Chapter 25

Izara was heading outside and was trying to find Kazan at his usual post near the rear doors of the Palace. As expected, he stood tall and proud, ready for anything. Except for her, maybe. She moved to stand close to him to keep their words private.

"Kazan. I need your help." She said in a low voice, and he furrowed his brow at her.

"I'm on duty." He hissed quietly at her.

"I know, but I've cleared it with Guozhi. We need to go now." She hissed back, showing urgency.

He nodded slowly and spoke to his partner guard, and they seemed to understand even if they looked confused. Kazan followed beside her as they headed down the prison levels. Izara stayed quiet so word didn't spread about what was happening. She wanted to keep everything need-to-know and didn't want anyone else to know the details, aside from those already informed. Not that she didn't trust the other guards and staff, but she just didn't want word getting out. If people wanted to ogle the suspected Supremacist in prison, that would throw a spanner in her plans.

Once they got down to the prison level, turning left to enter it after the guard unlocked and opened the door for them, Kazan finally spoke.

"So, what do you need me for?" He asked quietly, eyes darting around to take in his surroundings.

Most guards never needed to go to the prison unless they were posted there. Kazan must never have been here before. Of course, it was a rather dank and unhappy place with no natural light. The two on duty cleared out, heading back towards the kitchen again. She was glad that they followed her orders unquestioningly. If she had the permission of both Guozhi and the Interim Fire Lord, then she definitely had the authority to give them orders.

"I've captured a Supremacist, and I plan to break him. I need you to back me up. I can't be here while sleeping or guarding General Iroh, so I need you to cover for me." Izara explained briefly, leading him to the guards' table where they could sit and talk.

"What the fuck? When did this happen?" Kazan asked in shock.

They sat at the table while Izara told him everything about what had happened. She had relayed the story a few times today and had gotten rather good at keeping the necessary information and leaving out the unnecessary stuff. Kazan asked a few questions while she talked, making sure he knew exactly what was going through her head while she was tailing him and when she captured him. She told him about their earlier conversation, word for word, and her plan for breaking him. He glared at her when she talked about the poison, reacting as she expected, but didn't say anything about it.

"Why did you specifically ask for me?" Kazan asked after she'd finished her tale.

"Because you know me, and I trust you." She replied as if it was apparent.

"Do you not trust anyone else here?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, but it was primarily because you won't question my methods. I've already been scolded about the poison several times today. You haven't." She gestured toward him as she mentioned him.

"It's not like I can do anything about it. Too late." He answered with a lazy shrug. "I'm in."

"Thank you. I'm glad you're here." Izara smiled at him and firmly patted his shoulder in appreciation.

She got up from her chair and pulled up her sleeve to see if the rash had started to develop. To her pleasant surprise, there were red and purple splotches along her forearms, and she made a noise in the back of her throat. Kazan tutted at her and shook his head but said nothing.

"I'll go in and see him now. I'll watch his reaction." Izara walked over to the cell.

After unlocking the door and heading inside, she leaned against the wall just next to the door. She shifted uncomfortably, not entirely acting since she did feel gross with the rash and the sweatiness. As best she could, she kept her expression open and relaxed to put him at ease.

"How are you, Barzan?" She asked politely.

"Aside from my locale, I am well. And yourself, Tara?" He asked, not quite able to hide his sadistic enjoyment.

"Hmm, I have a strange rash. Not sure what it's from. Maybe I'm allergic to something in the tonic?" She asked, scratching her forearm.

"Hm, I suppose it's possible." Barzan stroked his chin thoughtfully as if he was clueless. He wasn't a good actor, or maybe she was too perceptive.

'Tara' shrugged. "Anyway, is there anything you'd like to tell me, Barzan?" She used his name pointedly, trying to insinuate that she knew it wasn't his real name.

"No, but I would like to ask you when I may be released? I presume you spoke with your superior, yes?" He asked ever so sweetly.

