Burning Chapter 17: Predictable

Making his way down a dingy dirt road, Zhao paused for the briefest of moments to ensure that his hood was fully raised. Glancing down an alleyway, he let out a short disgusted grunt when he caught a drunk relieving himself on the building.

Things hadn’t been going well for the Commander... In fact, one could almost say that they were going poorly.

It all started when he’d lost his first ship, when it’d been stolen by one of his men. Initially, he thought it was some freak accident... A logistical error that saw all but one of his soldiers making port at the same time, leaving his ship unprotected.

He wasn’t entirely sure what the cause had been back then, only that he was a captain that’d lost his ship. Such a thing would have seen him immediately demoted, but he’d managed to present his case in such a way that his superiors were hard pressed to place blame on him.

Although he’d lost his ship, he’d still managed to save the majority of his soldiers, all of whom were ready to serve once they had a new ship. It helped that this had been the only smudge on his otherwise flawless career.

In a way, having his ship stolen had almost been a good thing. Not only had he been given a new ship, he’d also gained the direct attention of his superiors, many of whom had been impressed by his efforts in the war, eventually gaining him a promotion.

His career had been put back on track, perhaps even ahead of time... At least, it had been until he’d gotten news of a familiar Fire Nation soldier that’d apparently defected. Worse yet, that very same former soldier was seemingly working with the Avatar. If this got out, it had the potential to ruin him.

He needed to be taken care of without drawing any attention. Zhao had intended on doing it himself, but their last confrontation hadn’t gone as well as he’d hoped. As much as he hated admitting it, he couldn’t beat Honō in a straight fight.

No, something like this required a more precise hand… Something to stack the odds in his favor. Fortunately, he had just the thing in mind. If he played his cards right, he might just see himself securing an even greater victory in capturing the Avatar.

Bumping into a drunkard who’d seemed intent on hitting him, Zhao gave a short nod and stepped past the man. A small trail of smoke emanated from his fist. Normally, he’d have burned the man for such a disrespectful act, but he didn’t want anyone to know that he was here.

“Hey, what’s the big idea? You think you can just hit me and walk away? Don’t you know anything about respect?” The man slurred. Reaching for his belt, he pulled out an old, chipped blade. “Tell you what, since I’m in such a good mood, I’ll leave ya with your life. Just leave all your coin and–“

Stepping into the man’s guard, Zhao lashed out with three short strikes, hitting the man in his throat, solar plexus and liver in the span of a single moment.

Watching as the man collapsed onto the ground, Zhao smirked smugly. Heat burned around his fist as he prepared to deliver the final blow, only to stop when a firm hand gripped his shoulder.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Beating a drunk might be acceptable around here, you could even steal from him too if you want, but cold blooded murder, especially at the hands of a Firebender is bound to attract attention... Something that I doubt the great Commander Zhao wants right now.”

Looking over his shoulder, Zhao scanned the man’s face. Short beard and moustache, mostly shaved head, Fire Nation attire... “Your reputation precedes you, Colonel Mongke. Tell me, how long have you known I was here?”

“I’ve had eyes on you the moment you made port,” Mongke answered, gesturing towards the rooftops where a tattooed archer stood. Looking down at the gasping man on the floor, he whistled. “Quite impressive... Even if he was just a drunk. I wonder what it was he did that could get such a reaction.”

“He tried to threaten me with a knife,” Zhao muttered.

Mongke chuckled softly. “That would do it.” Gesturing for Zhao to follow, he stepped past the man, leaving him to a few thieves that began patting through his clothes as he struggled to breathe. “Why is it that you’re looking for me?”

Shooting a warning glare towards the thieves, Zhao fell in step with Mongke. “I’ve heard quite a few interesting things about you... How you’re someone who knows how to get things done… Quietly.”

“So you want to hire me, is that it?” Mongke asked. “Alright, so long as you’ve got the coin, I’ll hear you out. Who’s the target?”

Zhao smirked. He’d definitely come to the right man.

...Burning...

Rubbing my chin, I hummed softly as I considered my options.

Despite its small size and remote location, Makapu village was a fairly interesting place. Being built on the side of a volcano, it was host to some of the most fertile land in the entire Earth Kingdom and played host to a number of small farms that kept its locals well fed.

Very little of their produce was ever exported and that which was, went directly to the more well off families in the area.

Outside of their agriculture, they also had an interesting history, having once been believed to be the birth place of an Avatar at the start of Kyoshi’s era.

And then there was also the fact that there was a fortune teller living here.

However, none of that mattered right now. Not when I had a decision to make... What to have for breakfast.

“Oh my gosh, that’s the cutest hairpin I’ve ever seen,” Ty Lee breathed. Patting herself down, she smiled awkwardly when she came up with nothing. “Hey, Honō, I seem to have forgotten my–”

Not even bothering to look, I placed a few copper coins in her hand.

