Tetsu woke up to the stamping of feet in the foyer. He shot out of bed and carefully slid into the hall, moving to the foyer's entrance. There, he saw a man with broad shoulders and a dark blue robe stained dark in several places. A few men stood around him, several with limp arms and bloody noses.
"What's going on here?" Tetsu asked.
The man turned his eyes on Tetsu.
He sucked in a breath. "Look kid, I'm tired."
Tetsu glanced at the slightly open door of Jinora's bedroom. He bound to the door and pushed it open. Jinora was on the bed, eyes closed, and the front of her clothes was covered in dry blood.
He turned back to the men in the room.
"I can explain," the man began holding up a hand. Tetsu sprinted for the door bounding past one of the men. Who yanked a handful of Tetsu's hair before Tetsu pulled away.
"So much for trying to bring her back." Sheil gritted his teeth and pointed. "Go. We can't let him get the guards."
Tetsu pumped his legs traversing the stone hallways with an abundant amount of turns. "Where...if the security wing. I think I saw a plan somewhere..."
At a large turn, he took the right turn.
"They can't be far from Yaxi's room," he breathed.
He sprinted down the wide hall panting. His eyes scanned several doors and he picked one trying to open it. It was a dark empty room. His hand pushed another one to the left but it resisted, locked. He could hear distant footsteps. He rushed to the other side of the hall knocking on a door with a tiny glinting seal on it. Someone opened the door leaving his hand in midair.
"What is it?" a papery voice asked.
"Someone...in the room...master Jinora is hurt..."
The man swung the door in farther and motioned behind him. A few people came behind him dressed in close-fitting clothing not like the guards he had seen before. They slipped past him. Farther down he could hear screams and the sound of a struggle. He flinched.
"Who are you?"
"I told you already. My name is Sheil. I worked for the prince."
"Do you know where the prince is?"
He remained silent.
The man across from him frowned. He wore a blue headband woven with patterns. "The Wu brought you here so I assume you must pose some kind of threat." The man stood up. "I'll see you later," he said exiting the room.
"The prince is gone, in his absence who is to the regent?"
The men looked at one another.
"The princess's condition is improving," one of the men said. "The physician said she may be able to leave her bed in a few days. She has been awake and alert."
Another older man with white hair shook his head. "She is just short of thirteen years and was not trained in leadership."
"What do you mean her condition has improved?" someone else asked. "Hasn't she always been a sickly child? How could this happen overnight?"
The white-haired man shot the speaker a patient look. "Perhaps the spirits took pity on her and chose to rid her of her ailment. Or perhaps it is true that medicine is improving."
"Nevertheless, Doku must be presided over by an individual born of the leaders of the Hiaxi clan. So we find the prince and the princess must be trained in the way of ruling in case she is needed in his stead."
"But have they served this city well?" someone asked from the other side of the room.
The white-haired man looked over. "Those are dangerous words. Make sure if you really mean them."
Jinora woke pressing a hand to her forehead. She looked down and took a breath, sitting up and swaying slightly. Someone caught her arm. She looked over, Tetsu at her elbow.
"Master."
"Who brought me back?" Jinora said in a hoarse voice.
Tetsu quirked his head in confusion. "I don't know. But there was a group of wounded and suspicious men in the foyer when I heard a noise in the apartment. I called the guard and they were taken."
She sighed. "He must have brought me back." Jinora said weakly, "The princess is she well? And Ren?"
Tetsu looked at her a moment his eyes focusing. "Yes they are." His brows lowered. What do you mean he?"
"Sheil..." she mumbled rubbing her head and then sighed.
"Who is he?"
"That I am not sure."
Jinora climbed out of bed looking through her clothing. She pulled the first shirt available from her small dresser. It was embroidered in the style of the city. She swayed slightly and Tetsu supported her.
"Quick," she said walking towards the door as Tetsu followed her.
"What's going on."
"Follow me."
They raced along the hallways and stopped every few minutes for Jinora to catch her breath.
"Are you alright?" Tetsu asked supporting his master.
"I'm fine," she said straightening.
Just then a guard entered the hall.