"Oh, no. I figured I'd check and see if there was anything you'd like to confess first. Despite your telling me it's all a mix-up, I just wanted to be sure before talking to my boss. I don't want to get in trouble for making a fuss for no reason." She gestured animatedly, sure that Barzan would spot the rash developing on her arms when her sleeves moved.

"I understand. I wouldn't want to look foolish if I were in your position. However, I must force you to since there is nothing to this except coincidence." His tone was just as polite, and he spoke just as eloquently, not frustrated at all. Despite him being a bad actor, he kept his composure well.

"I don't believe in coincidences, Barzan." Her voice dropped to a low tone, and she let her laidback mask fall away into one cold and devoid of emotion.

As she hoped, the abrupt change in her demeanour took him off guard, and he looked a little unnerved. He blinked slowly and stuttered a few times before finally remembering he needed to speak.

"I can't help that." His usual eloquence had disappeared.

"Then, if you have nothing more to say, I will leave you be and come back later to see if you've changed your mind." She turned away from him and forced a small coughing fit before heading out through the door, slamming it closed behind her.

Kazan had been watching the whole thing and just looked at her blankly, taking on her blank persona to match her energy. His eyes showed a hint of concern, but anyone who didn't know him well wouldn't see it.

"So, what's the plan now?" He asked quietly, keeping his voice down.

"Give it another hour, go in there, make it look like I'm dying. Then we will leave him overnight to make him sweat. I'll make sure the guards don't let him sleep much. I'll pop back in about midday and come back from the dead. If that doesn't get him to fess up..." Her tone threatened suffering for Barzan if he didn't talk, and Kazan knew it.

"I'll watch him overnight?" Kazan asked.

"Mmm, please. I'm taking over guarding General Iroh from Chan first thing in the morning, and then I can continue afterwards." She explained briefly.

"Okay, then let me sleep for an hour so I can make sure I'm good to go later." Kazan went to turn away, but she stopped him.

"Hang on, I just need to update General Iroh first. I'll be as quick as I can." She waited for him to nod in confirmation, and she zipped off.

She took the stairs two at a time and jogged to the Fire Lord's office. Wen must have known about the situation and beckoned her with her hand when she saw Izara.

"How is everything? Are you feeling all right?" She asked quietly, inspecting her to see if she was about to pass out.

"I'm fine. I have a slight fever and a rash, but that's it." She lifted one sleeve to show her the purple and red splotches.

Wen grimaced at the sight and looked at her with worry in her eyes, then sighed with a nod.

"He's not busy. You can go in." She gestured toward the open door to the office.

"Thank you." Izara thanked her kindly, both for her concern and for her help.

Entering the office, she bowed low just inside the doorway and only straightened when she heard Iroh's voice asking her to come in.

"My Lord, I have an update for you." She said politely.

"Firstly, are you feeling all right?" His concern made her want to smile.

"I am okay. I have a fever and a rash, but it's tolerable." She reassured him with a nod.

He sighed but didn't comment. "Please, go ahead."

"Barzan still insists he is not involved, and it's all a coincidence. I started showing my hand and told him I would only speak to my boss once he had given me something. I'll go and speak to him again in an hour and make it look like I'm doing worse and dying. Then I'll surprise him tomorrow after I've finished my shift guarding you. With your permission, of course." She added as an afterthought, making sure she followed the correct protocol.

"I trust you implicitly, and if you like, I can be there with you tomorrow, and you can complete both duties simultaneously," Iroh suggested, and she thought about it for a moment.

"I don't know if I'm comfortable having you near him, my Lord. I'm unsure who he intended to poison, but he's clearly not harmless." Izara said, hoping that Iroh understood.

"I want you to deal with this quickly, before Zuko arrives home, if possible. I will be perfectly safe at your side." He reassured her, and she nodded in understanding.

"Thank you for your trust in me." She bowed low, genuinely grateful for his faith in her.

"Please be safe, and see Katara if you need her. I've got her on standby." His worry made her think of the Fire Lord, and she realised that his Uncle had definitely influenced him.

"I'll update you after I speak to him again soon."

