Over the next few days, Azula seldom left Iroh's side. She ministered to every conceivable need he had. While her mind was focused on her uncle, her heart was racked with guilt. She cursed the irony of her brother using her own lightning attack against her and against the one person who'd shown steadfast love to her over the past few years.

  Katara had entered and exited a few times to apply further waterbending treatments. On the last occasion, Katara lifted her hands from Iroh's abdomen one final time and wiped her brow. "That's the best I can do. It's up to his body to do the healing, now."

  Azula stood in the back of the old, abandoned shed. It wasn't far from the battle with her brother. They'd not wanted to move her uncle, as any extra exertion might kill him. "How much longer do you think he'll be like this?" The man had barely awoken to eat and drink during the past few days.

  "Perhaps a day?" Katara said, standing to face Azula. "I'm sorry. I'm still learning how to heal others."

  Azula bit her upper lip. "Just do what you can. Please."

  Katara gave Azula a compassionate smile, which made Azula uncomfortable. The princess had to remind herself that the Avatar and his crew of miscreants were enemies of her people. Could she go back to hunting or fighting them after this? She tried not to think about it.

  "There is one other way to be sure," Katara said, pulling out a vial. It glinted in the morning rays that streamed from a broken window. "This is water from the oasis at Agna Qel'a. It's said that it can heal almost anything."

  "D-do you think he needs it? That he might die?" For a moment, panic swelled in Azula's breast.

  Katara shook her head. "He's strong yet. I think he has a good chance."

  Azula bowed to her. "Then save it for a true emergency." As much as she wanted the water to be used on her uncle, her practical side won out. It would be a shame to squander such a valuable tool.

  Katara placed another comforting hand on Azula's shoulder and then left the little hut. Azula marveled at how things had changed in so short a time. This was a far cry from their interaction at the oasis.

  ***

  That afternoon, Aang came to see her.

  She looked over her shoulder when his shadow covered her and her uncle. "You have some skilled friends, Avatar."

  Aang smiled. "I'll take that as a 'thank you for saving my uncle's life'." He walked over and sat down next to her.

  "Don't press your luck," Azula said. She almost smiled, but was too overcome with grief.

  Aang grew serious. "We have to leave."

  Azula nodded. "When?"

  "As soon as possible," Aang said. "We've stayed here far longer than we'd planned."

  "I see."

  The Avatar cleared his throat. "You're welcome to come with us."

  Azula shook her head. "I'm no hero, and my uncle shouldn't be moved."

  "I understand," the Avatar said, rising to his feet. He walked to the door.

  "Avatar—" Azula said, but she couldn't make her mouth finish her sentence. She only hoped her eyes conveyed her gratitude. Was he indicative of the kindness of the Air Nomads, or was he a singular figure? She suddenly regretted her nation's ruthless genocide against them.

  Aang tipped his head slightly to her, gave his irrepressible grin, and left the hut.

  ***

  The morning after the Avatar left, Iroh’s eyes slowly blinked open, and Azula exhaled with relief. She’d been nursing him for what seemed an endless, nerve-splitting amount of time. She thought he’d never return. She'd worried that she’d killed him.

  “What happened?” Iroh asked.

  Azula bit her lip. “You…you were hit by lightning…my lightning. Zuko redirected it into you.” She shoved a cup of tea into him. “Drink this.”

  Iroh forced himself to sit up and drink. He winced, preparing for the worst. “That...was actually pretty good.” He stared at the cup incredulously.

  “Don’t act so surprised, Uncle,” Azula said, crossing her arms. “I’ve been watching you make it every day since we left the Fire Nation.”

  “There’s hope for you yet!” he said.

  She closed her eyes and shook her head. “There’s no hope for me. I tried to kill Zuko. I ended up almost killing you.” Her golden eyes searched the ceiling of the old stone hut in which they were staying. “How did he do it? I thought only you knew how to redirect lightning.”

  Iroh nodded, and his eyes took a far-off look. “After my son died, I met a young firebender, a soldier under my command. I taught him the secret. Zuko must have learned it from him. There was no one else.” His eyes fell on Azula. “I thought fate had given me another son. I did not wait for destiny to give me a daughter.”

