The cracked mirror in the corner of the small bathroom wasn't much to look at, but it was enough for Li Rong.
She wiped a damp cloth across her face, watching as the grime of two days travel faded, revealing the sharp planes of her features beneath. Her green, almond-shaped eyes stared back at her, tired but resolute. Long black hair, pulled into a tight ponytail, framed her face, though a few loose strands stubbornly refused to stay in place.
She leaned closer, studying the faint scar along her cheekbone—one of many reminders of her training under Commander Yu.
Closing her eyes, Li Rong remembered the events of two days ago, the morning they left the Azure Palace.
"Before he went into hiding, our White Lotus contact requested that you locate him in the lower ring of Ba Sing Se." Her uncle had told her.
They were standing in his office by the large window. In the commons area below, Li Rong's team was gathered around a mass of satchels full of supplies. She watched as Ganaluk gestured angrily at Kiki. The young airbender's cheeks were full as an opened satchel lay between them.
"You will lead them well, my little Rabaroo." he said, his voice gentle.
The memory faded as the sound of muffled voices reached her through the thin walls.
She sighed as she grabbed another small towel from the sink and dried her face. In the living area of their temporary quarters, the team was as noisy as ever.
"Can we at least pretend this place isn't a dump?" Ganaluk said. "The ceiling's about to fall in."
"It's cozy!" Kiki quipped. "Besides, it's way better than the cells, right? Right, Kong?"
A low grunt was Kong's only reply.
Mitsuo yawned loudly. "Could use more pillows," he muttered. "Or a bed. A real bed."
Li Rong straightened her tunic, pocketed her purple stone, and stepped into the living area of their temporary quarters.
"Hey, Commander," Ganaluk drawled, leaning lazily against the wall. "Are the Blades so poor they couldn't afford to get us a livable place to stay?"
Li Rong rolled her eyes. Ganaluk had been complaining non-stop ever since they left the Azure Palace. She'd made the mistake of letting her irritation show once, and now he seemed to take it as a personal mission to needle her at every opportunity.
"I didn't realize you missed your cell so much, Ganaluk," she replied coolly, crossing her arms.
Across the room, Kiki snickered from where she lounged on a cushion. Kong, standing behind her, was methodically combing his sister's long hair.
"Maybe we blew the budget feeding your appetite," Ganaluk shot back, his icy blue eyes narrowing at Kiki.
Her face scrunched into an exaggerated scowl, and she stuck her tongue out at him in retaliation.
Li Rong couldn't suppress a sigh. As much as she hated to admit it, Ganaluk had a point. Kiki's constant snacking had already eaten into their stipend more than she'd anticipated.
They had arrived in the lower ring just an hour ago, following the directions her uncle had provided. Their temporary residence was tucked at the end of a dingy side alley, a small, crumbling apartment with barely enough space to hold the group.
"Let's go," she ordered. "We need to find our White Lotus contact as soon as possible."
"Good, I need a change of scenery," Ganaluk replied, pushing himself off the wall with exaggerated boredom.
The group left their tiny apartment and filed into the narrow alley. The air was thick with the smell of damp stone and fried food, mingling with the distant murmur of the main street ahead. They followed the alley until they emerged into a wide busy street.
Earth Kingdom citizens bustled past, going about their daily lives with hurried steps. The clatter of carts and the calls of vendors filled the air. Joining the flow of the crowd, the team soon found themselves in the heart of a crowded bazaar.
Li Rong wasn't worried about losing the team. In fact, they made sure to stay as close to her as possible, well aware of the bracelet she wore. Especially the twins.
On the first night of their journey, the two had tried to sneak off. Li Rong had awoken to the high keening screech of their Lian Beetles. A moment later, red lightning could be seen from the underbrush a few meters from their campsite. After they retrieved the two twitching airbender's, there had been no other attempts at escape.
The bazaar around them was alive with activity. Vendors stood by stalls stocked with various goods. The stalls were packed with everything from fresh produce to expertly crafted weapons.
Li Rong watched as a woman with a baby tied to her back, haggled with a merchant that seemed to only sell cabbages.
Suddenly a familiar sweet smell caught her attention. With a quick glance around, Li Rong located the smell's source.
Deeper in the bazaar was a stall selling her absolute favorite food in the Earth Kingdom, bean curd puffs.
"Let's look for clues around here." She said, moving toward the vendor. "I'll start over here."
