Azula said snidely.
Zuko turned back to her. "Give up the information," he commanded, "and we'll put you on parole. You'll be free, but you'll be watched by some of our strongest benders."
"Such distrust," Azula huffed. "But fine. I can see that's the only way we're going to get anywhere. Unlock the door, and I'll start talking."
"I don't like this," Stork muttered.
Sora's Keyblade glittered into his hand. "If you try anything," he warned Azula, "we'll be ready."
"What a silly toy," Azula remarked. "I don't see how a giant key is supposed to make me afraid. But take whatever precautions you must."
Ruby fumbled with the case on her back, bringing out Crescent Rose. "If a giant key doesn't convince you," she posed, "what about this?"
"A gardening tool?" Azula sniffed. "HA! HAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh, Zuzu, your friends really are too entertaining!"
A guard handed the keys to Azula's cell to Zuko. As he unlocked the door, everyone tensed, ready for battle.
"You can calm down," Azula said casually. She moved forward; everyone stepped back to admit her into the hallway. "You made good on your end of the bargain," she stated, "so I'll make good on mine. At what I would estimate to be rougly sundown, seven people fought their way to this level of the prison, killing everyone in their sights. As they stopped outside of our father's cell, they were just within view from mine. Their spokesperson was tall and thin, with dark skin and a top hat and cane. Among their number was one I recognized, but you're probably about to accuse me of lying when I say they were accompanied by Admiral Zhao."
"He's dead," Zuko said flatly.
"That really hasn't stopped any of our enemies before," Stork pointed out.
"The other five, along with Zhao, were responsible for most of the killing," Azula continued. "There were two women with red hair, one taller than the other. There was a short woman with hair of a striking violet color; I would describe her as heavyset. A taller man with long, blond hair bore a disproportionately large blue shield. Finally, someone I assume to be male with a thick build had his face hidden beneath a helmet that resembled a dragon skull."
"Those are all people who work for Mozenrath!" Sora realized. "We saw one of the women with red hair, and Kairi saw the other on the Balmera! The blond guy has to be Vexen. And we know all about the one with the purple hair and the guy with the skull helmet. Mozenrath has to be working with Zhao and this new guy!"
"Not necessarily," Azula brought up. "Zhao betrayed an important little secret. The spokesperson had somehow trapped the souls of the five warriors inside rings I presume he wore on his hand, and he used that to command them. I highly doubt this alliance was formed of free will."
"Maybe the spokesperson and Zhao are working for Maleficent," Jasmine worked out. "Maleficent must be interested in Zhao, and she found a way to get Mozenrath's people to work for hers by force."
"But where's Mozenrath?" Ruby asked. "He didn't fit any of those descriptions."
"I don't know where your little friend is," Azula huffed. "I only know who I saw and what I heard. And you're going to want to pay careful attention to this next part. The spokesperson promised our father he would once again sit upon the throne by tomorrow night. My guess is he is going to attempt to invade…if he isn't already situated within our walls. When I said time was running out, I meant it."
"We have to prepare the defenses," Zuko realized. "Fortify the walls. Patrol the streets. Search everywhere for these warriors!"
"Is that everything?" Katara asked Azula.
"That is everything," Azula confirmed.
"But how can someone's soul be tied to a ring?" Aang wondered out loud.
"You've seen the magic we use," Sora reminded him. "Our enemies use magic too. Doing something like that is probably easy for them."
"They shouldn't be forced to do things like that against their will," Aang insisted. "How do we know they even wanted to kill so many people?"
"Trust me," Stork said dryly. "They did. We've been dealing with them for long enough to know that they did."
"But even if they are murderers," Aang brought up, "they were being forced to do it by someone else. They're slaves to the person who holds those rings. And that isn't fair."
"That isn't FAIR?" Stork repeated. He rolled his eyes, turning to Sora and pointing at Papyrus. "I have just gotten used to having ONE of him."
"HEY!" Papyrus barked.
"Well," Sora mused, "normally, I'd say they had it coming, but it sounds like them being trapped by Maleficent's new friend is bad for both them and us. Maybe Aang has a point."
"We can talk about whether or not it's fair for murderers to not get to pick their own murders later," Zuko insisted, turning on a heel. "Right now, we have to make sure this city is protected." He stopped momentarily next to the awaiting guards. "Escort Azula out. Find her a proper set of powerful chaperones. Don't let her do anything out of sight."
"Yes, my lord," the guards chorused.
Aang, Katara, Jasmine, Papyrus, Stork, and Sora hurried after Zuko. Only Ruby hesitated, dragging the toe of her shoe nervously over the floor as she looked Azula directly in the eye. "Thank you," she said nervously. "For letting us know what you did."
