AUTHOR'S NOTES: COVID-19 didn't kill me (or even infect me), although all of that staying at home made me stir-crazy enough that it definitely had a powerful impact on my creative psyche. That being said, while I am unsure if or when I'll be able to resume the original update schedule, this story isn't dead and I will endeavour to continue updating it when I can. In the meantime, we have schemers—lots of schemers.
Happy Reading!

BOOK THREE: WATER

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED FIFTEEN: THE BLOOD WHISPERER

Korra was still in disbelief, even as Senna put her shirt and parka back on once again. Seeing her mother topless (even if from behind) was not what had fazed her as much as realizing all the pieces that fell into place from this bizarre and mind-blowing revelation that even she had somehow not seen coming until too late.

"I'm sorry for not telling you sooner, Korra," Senna shook her head, "the Red Lotus gave me power, and when I was young and foolish that enticed me. Shenzi and Ikiza spent years in prison because of me, and I think maybe in a way, what Shenzi did to you was her way of getting back at me for what I did to her. Ikiza… I am not sure."

"There was a lot more going on in Nakkoa's head than she let on," Korra admitted, "but I'm sure that's the last thing on your mind. I can accept what she did though, so I can forgive what you did… you didn't do it to me anyways. The Red Lotus did, and you've disavowed them since whenever that was… right?"

She paused with an awkward expression. Senna chewed her lip for a moment.

"I keep tabs on members that I know;" Senna admitted, "but no, I'm not with them, and haven't been for over 20 years. When your father and I found each other, I knew at once he was the one, and then all we ever wanted was to settle down and live a simple life. Then we realized we had given birth to the Avatar, and simple was over. We knew one day the world would need you, and that you'd no longer need us anymore."

"Mom, dad, of course I still need you." Korra pulled them both into an embrace, "Tenzin was a great mentor; Mako, Bolin, and Kwan are great friends… Asami is the love of my life but she's not my mom or my dad… you guys can't be replaced. And I mean… look at the people I've befriended. Mako and Bolin are orphaned; Asami's missing her mom and her dad's in jail. Kwan and Tarrlok I shouldn't even need to mention. Even Tenzin…" she trailed off.

"Trust me… it's not something I take for granted."

There was a moment of silence as the family shared the group hug together, but after a moment the door opened, and to their surprise, Unalaq stood in the doorway. What surprised the trio more than his presence was that a moment later several Water Tribe soldiers appeared to flank him, armed and taking battle stances.

"Tonraq and Senna, by order of the Tribal Chief and with the approval of the Avatar, you are hereby under arrest and will stand trial."

"Excuse me, approval of the Avatar?" Tonraq raised his eyebrow, "what crimes have we committed against you, brother?"

"You, Tonraq, are under arrest for conspiring to assassinate me." Unalaq pointed, before turning to his wife. "And you, Mozu-Kaiyo, are under arrest for not only attempting to assassinate me directly, but also for your recent confessions of your involvement with the Red Lotus."

"Mom, I… Mozu-Kaiyo, but I didn't… aaah!" Korra yanked her sidelocks with frustration, remembering vividly that she herself had told Unalaq to try and apprehend the woman named Mozu-Kaiyo by any means necessary. Had she known Mozu-Kaiyo was her own mother, she might have been a bit more subtle about her own maneuvers, but it seemed like Unalaq had played her solidly.

"A word with you, Chief," Senna took a single step away from Tonraq and Korra, "no weapons, no water, no Avatar, no bodyguards, no knives, no fight—just a civil conversation between adults if we're going to be spreading secrets."

"That sounds exactly like the worst kind of idea right now," Tonraq muttered. "More lies and threats and blackmail for everyone?" This time Korra exchanged a look with him that proved the two of them were on the exact same page."

"In the spirit of fairness, I will humour her," Unalaq agreed, "although I will post guards around all entryways to ensure there is no… funny business, as it were. This conversation is not going to alleviate your arrest or prove your innocence, Senna. That will be determined at the trial."

"Very well," Senna nodded sternly, and walked past Unalaq, gesturing for him to follow until they were out of earshot. Unalaq's bodyguards shuffled out and Tonraq and Korra turned to each other with confused expressions.

"Any clues on what this is about, dad?" Korra raised her eyebrows.

"Your mother is definitely telling the truth about your uncle's involvement with the Red Lotus," Tonraq lowered his voice so that any eavesdropping guards wouldn't catch him, "I believe her word over my brother's, at any rate."

"They did fool me at least," Korra admitted, "well, then again I didn't exactly know much about the Red Lotus until after the fact. And for better or for worse, Unalaq did report the Red Lotus' attempt to end my life."