Bowing briefly again, she retreated, giving Wen a quick wave before returning to the prison level. Kazan checked in, and she told him the General would be here in the morning to offer assistance and witness what happened. He nodded in understanding, then headed into one of the free cells with a cot to get some rest.

Izara went over to the two guards on duty to update them on their duties and responsibilities. Surely she was overstepping, but she didn't really care. This was a difficult situation, and she wanted to do everything she could to get some helpful information. When Fire Lord Zuko returned, they would have some good intel to follow up on.

"The prisoner will be here overnight, and I'd like you to ensure he doesn't get much sleep. Offer him some food and water, but less than usual. I want him out of sorts and tired when I return with General Iroh in the morning. Kazan will be here on watch overnight as well. Thank you." She nodded and didn't bother dismissing them since she already felt weird.

Instead, she marched off back to the chair and sat back down. Although having a book with her might have been nice, she knew she was too hyped up to have properly enjoyed anything. To pass the time, she grabbed some paper and wrote down as many theories as she could think of.

She organised them into different categories, which she had on separate pieces of paper. The first was who Barzan had intended to poison, how and why. The second was what information he was trying to gather by his presence in the Capital. The third was the contribution his plan would make to the Supremacists.

Musing over the ukoma flower and its effects, she wondered if it was to poison the Fire Lord with. It was a pretty swift death, usually 4 to 6 hours, depending on the person. The poison paralysed the skeletal muscles, affecting breathing and the body's normal function. After the rash showed, the fever would continually worsen, and they would flit in and out of consciousness. Eventually, they would have trouble breathing until their lungs simply gave out. The afflicted person would basically suffocate inside their own body.

She recalled that Barzan watched General Iroh when he went out, which was why she had captured him in the first place. Was the General the target? How would Barzan know that he was here? Not many people outside the Palace knew that the Fire Lord and Aang were going away, but it was common knowledge that the Avatar was here. Was the Avatar the target? Getting rid of one of Zuko's strongest allies was undoubtedly an excellent way to weaken him. It still didn't feel like the right plan, though.

Staring at her splotchy arms, Izara tried to figure out Barzan's grand plan. He was surprised that she found the poison in the first place, having hidden it well within his clothes. Unfortunately, she had hidden poison of her own in a similar way many times before.

"That's it!" She exclaimed as she got up from the chair so fast it fell over.

Kazan must have been disturbed by her outburst, and he wandered out from the empty cell with a sleepy look on his face. His hair was sticking up on one side, but Izara was too excited to tell him.

"He was supposed to poison himself." She said with her hands held up in front of her, gesturing animatedly.

"What?" Kazan asked after he blinked slowly and shook his head slightly to dispel his drowsiness.

"Barzan was going to use the poison on himself if he got caught. I used to keep a bottle of poison on me every time I went out on a job. I was trying to figure out who he was trying to poison, but no one made sense. Everyone knows that General Iroh is here, but both he and the Fire Lord would be too hard to get to without a connection or reason to get into the Palace. It's unlikely that anyone would get close enough. It had to have been for him to use as a last resort." Izara paced around as she explained her theory.

"That makes sense, I guess. So then, why is he here?" Kazan asked, trying to figure out their prisoner's motives.

"I haven't gotten that far yet, but I can only assume it's to check the Capital's defences. There are possibly orders written in the coded note. Maybe they intend to launch a direct attack, and he's assessing our strength? Barzan could be one of many scouts hidden away in the city. I need to warn the rest of the guards." She continued pacing, desperately trying to get her brain to work faster and harder to figure this out.

"Whoa, let's not get ahead of ourselves. I'll talk to Captain Guozhi, and he can talk to them. You need to stay here. I'll bring Luan here to look at the note too." Kazan raised and lowered his hands in a 'slow down' gesture.

Nodding, Izara knew he was right. She needed to keep on the train of thought and not get distracted if she was onto something. Kazan patted her on the shoulder encouragingly as he walked past her to head upstairs.

She kept pacing while she waited for him to return, wracking her brain for the answers…