“Thank you.” Ty Lee beamed. Placing the coins on the table, she grabbed the hairpin, slipping it into her braid. “You know, this reminds me of when we were back in the Fire Nation, only, you’re the one getting me something...”

Grinning, she walked over towards one of the stalls, spending only a handful of moments there before coming back with a pair of chicken and apple kebabs in hand.

Accepting one of them, I smiled. “Thanks.”

“No problem. I saw you couldn’t decide what to pick, so I grabbed whatever looked the best,” Ty Lee replied. “And hey, it’s just like us. Sweet and spicy. If Mai and Azula were here, we’d need to get some chillies and soy sauce.”

Chuckling at that, I bit down on my kebab. Trust Ty Lee to come up with a way to compare everyone to foods and somehow have it make sense.

“There you guys are!” Marching over with an exasperated Katara in tow, Sokka looked downright stressed. "We've been looking everywhere for you two. Have either of you seen Aang anywhere?”

Shaking my head, I swallowed audibly. “Not since we split up, why?” It’s not like this was a particularly large village, being around two to three times larger than the one on Kyoshi Island.

“We need to find him so we can leave this whole stupid village and its stupid people.”

Okay... Turning towards Katara, I waited for her to explain.

“Sokka’s just blowing things out of proportion again... As usual,” Katara sighed, rolling her eyes. “A few people asked him if he’s seen Aunt Wu and he’s somehow taken it the wrong way.”

“It was more than a few. Everyone, Katara,” Sokka said. “Hey, do you want to try our cured meat, oh, and have you met Aunt Wu... Hello there, yes, that’ll be three coppers, did you know that Aunt Wu gives readings for free... No? Why not?”

I had to admit, that did sound vaguely cultish.

“Oh, yeah. A few people asked me and I just said yes and jokingly said that I’d get great deals at the market today,” Ty Lee hummed innocently. “Ever since then, people have been offering me a ton of free samples. They’re really nice here.”

Blinking as both Katara and Sokka froze, I took a sudden breath and almost choked on a piece of chicken as I began to laugh, holding my knees to keep from falling over. Somewhere out there, Azula was proud.

“You know, with how friendly you are, I almost forgot that you were from the Fire Nation,” Sokka murmured, seeming almost impressed. Looking around suspiciously, he leaned in closer, whispering conspicuously. “Do you think this power can be learned?”

“Sokka!” Katara snapped. “And you...” She spun towards Ty Lee who looked on curiously. “Just... I don’t even know what to say to that. Don’t go to the market today, alright?”

“Okay,” Ty Lee replied, not at all bothered. “I don’t really need anything anyway.”

Part of me felt Ty Lee had done it on purpose, but, given how carefree she was, it was entirely possible that she wasn’t even aware of what she’d done.

Sighing, Katara rubbed her face. “I hope we don’t get into any trouble with this.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about it my dear.”

Managing to get my laughter under control, I looked up to see an elderly woman with grey hair dressed in yellow and orange robes.

Jumping, Katara smiled awkwardly. “You... I... We’re really sorry. None of us intended on taking advantage of the people here. It was a simple misunderstanding.”

“No worries, it’s water under the bridge... In fact, I dare say that if the people here knew how you all helped save Shu, it would have garnered a similar response.”

Rubbing his chin, Sokka hummed thoughtfully. “So is it too late to let them know, or–“

Elbowing her brother in his ribs, Katara pushed him out of the way. “That’s a relief. Thank you, miss...”

“You can call me Aunt Wu, everyone does” She answered. “Your young Airbending friend has told me a little about the four of you... Especially how one of you has something in common with me,” She said, shooting a quick glance my way. “If you would like, I would be happy to give the five of you a reading.”

“Do we–MPH.”

Wrapping her hand around Sokka’s mouth, Katara smiled brightly. “We’d love to.”

“Wonderful,” Aunt Wu hummed. “If you would please follow me to my home, your friend is already waiting there.”

...Burning...

Kicking my shoes off before I entered, I stepped inside Aunt Wu’s home and was immediately greeted by a gust of warm air that smelled heavily of incense and herbs.

There were a few decorative paper dividers set up alongside the wall. Sitting on a cushion in front of it, Aang nodded slowly as a girl around his age appeared to be saying something to him.

“Hey, you guys made it.”

“Against our better judgement,” Sokka said, dropping onto a pillow next to him. “It’s not like we don’t already have one fortune teller in our group.”

Aunt Wu hummed softly. “Meng, could I trouble you to get our guests some tea along with a helping of my special bean curd puffs? Oh, and an extra two pillows.”

At the mention of food, Sokka immediately perked up. Sitting next to him, Katara let out an exasperated sigh.

“Of course, I’ll get right on it,” Meng replied. Shooting a fleeting glance towards Aang, she slowly made her way out of the room. “I’ll be right back.”