  Her lip quivered, and she bowed her head. “Uncle, I was weak. My lack of self-control led to you being hurt.”

  “Is that an apology?”

  She glared at him, perhaps a touch playfully. “It’s as close as you’re ever going to get.” She stood. “Now, if you’re finished lying around, I need you to teach me how to redirect lightning.”

  “You already know how to generate lightning,” Iroh said. “Why would you want to learn that?”

  “I’m going to need every firebending skill I can get if I’m going to beat Zuko.”

  “You think that your bending is the only thing that makes you strong, but the Avatar won by having friends.”

  “I don’t have any of those,” she said. Her eyebrows furrowed. “Uncle, people keep saying I’m crazy.”

  He bobbed his head from side to side. “You are a little crazy."

  She gave him an irritated look, and he laughed. By the spirits, it was good to hear him laugh, even if it was at her.

  "That’s how Zuko was able to beat you," Iroh said. "You have more raw talent than he does.”

  “Then how do I beat him?”

  “Zuko has the opposite problem,” Iroh said, standing up. “He has an excess of sanity.” He sipped his tea.

  Azula had no idea what to do with that particular insight. She smiled. “Spoken like his royal, tea-loving kookiness.”

  ***

  Zuko scowled at Mai and Ty Lee. “I expected more of you two.”

  Ty Lee cringed at the criticism, but Mai was unbowed. He might have been cute, but she wasn’t going to be bullied, not by anyone. She met his gaze evenly. “We did our best.”

  “The bison blew us into the water with its tail,” Ty Lee said.

  “It’s always excuses,” Zuko muttered.

  “And what’s yours?” Mai said. “You fought the Avatar. Why did you fail to capture him?”

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Zuko fixed her with an angry glare. “All the Avatar’s bending pals were there. Even my uncle and my sister decided to attack me.”

  “You saw Azula!” Ty Lee said. “So did we.”

  Mai nodded. “She seemed to be doing...better than I expected.”

  “She threatened to kill us,” Ty Lee said with a slight frown.

  Mai snorted. “I’d be more concerned if she didn’t.”

  Ty Lee giggled.

  “Enough of your chatter!” Zuko said, rubbing his temples. “Let me think.”

  Zuko had a big, slow-moving mind. Mai gave him a minute. “Who should we be pursuing?”

  He rubbed his chin. “I redirected Azula’s lightning into my uncle. He’s injured, moving slowly. I say we track them down.”

  Ty Lee brightened at this.

  ***

  It was later in the afternoon when Azula felt like she’d mastered the lightning redirection, slowly practicing the movement of channeling the lightning through one arm, then into her stomach, and then out the other arm. She’d also endured some lecturing from her uncle, but it was worth it. He’d mentioned that there were techniques to learn from the other bending disciplines. It made a good deal of sense. He also said something that confused her.

  “Lightning is the cold fire,” he said, rubbing the bandages on his upper chest and shoulder. “One can only use it when she is at peace.”

  “When has that ever been me?” Azula said. “And yet I can bend lightning.”

  Iroh smiled. “Your mind churns with many thoughts, I wouldn’t doubt. But when you are fighting, your mind is still.”

  Azula raised an eyebrow. “You’re saying I’m only calm when I’m fighting?”

  “This surprises you?”

  “I suppose not,” Azula said. Her eyes looked over the plain. In the distance, dust clouds were forming.

  “Is that…” Iroh trailed off.

  Azula squinted, trying to make out who it was.

  “Zuzu!” she snarled, “And Mai and Ty Lee. But there are others behind them. Who are they?”

  Iroh squinted as well, and then he raised an eyebrow. “That’s Colonel Mongke and his Rough Rhinos."

  "Them again?" Azula said.

  Iroh smiled. "A long time ago, they were some of my best warriors…and an excellent group of singers. You should hear their rendition of Leaves on the Vine.”

  “We have to go.” Azula ran to the ostrich horse.

  “But where to?” Iroh asked.

  “Anywhere far away from Zuzu and his ‘friends’,” she said sarcastically.

  Iroh rubbed his gray beard. “Friends? Hmm...I might know where I can find some of those. Quickly!”

  ***

  Iroh led the way. He and Azula entered the village at the Misty Palms Oasis. He calmly walked to the tavern and entered it.