"No," Azula replied. "It's you and Zuzu I should thank, really." Her tone was still quite snide, but Ruby felt as though something in its foundation was sincere.
Ruby turned and hurried to catch up with the group; Katara and Jasmine took Papyrus' hands once more so he could watch the ceiling on his path through the littered corpses and blood.
"If they're bringing a fight to the Fire Nation," Sora insisted, "then we'll give 'em a fight! Together!"
...
Moana, Luna, Jaune, and Nora found that other Terras besides Atmosia were in need of attention that they could spare. Terra Nord radioed Atmosia asking for any food and medical supplies that could be spared. Moana, Luna, Jaune, and Nora volunteered to bring a few meals and kits to the frozen landscape of Terra Nord, and so they set out in a perpendicular direction to the path Riku and Kairi had taken. While Jaune and Nora tested their skills piloting skimmers, Luna let Moana ride on her back for the journey.
"The skimmer's really not that hard," Nora insisted as they sped through the sky. "You should give it a try! I can show you the controls!"
"I am happy to carry you on the way back," Luna affirmed.
"All right," Moana agreed. "We'll switch on the ride back. It can't be that much harder than learning to sail a boat, can it?"
They landed and split up. Moana and Luna brought first aid kits to Terra Nord's medical facility while Jaune and Nora carried the meal packages they'd brought to the governmental house.
"It's so cold," Moana complained with a shiver as she and Luna trudged back through the snow after making the delivery. "I didn't know it could GET this cold."
"We will depart for Terra Atmosia soon," Luna reassured her. "Though I would imagine that to you, even that climate would seem cool."
"Yeah," Moana confirmed. A blast of cold wind dusted her hair with snow.
On the other end of the Terra, Nora nudged Jaune. "Wanna make a Winter Maiden quick before we gotta go back?" The term, originating from the fairy tale about the four maidens that Nora and Jaune had recently learned were real, had become a colloquialism for using one's body to create the image of a figure wearing an elaborate dress in the snow.
"I'm not really in the mood," Jaune told her. "The snow would just get everywhere and – "
"Your loss!" Nora flopped down into a snowbank, waving her arms and legs to make the semblance of sleeves and a skirt. "Though I bet you would have said yes if KAIRI asked."
"I – wha – what?" Jaune was caught off guard.
"Oh, come on," Nora insisted. "Like it isn't obvious. You totally have a thing for her."
"There's…something, I'll admit," Jaune confessed.
"So why don't you just let her know?" Nora asked. "It's pretty obvious she likes you too."
"It…it is?" Jaune replied. "I mean, I'd been getting vibes, but I didn't know if I was onto something or I was reading too much into her just being friendly. I mean, above anything else, we are friends. As for why I don't bring it up…the timing's never right."
"Are you still thinking about…"
"Pyrrha. Yes."
Nora brought her limbs to a halt. "I miss her too," she sighed as she lay in the snow, letting the cold permeate her skin. "But you know she'd want us both to move on."
"I know," Jaune sighed. "And to tell you the truth, it's been bothering me less and less the more time passes. But it still just…doesn't feel like the right time to tell Kairi how I feel."
"Well, when will it be the right time?"
"Right now, I'm counting on knowing it when it happens," Jaune admitted.
Voices became barely audible to him, drifting through the snow. "Luna and Moana are coming back," he announced.
As Nora peeled herself out of the snow, she got an earful of what was being said.
"I just don't get why he and Ren are friends with her," Moana's voice carried across the snow. "She's so…weird."
"There is no accounting for taste when it comes to Jaune or Ren," Luna's voice replied. "One is a coward and a failure. The other is far too quiet."
"HEY!" Nora cried.
"Where do they get off thinking they can say things like that about us?" Jaune cried, offended. "I thought we were all friends!"
He and Nora broke into a run.
Moana shivered, running her hands up and down over her arms. "Remind me not to volunteer for any more missions where snow is involved," she said through chattering teeth.
"I shall commit it to memory," Luna resolved.
"Wait," Moana asked. "Do you hear that?"
"…Don't think we can trust her," Jaune's voice said from up ahead. "I don't buy that she's over her whole Nightmare Moon phase for a second."
"At least she's actually competent," Nora's voice chimed in. "Being the princess of the moon is SOMETHING. What even is Moana? She just kinda talked herself into this whole chosen one thing."
"HEY!" Moana screamed.
"They…do not trust me?" Luna was taken aback.
Moana stormed forward at a faster pace. Luna followed, attempting to appear confident in her strides, but truly shaken.
Both pairs came into view of one another. "WHAT did you just say about me?" Moana yelled at Nora.