"I still think that was a setup to clear his own name," Tonraq mumbled, "Senna did the same thing, except she also volunteered to help combat the insurgents rather than flee and strike himself clean of her association. She did her time for it with an albeit lightened sentence, and so him trying to imprison her for a crime she had already committed is a crime all on its own. It's an abuse of power just like his military overreach and his occupation of the South."

"I think his intentions were good once upon a time," Korra admitted, "maybe even as far as when he tipped you and Tenzin off about the Red Lotus. But whatever he's doing now isn't okay, and after you've warned him, mom's warned him, and I've warned him, I don't think he's listening to reason anymore."

"Of that I have no doubt," Tonraq put an arm around Korra's shoulder, "but I don't think Senna's going to let him get away with this. She's not going to go down without a fight."

"Implying you'd go down without a fight either," Korra elbowed him with an almost playful grin.

"Not a prayer," Tonraq smirked. "Not that we have much of a choice right now, but let's wait and see what your mother has to say to our new self-appointed Chieftain. I'm sure it'll be good."

Senna led Unalaq down a hall to a small room at the end of the corridor, where he followed alone despite his reservations. She gestured for him to enter first, and to her slight surprise, he did so without any sign of hesitation.

"I confess to conspiring to remove you from office," she admitted after shutting the door behind them, "and I will not deny my past associations with the Red Lotus the way you are, Chieftain Unalaq. However, you've gone from being a chief to being a usurper stirring up conflict, using that to justify the martial law you've tried to put into place. This isn't uniting. This is a hostile takeover. That's not going to hold up in a court of law."

"Senna, if you're going to accuse me of intentional associations with the Red Lotus, the least you could do is provide evidence to support your claim. Otherwise, I could charge you for slander and defamation as well, and I don't imagine we want that." If he really was as devious and scheming as Senna assumed he was, Unalaq was keeping remarkably calm about it all to the point where not even the keen-eyed Korra could have read him.

"My charges for involvement with the Red Lotus were cleared after I helped quell the insurrection in Si Wong," Senna asserted, "and I did my time in prison for my involvement; a shortened sentence, I'll admit, but it was taken through a fair and unbiased trial—unless you assume that the verdict of men as important as Councilman Sokka and Avatar Aang are biased in favour of a woman who at the time was little more than a Red Lotus renegade?"

"You wound me, Senna dear," Unalaq smirked, "I shall host a fair trial, and any further grievances you have are welcome to be taken up against the judge."

"I'll hold you to that," Senna declared. "And until then, I will not resist arrest."

"Hopefully your husband and daughter are the same way." Unalaq retorted.

"You're going to arrest Korra?" the hair on the back of Senna's neck stood up,

"No; she assisted me in helping arrest you, actually—as well as the other lackeys in your assassination attempt, Mozu-Kaiyo." Unalaq smirked. It was clear he was trying to get a rise out of Senna, but unfortunately, Senna did not take the bait.

"We will go peacefully," Senna repeated, "but do not try to goad us further. I've spent time in jail for murder before, and I will do it again if necessary."

"Now, now," Unalaq continued playing innocent, "there's no need for violence. We shall proceed as indicated. Come with me."

"I'm bringing my flask," Senna asserted, "Otherwise there will be violence." This was less Senna wanting a drink and more just another of her methods of asserting dominance—that even when she was being arrested, she was calling the shots.

"I would never dream of being so cruel than to deny my sister-in-law her alcohol," Unalaq replied almost mockingly. "Now, please do come along; I would hate to cause any damage to you or your beautiful home in self-defense. I can assure you that I intend no harm to either of you."

Much to Korra's ire, Tonraq and Senna were taken into custody, although Korra had to be specifically told by her father not to do anything rash. Even Senna joined in on trying to encourage Korra to take a more rational approach to the situation.

"Korra, let things proceed as they are, and maintain the status quo as much as you can." Senna warned, "we'll be out of here in no time… and to celebrate that, I'm going to get my hunting knife collection back and get at least a dozen more."

"Still," Korra stammered for a moment before turning to Unalaq, "Uncle, you're making a mistake. I warned you about overstepping your bounds, and now you're turning on your own family?"

"I wish it hadn't come to this either, Korra," Unalaq frowned, "But you must understand how critically important balance is not only for you and your people, but for the South Pole as a whole—for the Water Tribes; for the world."

"But is usurping authority in the south really about balance, or is it about power?" Korra challenged her uncle's claim as her parents were hauled away.

"The Water Tribes are stubborn and resistant to change," Unalaq explained, "There is a reason that we have always been behind the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation when it comes to technological advancement and cultural progression."