Coughing into her fist, Aunt Wu turned towards us. “Now, who would like to go first? Don’t be shy–“

“Could I go first?” Ty Lee asked eagerly.

“Well... I don’t see why not,” Aunt Wu said. “Right this way.” Leading Ty Lee into the next room, she closed the door behind her.

Returning with a tray in hand, Meng stumbled on the carpet. Crouching down in front of Aang, she quickly handed him the tray, before leaving. “Enjoy your snack.” Rushing out of the room, she returned a moment later with a pair of pillows in hand. “Heh, sorry... I almost forgot. Here you go.”

“Thank you–” And she was gone again.

Shrugging, I placed them on the carpet on the other side of the room, before sitting down.

Grabbing the tray from Aang, Sokka let out an approving hum as he bit into the bean curd puffs. Shovelling a few more into his mouth, he paused for a moment to offer some to the rest of us. Seeing none of us wanted any, he shrugged before continuing to eat.

“So,” I hummed, breaking the silence. “Since Ty Lee’s going to be staying with us for a while, I should probably tell you about the person who taught me Firebending.”

“Really?” Aang scooted to the edge of his carpet. “I’ve always been curious about the kind of person that trained you. I bet they were some wise old sage that lived out in the wilderness and wanted to pass on their teachings.”

Snorting as he took a sip of his tea, Sokka tossed another bean curd puff into his mouth. “Yeah, right. Some kind of Firebending sage. Don’t take this the wrong way, but that seems way too normal... Knowing what you’re like, it’d probably be something ridiculous, like a dragon or the Fire Lord himself.”

Coughing, Katara looked away.

“You’re pretty close,” I hummed, watching as he finished his tea. “It was actually his daughter, Azula, princess of the Fire Nation, current heir to the throne and one of my closest friends.”

Inhaling, Sokka clutched his throat and coughed violently. Leaning forward, he took a raspy breath, before looking up. “I was just joking! You’re not serious, are you?” At my nod, he let out a pained groan, palming his face in the process. “Of course you are. That’s just... It’s...”

“Great,” Aang beamed.

“I was going to say nuts, thank you very much,” Sokka said pointedly. “And how the heck would that be great?”

“Because that puts us one step closer to ending this war. We now have a direct link to the next Fire Lord,” Aang explained. “Do you think she’d be willing to help us?”

That was a little difficult to say, on one hand she’d probably be supremely angry once she found out that I’d faked my death in order to join up with the Avatar and on the other, she was still loyal to her father. Neither of which would help win her over.

“Maybe.” I shrugged.

Probably not.

Looking between Aang and Katara, Sokka sighed. “You know what, sure. Just tell me one thing... She’s not like Zuko, is she?”

“No... If anything, she’s the exact opposite of her brother,” I replied.

While Zuko was hot-headed and impulsive, Azula was calm and calculated... And a little bit awkward once you got to know her.

“I guess she can’t be too bad, then,” Sokka murmured. Reaching for another bean curd puff only to come up empty when Momo snatched the bowl. “Oh, come on, those were the only things that made this worthwhile. How much longer are we going to be staying here anyway?”

“Seeing as the volcano’s going to erupt any day now... A little longer than you’d expect,” I commented, gaining a worried look from Aang and Katara while Sokka froze.

“That’s a very serious declaration,” Aunt Wu commented. Sliding the door leading off into the other room open, she let Ty Lee out. “Perhaps you can tell me about it during your reading... Come along now.”

Well... I guess it was my turn then. Standing, I made my way into Aunt Wu’s reading room while Ty Lee returned to the lounge.

Sitting down, she grinned brightly when Momo scampered over, offering her the bowl of bean curd puffs Sokka had been eating from a few moments earlier. “So, what’d I miss?”

Sliding the door closed, the room was surprisingly quiet on this end.

“Come... Sit with me,” Aunt Wu said, leading me further into the room. “Your hand, please.”

“You’re not going to use the bones?” I asked, giving her my hand.

“All things in time,” She noted, looking over my hand. “Let’s see here, two life lines merged together in the middle... How very interesting. You’ve gone through a great change recently... And there is still more to come... Oh, what’s this mark doing here?”

“That’s just a scar,” I replied.

“It obscures much on your hand, but it also lets me know that you are someone who prefers to take your fate into your own hands instead of leaving it up to chance.” Humming softly, she released my hand. “We may need to move over to the bones in order to get a more accurate reading.”

Seeing her gesture towards the bone pot, I grabbed one and placed it neatly on the fire. A few moments passed with no reaction as the fire crackled. Hearing a hiss, there was a sudden snap as half the bone suddenly shattered, littering the floor with small shards, while the other half rolled to the side.