"What did I say about YOU?" Nora snapped. "What did YOU say about ME?"
"What DID I say about you?" Moana asked. "You're the one who said I talked myself into thinking I was special!"
"I never said that!" Nora yelled. "If I said anything about you, it's that I'm offended that you called me weird!"
"Yeah, well, 'weird' is a step above 'coward and failure,'" Jaune said with a pointed glare toward Luna.
"You believe I called you those names," Luna stated.
"Uh, yeah, you did," Jaune accused. "I heard you loud and clear."
"Just as I believe I heard you state that you did not truly believe I had left Nightmare Moon behind," Luna went on.
"I did NOT say that," Jaune defended.
"What is going on here?" Moana asked. "Why do we all think we insulted each other?"
"Because you DID!" Nora snapped. "Explain how else I heard exactly your voices saying that stuff about us! And Ren, too!"
"Well, I heard your voices," Moana grunted. "And I KNOW Luna and I never said those things about you."
"Something odd is happening here," Luna observed. "I am not so sure what any of us heard was as it seems."
"Well, I got bullied enough at Beacon," Jaune huffed. "I don't need any more abuse from my so-called friends."
"And you can FORGET me showing you how to use the skimmer," Nora snapped at Moana.
"Fine!" Moana retorted. "I don't want you to show me anyway!"
"Please!" Luna insisted. "There is no reason for you to fight! Something else is interfering with our communication!"
"Like WHAT?" Moana, Nora, and Jaune snapped at Luna.
"I…I do not know," Luna admitted. "But it cannot be so simple as all four of us deciding to insult each other and denying it to each other's faces."
"Well, until you come up with a better explanation, I'm sticking with you," Moana told Luna. "I don't need to be around people who make me feel bad and then pretend it was MY fault."
"That's what YOU just did to US!" Jaune groaned.
"Talk about toxic," Nora added.
Jaune and Nora turned to storm toward their skimmers. Moana frustratedly kicked and stomped at the snow, letting them get a good distance ahead before telling Luna, "Okay, let's GO!"
"All right," Luna replied, crouching so Moana could climb aboard her back. All the while, her mind raced; what sort of form could an outside force take that could make it seem as though good friends insulted each other?
...
Turning up the three medallions had seemed a good bit of progress, so instead of ordering room service, Snatcher, Roman, Neo, and the Smisses took a shuttle bus down into the nearest town to find a diner at which to treat themselves to a celebratory dinner.
"To us!" Snatcher raised a champagne flute in which the bubbles delicately rose. "The most clever of rogues, if I may borrow the title of the brothers Smisse."
"To us!" Roman agreed, lifting a glass of beer in return before downing it.
"Hey, you'll want to stay at least sort of sober," Rémington grunted. "If we're going to break into that door later, I'm not having you wander into a death trap because you were tipsy."
"You DO care!" Roman mocked, placing both hands over his heart.
"Pure loyalty among rogues, I assure you," Rémington huffed.
"Which reminds me," Snatcher brought up, "I may have learned where your door leads. My conversation with Miss Ostrum took a turn toward the tower that does not match the rest of the hotel's façade. It is apparently French in origin, and all but inaccessible."
"So the guy who built the place stuck a giant obvious tower out front that you can't get into?" Grany reiterated. "You were right. That's hiding something."
"Of course, I have reason to believe your hidden door provides an entryway," Snatcher concluded.
"That does it," Roman decided. "We're getting into that door tonight. And if it ends up leading nowhere, well, at least we have those medallion things. Those should fetch a good price."
"We don't even know what they're for," Grany pointed out.
"What makes you think they're FOR something?" Roman asked. "They're bling."
"You think someone would just put three jewels in the middle of discs like that and not have it be FOR something?" Grany retorted.
"If they are jewels," Snatcher pointed out. "Miss Ostrum suggested the possibility that they are merely glass."
"I know glass when I see it," Rémington argued. "They're not glass. They're the real deal."
Neo gestured that she wanted to bring the topic back to the tower and the door.
"What about it?" Roman asked her.
She pointed to herself, then to Roman and Rémington.
"You wanna come with!" Roman realized. "I don't see why not. I'd actually prefer all five of us be in on this, but…how to put this without being rude…"
Neo formed a square in the air the size of the ventilation shaft, then slid both hands over her waist.
"Yeah, that," Roman agreed. "You're the only one. Same thing if we use the elevator panel. Anyway, we'll need SOMEONE to hold the elevator on EXACTLY the first floor this time around. Second floor, the weights are in the way of the door. Basement, there's a whole elevator in the way."