The bazaar around them was alive with activity. Vendors manned stalls packed with an array of goods, from fresh produce to finely crafted weapons. A woman with a baby tied to her back was haggling fiercely with a merchant selling nothing but cabbages.
Li Rong's eyes swept the bustling crowd, instinctively scanning for anything suspicious. But instead of danger, a sweet, familiar smell caught her attention, stopping her in her tracks.
She turned her head, her gaze locking onto a stall deeper in the bazaar, where a vendor was setting out a tray of golden, steaming bean curd puffs—her absolute favorite food in the Earth Kingdom.
Focus, Li Rong, she scolded herself, but the thought didn't stop her feet from inching toward the stall. Most of the bazaar fell well within the bracelet's radius anyway, and the rest of the team was still in sight. Glancing back at them, she made a quick decision.
"Let's spread out and see what we can find, but stay inside the bazaar," she instructed. Her tone left little room for argument as she shot a stern look at Ganaluk and raised her wrist.
"And if any of you so much as step on someone's toe," she added, her voice dropping slightly, "I will use this."
Ganaluk smirked, a glint of mischief in his icy blue eyes, but said nothing. Kiki bounced excitedly on her toes, while Kong gave a short nod. Mitsuo was... gone.
Li Rong scanned the crowd but couldn't find him. Her fingers twitched toward her bracelet. Well, there's no red lightning, so he must still be nearby.
"We will meet back here in twenty minutes," she said briskly. "I'll start over here." Without waiting for a response, she turned and headed toward the vendor.
The steam rising from the fresh pastries clouded her thoughts. She didn't even notice the vendor's first greeting until his voice cut through her focus.
"I promise they won't run away."
Li Rong let out an awkward chuckle, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Her gaze lifted, and her words caught in her throat.
The vendor couldn't have been older than sixteen or seventeen. He stood a little taller than her, with a green bandana tied over his jet-black hair. His cream-colored skin was flawless except for a small mole under his right eye, and his piercing green eyes locked onto hers as he smiled—a brilliant, dazzling smile that seemed almost out of place in the crowded bazaar.
Li Rong cleared her throat and looked away. "I-I would like six, please."
The vendor laughed softly and began preparing her order. Li Rong's gaze drifted to his hands. They were rough and calloused—not the hands of someone who spent their days handling food.
This can't be his only job, she thought.
"Are you on break now?"
Li Rong blinked, startled, and glanced back up. The vendor nodded toward her tunic, his green eyes flicking briefly to the Kingdom's Blades emblem stitched on her chest.
"Ah, yes. Something like that," she replied non-committedly, shifting slightly. She became suddenly aware of the dirt caked onto her boots and her travel-worn uniform.
"What brings you and your team to the lower ring?" the vendor asked casually as he finished placing the pastries into a small woven basket. "We don't see many Kingdom's Blades wardens down here."
"A teammate really wanted these, so we made a little detour to pick them up," Li Rong said quickly. She handed over her payment, bowing slightly as she accepted the basket.
She turned to leave, eager to put the interaction behind her, when his next words froze her mid-step.
"I can't believe Yu would send me an amateur."
Li Rong spun around, her eyes narrowing. "Excuse me?"
The vendor's piercing green eyes locked onto hers, but his expression had completely transformed. Gone was the soft, welcoming smile. His jaw tightened, and anger simmered behind his gaze.
"I spotted you and your team the moment you stepped into the bazaar," he all but hissed. "You could at least have shown some subtlety. Plain clothes, maybe? Instead of strutting around in those flashy uniforms. Are you trying to blow my cover?"
Li Rong's mouth opened, then closed again, her mind scrambling for a response.
He's the contact?!
The vendor placed a closed sign atop his stall and stepped out of the small wooden structure. Without a word, he brushed past Li Rong, gesturing for her to follow.
Pastries forgotten, Li Rong hurried after him, irritation bubbling to the surface. "I am not an amateur," she said, her voice low and clipped. "We just arrived here two hours ago."
They moved swiftly through the crowd, the vendor weaving effortlessly between bustling citizens and market stalls. Li Rong struggled to keep up, her annoyance growing as she watched him slip into a small, unmarked tavern at the center of the bazaar.
As soon as she stepped inside, a hand shot out and grabbed her arm, pulling her into a shadowed corner of the crowded building.
"Did anyone follow you? Did you notice anything strange on your way into the city? Has anyone else from the White Lotus contacted you?" The questions came rapid-fire, leaving Li Rong momentarily stunned.
"Slow down!" she snapped, jerking her arm free and glaring at him. "Who are you, anyway? How do I even know you're our contact?"