“I’ve seen this before, but never quite so violent,” Aunt Wu murmured. “You stand on a point where you can make a great change, but the choice will be difficult and could ultimately lead to ruination should you choose wrong. Your love life’s pretty complicated too.”

I could have told her that. “At least it’s not boring.”

“You don’t do things the easy way, do you?” She deadpanned. Looking back over the shattered bone, she grabbed a shard that’d been scorched almost entirely black. “I’ve never seen one like this before, it... Oh, my.” Appearing almost uncomfortable, she placed it back on the ground. “You should be cautious of those eager to help. Sometimes a helping hand isn’t what it appears to be.”

Well that sounded vaguely ominous.

...Burning...

Standing with her arms crossed behind her back, Azula watched the landscape pass by as she sailed through slightly more shallow waters.

Off in the distance, she could see dark clouds forming on the horizon along with a few larger waves forming in deeper waters. Even now, she could hear a soft thunk as a particularly large wave crashed into the hull.

There was a storm brewing on the ocean and it was promising to be a big one.

It wasn’t anything that her ship couldn’t handle, of course, but it would set her back if she was caught up in it. Sticking to the coast would allow her to avoid all that and keep an eye out for any wayward Firebenders that may or may not be searching for Water Tribe ships.

Honestly, Azula wasn’t entirely sure if Omashu’s former king had been telling the truth. The man seemed both completely out of his mind and entirely lucid.

She would have written him off as genuinely insane if it hadn’t been for the fact that he’d obviously met Honō and knew what he was up to.... Even if he refused to tell her exactly what that was, choosing to leave it as a ‘surprise.’

She’d been tempted to drag him along, if only to spite him, but decided against it. He was far more useful being kept as a hostage in Omashu to prevent any large scale attacks than on her ship where he’d just rot.

Hearing a crack of thunder, her attention was once more drawn to the horizon where the clouds had grown progressively darker.

Standing beside her, Mai sighed. “I finally got away from my parents and suddenly it starts storming... I don’t know what I was expecting.”

“A little rain’s hardly the end of the world,” Azula said, crossing her arms. “Besides, we could always go inside.”

“I suppose,” Mai droned

Hearing the hatch to her personal deck open, Azula shot a quick glance towards it as the ship’s Captain stepped out.

This had better be good.

“My apologies for disturbing you, princess,” the Captain said. “You asked us to inform you if anything happened, and, well... A few moments ago, a small Earth Kingdom boat collided with the hull in what we can only assume was some form of attack.”

Glancing towards Mai, Azula raised a well manicured brow. They’d been attacked? She hadn’t even noticed.

“And where are these attackers right now?”

“They were picked up by the Earth Kingdom in what appeared to be a stolen Fire Nation ship,” the Captain explained. “I came here to ask for your orders on the matter.”

She really didn’t have the time for this.

“Let someone else deal with them,” Azula ordered. “I have more pressing matters to attend to.”

Anyone that rams their boat into a heavily armoured ship was either stupid or unlucky. In this case, it was probably both.

...Burning...

Coughing up a small amount of salt water as he was pulled on board, Zuko was barely able to get to his feet before a warm blanket was draped around his shoulders. Looking for his uncle, he let out a relieved sigh when he found him being treated in much the same way by a large man with a white beard.

In fact, they were treating the other Fire Nation soldiers the same. They must not have realized who he was. Good, he needed to keep it that way.

Stumbling as he tried to walk towards him, Zuko was caught by someone that appeared to be around his age.

“Easy there, you wouldn’t want to fall into the waters again, now would you?” Chuckling awkwardly, he rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry, I didn't mean to be insensitive there. Just what were you guys doing out here anyway?”

“Riptide pulled us out to sea,” Zuko rasped. “The engine wasn’t strong enough to fight it... Ended up crashing into the side of that Fire Nation ship.”

“That explains the crash... I’m Haru by the way and that’s my dad over there, Tyro.”

“Lee,” Zuko offered. Staring off into the distance as the Fire Nation ship slowly disappeared from view, he felt a sense of urgency hit him. “I need to go... Can’t afford to waste anymore time.”

“Somehow I don’t think you’re going to be able to use your old boat,” Haru noted. “Where’re you heading? Maybe you can tag along with us.”

That could work. A ship like this would see him getting back to his own in a third of the time. “North... Along the coast.”

“We’re heading in the same direction,” Haru replied. “I mean, we’re not going to be directly against the coast, but we could probably drop you off along the way.”

He’d take it. Despite being hit by a ship and nearly drowning, everything seemed to be working out in his favour.

“Nephew,” Iroh called out, making his way over with Tyro in tow. “Did you hear the good news?”

As a matter of fact, he had. They were going to make it back to their ship even earlier than–

“Apparently the last owner of this ship collected a number of expensive items... Musical instruments included,” Iroh hummed. “What better way to thank our rescuers than with the gift of music.”

...Was it too late to swim back to shore?