"I'm certain Mr. Smisse and I can manage the chaperoning of a simple elevator," Snatcher stated.
"Sounds boring," Grany groaned. "How about you keep the elevator in place and I catch up on my reading? We have a whole library open to us, after all."
"Have you no sense of responsibility?" Snatcher growled. "What happened to loyalty among rogues?"
"But you're going to be right there to do it," Grany argued.
Snatcher simply rolled his eyes and let the subject drop.
"Keep your scroll on you," Roman told Snatcher. "If we find anything, I'm sending you pics."
"Most certainly," Snatcher said with a nod.
Neo suddenly squirmed and bounced excitedly, drawing circles in the air.
"The medallion things?" Roman asked.
Neo nodded.
"We should take them with us!" Roman realized. "If they ARE for something, it might be in that tower!"
Neo clapped.
"Our plan is set," Snatcher affirmed. "Once we return to Wickford Castle, we shall investigate this hidden door straightaway. But first, let us take time to enjoy our well-deserved meal."
As if on cue, the waiter showed up, setting hearty plates before each of the five, and discussion halted as they tore into their food.
The sun had disappeared below the horizon as the five caught the next shuttle up to Wickford Castle. They laughed and chatted as they made their way back to their stretch of rooms. Snatcher inserted his key card into the door to his and Roman's place of rest, swinging the door wide.
The five fell completely silent once they beheld the sight of the ransacked room: the bedcovers rumpled, the drawers pulled out, the chairs knocked aside.
Roman broke the silence: "What…the…FUCK?"
Snatcher immediately rushed for the drawer where he had placed all three medallions for safekeeping. While everything else seemed to be present, albeit shoved out of place, the discs had disappeared. He punched the dresser in frustration.
"Don't tell me," Rémington groaned.
"We've been robbed," Snatcher informed the others as he stood to full height. "Our hard-earned medallions have been purloined. And whoever has done this…" He slipped into his natural timbre. "Has made a powerful enemy."
...
Facilier, Ozai, Zhao, and their five captives killed the following day out in the wilderness, with Zhao departing to hunt for game at every mealtime and returning with meat to roast by his own hand. Facilier spoke to Ozai of life with Maleficent and what he could expect if he succeeded at his venture. Vexen, the Huntsman, Wuya, Mim, and Xayide were still not allowed to converse, forced to listen in from the sidelines as the other three spoke. Hardly a moment went by that the Huntsman was not occupied by thoughts of Mozenrath: had he found help? Had he been taken to the Spirit Waters? Was he still lying in the bed in the hotel in Ba Sing Se? Or had he already wasted away to nothing?
"I have one question," Vexen said suddenly in the late afternoon.
"I'll bite," Facilier responded. "Go on."
"Why come all the way out here to invade from the outside?" Vexen asked gruffly. "Would it not have been far easier to stake out a hiding place within the walls of the capital while we were there? The defenses of the city are nigh impossible to overtake. If we show up at their door with an army of Heartless, we shall surely be gunned down within moments. Had we slipped into the capital and stayed there, we would have stealth on our side."
"I must admit, this strategy was born of a somewhat selfish desire on my part," Facilier confessed. "We could have invaded from within, and it would have been much easier. But then the Fire Nation would have every excuse for why they couldn't stop us. Now, if we turn up outside an almost impenetrable city and break its defenses like a glass window with a rock thrown up against it, then they'll know exactly what they're dealin' with. You say we'll be gunned down. I have good reason to think otherwise. And li'l Zuko will have the honor of sayin' he tried everything to stop us, but we were just too powerful. Ain't nobody gonna try messin' with Ozai after that."
"I see your point," Vexen affirmed. "And it is borne of great arrogance."
"Is it really arrogance if I know it's gonna work for a fact?"
The subject was dropped.
As the sun began to drop in the sky, Facilier summoned a Soldier Heartless to his side. "Run along ahead," he commanded the small creature. "Tell me if they're expectin' company."
The Soldier turned and sprinted away, its tiny armor clanking.
"You can summon Emblem Heartless as well as Purebloods," Vexen remarked, somewhat stunned.
"All Heartless lurk in the same Darkness," Facilier told him. "I just call 'em out from their hidin' place."
The Soldier returned after some time; Facilier leaned down to get within listening range. Though the Soldier said no audible words, Facilier understood the Heartless nonetheless. He straightened up and made his announcement to the others: "They know somethin'. The defenses have been increased. Tanks out front, soldiers linin' the city edges, ships patrollin' the harbor." His grin nearly reached from ear to ear. "I was hopin' they'd catch on. I got just one question for all of them out there in that city."
He turned in the direction that he would soon march: "Are ya ready?"