The vendor let out a deep sigh, closing his eyes as if trying to summon patience.
"My name is Lin Zhi, and I'm your White Lotus contact," he said at last. "I'm sorry about earlier, but if you've been briefed, you know the position I'm in."
Li Rong's glare softened. She could see why he'd reacted so sharply, given the danger he was tracking—not just from the Eclipse, but also from the White Lotus itself.
I should have taken our uniforms into account.
"It's not a problem," she said, her tone firm but less combative. "I'm Li Rong."
The two stood in awkward silence for a moment, suddenly aware of their proximity. Lin Zhi cleared his throat and glanced around the tavern, his sharp green eyes scanning the crowd.
"Where's the rest of your team?" he asked.
Li Rong shrugged. "Somewhere in the bazaar. We were looking for you."
"You let them out of your sight?!"
"They can't go far," she replied, raising her wrist to display the bracelet. "The beetles will activate if they do. Besides, if I'm going to gain their trust, I need to show them some of mine."
Lin Zhi's eyes lingered on the bracelet as he nodded thoughtfully. "Makes sense. Your uncle—Commander Yu," he corrected himself, "mentioned that you were a capable leader."
"And how's your search going?"
Lin Zhi glanced around again, his tension palpable. When a barmaid approached, he waved her off with a polite smile. Satisfied no one was watching, he leaned in closer.
"I've tracked someone I believe is an Eclipse lieutenant here," he said quietly. "That's why I requested backup. Their numbers here are growing—and fast."
"I'm guessing they're not here to take in the sights of Ba Sing Se," Li Rong said dryly.
Lin Zhi's smile flashed again, bright and disarming, sending an unwelcome flutter through her chest.
Focus.
"Correct," he said. "They're planning something. I'm betting it has to do with the meeting happening tonight."
Li Rong's eyes widened. "How did you find that out? Do you know where it's being held?"
"I had a friendly conversation with an Eclipse grunt I caught yesterday," Lin Zhi replied with a faint grin. "He was kind enough to give me the time and location."
Li Rong's face lit up. "Amazing! Where is he now? Can he help us sneak in?"
Lin Zhi's smile didn't falter, but something shifted in his gaze. The charm in his expression hardened into something colder, sharper.
"Unfortunately," he said, his voice soft but steely, "he's not with us in the city anymore."
The butterflies in Li Rong's stomach dropped dead on the spot. She didn't need to ask any more questions to understand exactly what he meant.
Before Li Rong could respond, a loud cheer erupted from behind her. She turned, startled, and caught sight of a large crowd gathered near the tavern's bar. Her heart jumped as she spotted two familiar ponytails bouncing above the crowd.
"Of course it's them," she muttered, stepping forward and pushing her way through the throng. Lin Zhi followed close behind, his expression caught somewhere between curiosity and concern.
"That's two down already! Who else wants to challenge the Drunken Dragon?!" Kiki's voice rang out, clear and commanding above the cheers.
Standing atop the bar, Kiki was addressing the crowd with the confidence of a professional announcer. Next to her, Kong sat on a barstool, a small wooden box of money balanced on his lap. He scribbled quickly in a notebook as the crowd threw in their bets.
Mitsuo stood beside them, his face red and glossy with sweat. Holding up an empty cup, he belched loudly, sending the crowd into a renewed frenzy. At his feet, two burly men lay sprawled on the floor, unconscious, as someone dragged them off to the side.
Li Rong's jaw tightened as a hulking man—easily twice Mitsuo's size—stepped forward. The crowd parted for him, chanting, "Badger Mole! Badger Mole! Badger Mole!"
"A new challenger approaches!" Kiki proclaimed, throwing her arms wide. Her voice somehow overpowered the crowd, and Li Rong quickly realized she had to be amplifying it with airbending.
"Will the Badger Mole finally dethrone the Drunken Dragon?" Kiki shouted, riling up the onlookers. "Place your bets now!"
Kong bent a small funnel of air to collect the flying coins and bills, which he deposited neatly into the box.
Li Rong clenched her fists, but there was no way she could muscle her way through the press of bodies. As she scanned the room for a solution, her gaze landed on Ganaluk.
He was leaning against the bar, whispering something to the young barmaid who had approached her and Lin Zhi earlier. The girl's face was bright red, and she giggled as Ganaluk whispered something into her ear..
Storming over, Li Rong grabbed Ganaluk's shoulder and spun him around. "What is going on here?!" she demanded, her voice a mix of fury and disbelief.