"And on the other hand, we've still managed to preserve tradition as well as fend off the Fire Nation's imperialist crusade," Korra pointed out before pausing and glancing at the ground to her right. "Well, um… primarily—err, in the North."

"Not all progress is good," Unalaq warned, "the way the South has deviated from the traditions of the North and by extension the Water Tribes as a whole is dangerous, and that is why I am here. Suffice to say though, Korra; all is not lost. I have appointed Judge Hotah to oversee the trial, and he is one of the most fair and honourable men I know."

"But does that mean much, coming from you?" Korra could not help but wonder. Times like this made her question herself. Senna had been the aggressor here, and Korra knew that she was guilty. But if the courts did not see Unalaq's usurpation of power for what it was, then he would likely get acquitted while Senna and possibly even Tonraq would be in hotter water.

"I certainly hope so…" she muttered softly, and with that, Korra was soon alone again.

For a moment, Korra simply stood there in her parents' empty room, sitting on the edge of their bed and staring at the blank wall where her mother's hunting knife collection had been. She wondered what the scene had looked like, when Unalaq's troops had no doubt confiscated it, or how they got it all off of her person. Her mother… Korra was still somewhat in shock about what she had learned about her after all these years. Senna—her mother—had been a member of the same Red Lotus organization that had tried to weaponize her and strip her of her humanity in the process. Korra fully believed in the repentance process—she had, after all, helped Kwan turn her life around; but even then, it filled her with lingering doubts. How many other people close to her that loved her, also kept secrets from her?

She was soon snapped out of these doubts and concerns by a knock to her window. She startled slightly, and then glanced back down at the floor as she prepared to get lost in her own thoughts and fears again, but the gentle rapping repeated itself. Korra went over to the window and found a familiar waterbender looking her right in the eye.

"Risha?" Korra tilted her head, "what are you doing here? Why are you here?"

"I'm here for the same reason I'm ever anywhere," Risha explained, "I have interests and associates that have put a heavy investment in you, as well as personal interest in you as a person and as the Avatar—arguably, as the most powerful Avatar that has ever lived."

"I mean technically if you consider that each successive Avatar can call on the power of the previous ones," Korra pointed out, "then the latest one is always the most powerful one."

"You know what I meant, Interregnum." Risha riposted as Korra's face contorted into a pout, "you are an incredibly talented prodigy and a dangerously powerful Avatar. You know metalbending, you control lightning. You're a lavabender. You can blow things up with your face. Your fire is blue. Your uncle taught you how to heal, and how to purify angry spirits. Really, the only technique you haven't learned at this point is bloodbending as far as I'm aware."

"NO." Korra snapped, almost cutting Risha off mid-sentence. "No, that's out of the question. Even without taking into account the legality of bloodbending, that's the last thing I want to have to remember again." she shut her eyes for a moment, flashbacks of those times when Noatak and Tarrlok had used those techniques against her to her great detriment. She still bore those mental scars, as well as a few physical ones.

"And yet you're already halfway there as things stand," Risha warned, "the fact that you were able to break out of a bloodbender's grip on more than one occasion, without even using the Avatar State is a sign of your strength. It took a bloodbender to break out of a bloodbender's grip historically, and I'm personally of the belief that there's more to it than you simply being the Avatar. I think it's because you're powerful."

"Risha, stop." Korra held out her hands. "I'm not going down that path. It's illegal and it's morally wrong, and I still bear the scars from what it does. Sorry if that makes me biased, but that's not something I'm going to do. Besides, why do you care?"

"Chief Unalaq knows you oppose him even though your discussion apparently went civilly as he arrested your parents." Risha warned, "He suspects a trap. So do I."

"Wait," Korra's eyes narrowed into a suspicious pout, "you think I'm going to set a trap?"

"No," Risha corrected her, "Unalaq suspects a trap from you. I expect a trap… from him."

"He's setting a trap?" Korra liked to try and pretend she wasn't paranoid, but repeated traumatic incidents and betrayals had left their marks on the young Avatar much more than she was proud to admit they had.

"No, but if your theories of him being knowingly connected to the Red Lotus are true, then someone might be conspiring with him." Risha brandished a folded note, "but don't take this as me accusing your uncle at all—he might have nothing to do with it."

Korra took the note and unfolded it to read its contents.

"The only bending art she fears is the only one that she doesn't know. This may be the only chance we get."

~The Blood Whisperer

"The Blood Whisperer?" Korra pouted glancing up skeptically, "what kind of edgy name is—"

But when Korra had looked up, Risha was gone.