Jinora made for them blocking their path respectfully. "Sheil, where is he being kept?" Tetsu stood by her elbow a confounded look on his normally placid face.
The guard looked between the two.
"Air Master, Avatar. He's being held securely. I can take you to it once Shun is done."
"Shun?"
"Yes. He is with the prisoner at the moment."
Jinora and Tetsu followed the guard downwards further into the belly of the mountain. After a few minutes, they stopped.
"Here," the man said.
"Two Wu warriors?" Jinora asked. "Have two gone missing?" The guard frowned. "I am sorry but the regular guard and the Wu are separate so I do not know."
The door was secured with several reinforced bars. Jinora and Tetsu waited while the guard took a position down the hall. A few minutes later a man came walking from another direction toward the door. He was tall and wore a blue hairband embroidered with silver. He noticed them and paused his hand reaching for an intricate set of locks on the door a small silver key in one hand.
His smooth black brows curved down. "How did you find this area?"
"A guard showed us the way," Jinora said.
The man's face was unreadable, long and pale his dark hair collected behind the hairband and braided down his back.
"I see. Acquaintances?"
"Not exactly," Jinora said stepping forward. "There is something I would like to speak with you about."
The man did not move to open the door and instead slid the key back into his pocket. "By all means."
Jinora looked back and forth in the hall and shook her head. "Not here."
The man, Shun frowned at her. "And you want me to offer you a table to speak? Inside the cell of a prisoner, you may or may not be acquaintances with? That would count as me not doing my job."
"Of course, if this was a customary time. I would never ask of that. But there is no way I can tell you anywhere else."
Shun narrowed his eyes taking in her clothes and rested for a long time on her face.
He unlocked the door without a word. They entered a stark sitting room with simple covered benches pushed against the walls. Jinora looked around but Sheil was not in sight. Two rooms branched out from this one. To the right and straight on. A round table sat in the middle of the room with several chairs around it. The man motioned for them to sit and Tetsu eyed the room with a wary eye. Jinora sighed and sat down a tremor running through her right fingers.
She looked up at the man and opened her mouth, "During the rule of Amin's father there was an attempt to kill the entire Hiaxi family. The man leading this was unnamed but was remembered for his limp. But one son remained. Amin who had the man executed once they found him."
She watched the Shun's eyes and continued.
"Gahacen was imprisoned to hide knowledge of the Hiaxi curse. Why would this be?"
"Why don't you tell me?" Shun asked a frigid tone to his voice.
"If the family could be proved to be weak then there would be a stronger case to be rid of them. Kill off the cursed family and take over."
The man narrowed his eyes. "That's true."
"Did you keep Gahacen imprisoned?"
"No. Though two days ago I was sent a request from the prince to let a prisoner out."
Jinora frowned. "The Hiaxi is no longer cursed."
Shun exhaled.
"You knew," Jinora said. "Who's side are you on?"
He glanced at her warily and remained silent for a moment. "The city's."
"The Hiaxi were not admirable in many ways. But, those that tried to kill them also weren't."
She stood up and walked towards the room on the right.
His voice was cold. "What are you doing?"
Jinora turned the nob and it swung inward.
Sheil was sitting in a chair his head in one of his large palms. He looked up surprised. There were dark circles around his eyes. Shun came in quickly after her.
"He knew how to break the curse," she said looking back at the man. "So unless you are against that he should not be here."
Shun looked warily between them. "So you do know him," he said resting his chin on the back of his hand.
"The reason I brought him in is that he worked for Cuyan and we are currently looking for the Prince," he turned his hawk eyes into Jinora and squinted. "You wouldn't know about his whereabouts then?"
"Once a daughter of the Hiaxi reaches thirteen they die. Every-time. They were cursed. You must know."
Shun's mouth straightened to a thin line. "And the prince."
"The Hiaxi daughters were the ones afflicted greatly. But the curse also affected the descendants of the curser. The Yeje." Jinora pointed to Sheil. "He found a way to end the curse."
Sheil shook his head.
Jinora looked back at the man. "To break a blood curse the circle had to be completed."
"What are you saying?" Shun asked going still his eyes liquid and dangerous.
She looked at him gravely. "The prince is gone."