The barmaid yelped, clearly mistaking the situation for a lover's quarrel, and scurried off into the crowd.
Ganaluk let out a long sigh, his gaze following the waitress as she vanished. "Nice going, boss," he muttered, sucking his teeth in annoyance. Then, as his eyes flicked back to Li Rong—and landed on Lin Zhi—a slow, knowing smirk spread across his face.
"I see we had the same idea," Ganaluk said smoothly.
Li Rong felt heat rise to her cheeks, but she refused to take the bait. "This is Lin Zhi," she said sharply, gesturing to her companion. "Our contact."
Lin Zhi, looking utterly unimpressed, raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Li Rong pointed toward the bar, where Mitsuo and the massive man known as the Badger Mole were now seated. Their contest had already begun, the two of them downing cups of what looked like dark ale with alarming speed.
"I thought I told you all to stay out of trouble!" she snapped.
Ganaluk raised his hands in mock surrender, his smirk never faltering. "We are." he said.
"While you went to stuff your face, we went out to gather some information. What better place to get that info than a bar?"
Li Rong glared at him, but said nothing. She couldn't find a flaw in his logic. Had she not been distracted by her stomach, a bar would have been one of the first places she would have scoped out as well.
"Alright, but did your plan have to include Mitsuo getting wasted?" she asked.
"He was already here when me and the brats showed up."
Li Rong held her glare for a few seconds then turned back to face the bar. The Badger Mole tilted dramatically from side to side, struggling to lift his cup. Unnoticed by the crowd, Kiki shot a gust of air and the large man toppled over. The crowd gasped as Mitsuo finished his cup then picked up the other man's and downed it as well. Tilting his head backward, he belched out a burst of flame into the air. The crowd went absolutely ballistic as they chanted.
"Drunken Dragon! Drunken Dragon! Drunken Dragon!"
Li Rong marched forward towards the crowd. "I'm putting an end to this."
Behind her Ganaluk laced his hands behind his head and followed. Lin Zhi kept a wary eye on him as he followed along. Before she reached the crowd, Li Rong stomped on the solid earthen floor and slid a section of the stone to the side. The crowd standing on that piece of earth slid along with it, allowing her to walk straight up to her other three teammates.
"Alright this show is over! Clear out!" She addressed the crowd. With grumbles of disapproval the men and women that were gathered began to disperse.
"What about my bet?" asked a kid that she was positive was too young to be here.
She shot him a stern glare and the kid quickly scampered off.
"Hey Li Rong!" Kiki greeted her happily. She leaped forward and flipped in the air before landing directly in front of Li Rong. Li Rong's eyebrow twitched as a few of the drunken bar patrons clapped.
"Did you find any clues?" She asked her.
Li Rong gestured to Lin Zhi behind her. "Yes, and we have some important matters to discuss."
Kiki leaned to the side to look at Lin Zhi.
"Oooh, he's cute!" she exclaimed.
Ignoring her comment, she looked at Mitsuo. He was now slouched over the bar and snoring loudly.
Great. We meet our contact and this is the first thing he sees.
"Ganaluk, help me scrape Mitsuo off of the bar. After that we are going back to the apartment."
Ganaluk made a disgusted face but began to walk toward them.
"Whatever, let's just ge-" he started but was cut off by a woman's scream.
Li Rong watched in horror as Lin Zhi spun around and stumbled backward toward her. She could see the hilt of a dagger sticking out of his left shoulder. Someone dressed in dark purple and black robes was shoving their way toward the exit.
Li Rong caught Lin Zhi before he fell and helped him to the ground. His beautiful face was twisted into a grimace of pain as blood slowly seeped from his shoulder. Li Rong began to apply pressure to the wound but he waved her away with his good arm.
"I'll be fine!" He said through gritted teeth. "Don't let them escape!"
She glanced at her team behind her. Kiki's eyes were wide with surprise. Kong was standing protectively in front of her, his cold eyes following the robbed figure as they exited the bar. Ganaluk had bent a stream of water from behind the bar and was taking a defensive stance.
"What about Mitsuo?" She asked Lin Zhi.
"I have a gem too, he will be fine." He said, raising his right hand. The action caused the sleeve of the shirt he was wearing to fall back, revealing an exact copy of her bracelet on his wrist.
Nodding quickly she stood up and raced out of the bar. She stopped just outside of the entrance and scanned the area for the assailant. Kiki, Kong and Ganaluk skidded to a stop next to her.