  “Have we found your ally yet?” Azula wasn’t used to following anyone, and she was pretty sure she didn’t like it.

  Iroh nodded and pointed to an old man at the Pai Sho table. “I think it’s time for a game.”

  Azula rolled her eyes. “Of course you do.”

  The game didn’t take long, but Azula still tapped her foot impatiently. She preferred attacking things or formulating plans to waiting. Here, she was dependent on her uncle.

  “The White Lotus Gambit,” the old man said, recognizing Iroh’s move.

  Her uncle smiled. “It is my favorite. I do so prefer the old ways.”

  Azula furrowed her eyebrows. There was something about the way Iroh had said that. Both Iroh and the old man were engaged in some sort of secret code. She tried to figure out what they were communicating. The pieces on the board were finally arranged into the form of a white lotus.

  The old man rose to his feet, and so did Iroh and Azula. He bowed to them and whispered, “We of the White Lotus welcome you.”

  ***

  The sun’s rays had just finished their work when Zuko, Mai, and Ty Lee rode their komodo rhinos into the dirty little town. Colonel Mongke and his men rode behind them. The colonel and his men were excellent trackers, and his men would provide excellent backup for this task. With any luck, Zuko would capture the fugitives without much problem.

  “This is barely even a watering hole,” Mai said.

  “I think it’s quaint,” Ty Lee said.

  Mai smirked. “You would.” She turned to Zuko. “What do you want us to do?”

  Zuko dismounted. “Search the town. They can’t have gotten very far, and maybe you’ll be able to talk her into coming out.”

  Mai and Ty Lee dismounted and began their search. Zuko watched them go with interest. In particular, Mai still gave him a few subtle smiles here and there under her perpetual stolid expression.

  “What would you have us do, my Prince?” Colonel Mongke asked.

  “Let’s go to that tavern,” Zuko said, “And ask some questions.”

  They entered the tavern. Men of disrepute gave him and his soldiers wary glances.

  Zuko walked up to the bar. “Excuse me. I am looking for two criminals of the Fire Nation: a girl with a burn mark on her eye and a chubby old man. I believe they came through this unfortunate place.” He looked at the tavern with distaste.

  The bartender snorted. “A lot of people come through here. What’s that to us?”

  Zuko nodded to the biggest soldier in the Rough Rhinos, Kahchi, a bald man with a long, dark beard. Kahchi slammed a gold coin onto the bar with a loud thunk.

  The bartender picked up the gold piece and bit it, testing its quality. “I’m going to need more than this to jog my memory.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” Zuko said with an icy smile. “How long have you been here in the Misty Palms Oasis?”

  The bartender was so focused on the gold coin that he didn’t notice Zuko's predatory look. “I’ve been here for twenty years.”

  “I imagine you’ve served quite a few people in this tavern.”

  “Oh yes, sir.”

  “Then I would think your whole life is tied up in this place.”

  “I…” the bartender suddenly realized what Zuko was saying. “No, not really.”

  “That’s good,” Zuko said, “Because old wooden buildings like this are very prone to fire. You know how it is. One little spark, and the whole place could go up.”

  Colonel Mongke blasted a fireball at one of the tables. It burst into flames. The bartender’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head. Frantically, he grabbed a mop bucket and doused the table. Steam and the smell of burnt wood filled the room.

  “As I was saying,” Zuko said, “I’m looking for some criminals.”

  ***

  Azula had been waiting impatiently outside the door of the secret society room for several hours. It was situated in the back of a flower shop. She tapped her foot and scratched her head. Whatever they were discussing in there had better have been important.

  A noise from outside the shop caught her attention. She looked through a crack in the wall and nearly cursed. Her brother was here. What’s more, Mai and Ty Lee were going house to house in the oasis, and they’d just started on her street. She hurried to the door of the secret room and knocked. “Uncle, Uncle!”

  ***

  Mai walked up to the door of a flower shop and knocked loud enough that anyone inside would be awoken. A little further down, Ty Lee was animatedly talking to a potter about his craft. Mai shook her head. Only Ty Lee could turn a search for criminals into a chance to make friends.

  A slot in the door opened, and a young man peered out. “What’s your favorite color?”