"Over there!" Kong said as he pointed off to their left. In that direction the crowd was disturbed as someone pushed their way through.
"After them!" Li Rong ordered as they raced toward the throng of people.
The robbed figure emerged from the opposite end of the crowd and turned down a side street ahead of them. As they forced their way through the crowd, most people tried to move out of their way but the going was still slow. Fearing that they would lose track of the assassin, Li Rong shouted an order to the twins.
"Kiki and Kong, go ahead and keep him in your sights! Do not engage them until we catch up!"
"You got it!" Kiki replied for both of them. With that the two airbending twins launched themselves up and out of the crowd. They landed on the other side of the crowd and sped down the street the figure had run to.
A few moments later her and Ganaluk were through the crowd and racing toward the side street. Glancing at his face Li Rong saw that his face was a mask of rage.
He might actually care about us afterall.
"Lin Zhi's wound didn't look too bad." she called out.
"I couldn't care less about him. He was standing right next to me, what if that piece of trash had stabbed me instead?!" He spat out.
Li Rong rolled her eyes as they continued the chase.
Ahead of them the street slowly sloped downward, so that she could see the tops of some of the buildings lining the sides. Further down the road she could see the dark figure sprinting forward with the twins closing in on them. The figure vaulted on top of a stall and kicked off of it to jump onto the roof of the building it was built against. The twins leaped onto the same roof to continue their pursuit.
"They are so fast!" Ganaluk exclaimed next to her.
They were incredibly fast. They would also be out of range of the bracelet soon.
Li Rong looked around quickly, searching for a solution. She found her answer as her gaze landed on the cabbage vendor from earlier. Particularly, his cart.
"Come on!" she shouted, running to the cart. With a stomp of her foot, she split the cart in half, leaving the wheels intact.
"My cabbages!" the merchant wailed as Li Rong and Ganaluk hopped onto the improvised vehicle.. Tilting forward the cart began to race forward as they balanced atop of it.
People screamed or dove out of the way as they rocketed forward down the street. Next to her Ganaluk smiled ferally as he clutched the sides of the cart, his black hair whipping in the wind.
They were catching up to the figure and the twins rapidly but up ahead the street was clogged with a mass of people. It looked to be some sort of parade as Li Rong could make up multiple people dressed in extravagant costumes. The crowd cheered as the head of a large clay ostrich horse appeared from between two buildings. They were completely oblivious to the danger racing toward them.
"Hang on!" Li Rong shouted as she brought her hands before her. With a flick of her hands, a curved stone ramp shot up from the street ahead of them.
"This is crazy!" Ganaluk yelled, his grip tightening.
With another flick of her wrist another pillar of stone shot up from behind the cart. She timed it so that the pillar of stone slammed into the bottom of her foot, which was hanging over the back of the shattered cart. Using her earthbending, she kicked off of the stone and they blasted forward.
The cart launched off of the ramp and sailed over the crowd below. People cheered as cabbages rained down from the cart above them, thinking this was part of the celebrations. The cart continued its arc until it landed hard on the slant of one roof and bounced off of it to another down below.
Li Rong and Ganaluk yelled as the cart continued to bounce across the rooftops. All they could do was hang on for the ride.
Kiki yelped as the cart flew inches above her head and bounced on one last rooftop.
"Watch where you're flying!" She shouted after them.
Below the robed figure noticed the growing shadow expanding around them. Li Rong could only watch as the person spun around just in time for the cart to collide into them. The cart shuddered violently as it missed the next roof and slammed down into a relatively empty clearing.
Li Rong and Ganaluk were thrown from the cart as it landed. The cart, still carrying the robed figure, smashed into a stone wall with a cloud of dust as the two rolled to a stop.
Moments later the twins landed beside her, their airbending clearing the dust cloud.
As the dust blew away, Li Rong pushed herself up from the ground to look at where the cart had landed. The figure lay unconscious under a pile of cabbages and rubble.
Li Rong let out a sigh of relief and collapsed back to the ground. Now that the adrenaline had run its course, her whole body ached from their crash landing a few moments earlier.
Li Rong turned her head and met Ganaluk's gaze. He was laying, sprawled out on his back, a few meters away.
They looked at each other in silence for a heartbeat then both burst into laughter. Kiki joined in, her giggles echoing in the clearing. Even Kong allowed a faint smile to touch his lips.
Slowly a small crowd gathered around the laughing group, and the assassin that was caught by a cabbage cart.
Next Chapter 7: Whispers in the Dark