  What a strange question! “A nice, dull brown. Now, are you going to open up?”

  He shook his head. “Wrong answer.”

  “We’re looking for an old man and a young girl about my age,” Mai said.

  “Haven’t seen them,” he said, but there was a bead of sweat running down the side of his head.

  Mai narrowed her eyes. “If Azula’s in there, tell her that Mai would like to talk to her.”

  ***

  Azula started, her heart beating wildly in her chest. Talk to her former friend? Why would she do that? She poked her head round a hutch filled with gardening tools. She could only see Mai’s eyes through the slat.

  Mai rolled her eyes. “I could just as easily call your brother.”

  Iroh, who was standing next to Azula, leaned closer to her. “Talk to your friend.”

  “She’s not—”

  “She is now!” Iroh said. He shoved her forward.

  Azula glared at him before walking over to the door. “What do you want, Mai?”

  “Can’t a girl just see how an old school friend is doing?”

  “Not when she’s helping my enemy.”

  “You mean your brother? He says he wants to bring you in safely so you can go home.”

  Azula nodded. “You know how he is. He says one thing and means another. He wants to imprison me and execute my uncle.”

  “I hardly think that’s true.”

  Azula narrowed her eyes. “You still like him, don’t you?”

  “Ugh,” Mai said. “You and Zuko are always fighting. Look, if I hadn’t joined him, he would’ve had someone else hunt you. Better that I do it.”

  “Are you going to turn me in or not?” Azula said.

  Before Mai could answer, Zuko’s voice came from a couple of houses away. “Did you find anything?”

  ***

  The look of fear in Azula’s eyes gave Mai pause. Could her friend truly be in danger? There was more to this than Zuko was saying. The Royal Family was a constant source of drama and secrets.

  “Please,” Azula said.

  In her entire life, Mai had never known Azula to ask for anything. The princess would demand and berate and cajole, but never plead. Fascinating! She cocked her head to the side, considering.

  “Well?” Zuko said. A shifty, Earth Kingdom man next to him pointed and whispered something to him. Zuko gave him a gold coin.

  She pursed her lips as he started walking over to her. She glanced back at Azula. If Mai let Zuko capture the princess, then she would return to her boring life in Omashu. She made up her mind.

  “Is there a place to hide in there?”

  The flower shopkeeper nodded. “There’s a back room and a closet.”

  “Go to the closet,” Mai said to Azula, who quickly ran out of sight. When Zuko reached Mai, she said, “This shopkeeper is acting suspiciously. He won’t let me in.”

  The side of Zuko’s mouth twisted upward. “My friend here says he likes to have secret meetings in the back." He glared through the slat. "It’s time to open up, if you want to keep your shop, or, even better, your life.”

  The shopkeeper opened the door and bowed. “Please, come in. Let me know if you want some flowers.”

  Mai entered with Zuko and the Earth Kingdom man. Her eyes fell on the only closet in the room. It sat on her left, hiding Azula and her uncle. Mai had to stop them from searching the room. “Where’s this supposedly secret room?”

  The man pointed to the back. Zuko looked at the Earth Kingdom man. “Take the door.”

  The man bended the earth to knock it down. Inside was a round room with a weird symbol of a flower on the ground.

  “We must have just missed them,” Mai said.

  “How?” Zuko said irritably.

  “It must—”

  A knock came on the other side of the back wall.

  “That must be them!” Zuko blasted a hole in the wall and looked out. Several people, some of whom were sandbenders, were fleeing across the desert sands. Zuko ran out of the room and out the front entrance. “Get me my rhino!” He pointed at Mai and Ty Lee. “You two are with me!”

  Standing in the doorway, Mai gave one last look at the closet before running to her rhino.

  ***

  “It would seem you have at least one friend,” Iroh said as they exited the closet.

  Azula let out a long sigh. “With Mai, it’s never that simple.”

  The shopkeeper walked over to a desk, pulled open a drawer, and took out two passports. “This will get you across the ferry into Ba Sing Se.” He bowed to Iroh. “Thank you for letting me be of service to the White Lotus.”

  Secret societies were powerful! Azula would have to factor them into future plans.

  Iroh bowed to him. “It’s good to have friends.”