The Black Mask: Chapter Four -- Fugitive
Title: The Black Mask
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Mai, Zuko, Zhao, Ty Lee Pairings: Mai/Zuko
Word Count: ~22,000, eight chapters plus epilogue. Chapter Four: ~2,800.
Summary: While searching for the Avatar, Prince Zuko stops at Whale Tail Island. He meets the Governor's daughter, Mai, who shows him around the most boring Fire Nation colony in the world. But things start happening when Captain Zhao arrives to investigate a report of an air bender living on the island, and both Mai and Zuko get pulled into his hunt.
Four: Fugitive
Mai arrived back at home just as the sun was setting. Approaching the front steps, she saw Ty Lee's mother and father in front of the open door. The woman was crying loud enough to be heard a few dozen feet away; the man was arguing hotly with her father's valet, who stood in the doorway. Mai paused, watching. With an angry huff, the valet slammed the door. Ty Lee's mother wailed. Ty Lee's father loudly vowed that they weren't going anywhere until the Governor saw them.
The last thing Mai wanted was to deal with distraught people, but she needed to know what was going on, so she continued up the stairs.
Ty Lee's father saw her first and cried, "Mai! I'm glad you're here. You might be able to talk some sense into your father." He banged on the door. "I've known him since before you were born. I thought we were friends. And yet he turns us away like common vagrants when we ask for help. It's an insult!"
Before she could respond, Ty Lee's mother sobbed, "Mai! Have you seen Ty Lee? No one can find her. My baby's missing!"
The woman tried to dry her face, but the tears were coming too fast. The sight was pitiful, but revealing where Ty Lee was hiding to anyone was simply too risky right now. Mai lied, "No, I haven't."
The front door opened again, and the valet beckoned Mai inside. Ty Lee's parents tried to push their way in, but several housemaids had reinforced the valet's position and they could not get through. Mai squeezed past the throng of people guarding the door.
As the door closed, Ty Lee's mother pleaded, "Talk to your father for us, Mai! Please. He might listen to you."
Once inside the house, Mai had second thoughts about the wisdom of asking her father for help.
The Governor was in his office, standing at the large window overlooking the main garden. The sky was rapidly darkening outside, but the lamps had not yet been lit. The familiar furniture--her father's cluttered desk, the folding screen he sometimes put up for extra privacy, the cushioned benches for guests--seemed alien in the gloom. The strangeness of the entire day was infecting her own home.
She closed the door softly behind her, and her father turned around. He greeted her somberly. "Mai. I have a very serious matter I need to discuss with you." He stepped closer to her. They both stood on the yellow and red dragon design rug in front of his desk, he on the head, she on the tail. He asked, "Have you seen your friend Ty Lee today?"
The encounter with Ty Lee's parents made her uneasy, and so she decided not to reveal anything unless absolutely necessary. "I saw her this morning," she answered. "Before I left with Prince Zuko and General Iroh."
"Not since then?"
"No."
He looked at her keenly. "Are you certain?"
"I'm a little young to be going senile, Dad," she retorted.
He sighed. "You don't know what's happening, since you've been away all day." She decided not to correct him. He clasped his hands behind his back and began to pace. "Your friend is in grave trouble. Tell me. Have you ever noticed anything unusual about Ty Lee?"
Mai raised her eyebrows. "Ty Lee makes it a point to be unusual. Remember the time she climbed the flagpole on Fire Lord Sozin's birthday?"
Her father shook his head. "She isn't a bender, is she?"
"You know she isn't."
"I know she's not a fire bender," he said. "But could she be something else?"
She sighed. "Dad, what are you talking about?"
Wearily, he answered, "The Fire Navy is here. They believe that Ty Lee is…an air bender. And she has disappeared." Mai said nothing, just looked at her father in mock shock. She didn't have to try very hard to fake it--she still couldn't entirely believe this was happening.
After a moment, he continued, "I'm sorry, Mai. This must be difficult for you to hear. But we need to find Ty Lee. Do you have any idea where she might be?"
"No," she said, shaking her head. "I don't."
Her father began emphasizing the gravity of the situation again, but was interrupted. The screen behind his desk suddenly slid back, revealing a man in a Fire Navy uniform.
Mai abruptly stepped backward, barely stopping herself from attacking the stranger. He was tall, fairly young, and clean-shaven, with a small crescent-shaped scar on his chin. Looking suspiciously at her, he said, "With all due respect, Governor, I believe it would be best for me to ask the questions from now on. I understand your desire to be considerate to your family, but you don't want to obstruct a military investigation, now, do you? It's bad enough that an air bender's been living here for years, right under your nose."
"Of course--of course not, Lt. Quan," her father answered, flustered. He gave an apologetic look to Mai. "But my daughter doesn't know anything."
"Perhaps not," the officer said. "Although I must say, I find it surprising that you tolerate such disrespect from a child."
Mai looked away from the man to keep herself from glaring at him. She had to get out of here as quickly as possible, and antagonizing a Fire Navy officer wouldn't help. Even if her father wanted to help Ty Lee, he couldn't--he was being watched. This also explained why he had turned Ty Lee's parents away so brusquely. He was trying to protect them, at least for a little while.
The lieutenant studied her for a moment, then said, "Now. Tell me exactly what you have done today."
She spent two hours answering questions with selective honesty and biting back sarcastic remarks. Finally, the lieutenant seemed satisfied that she didn't know anything of value and dismissed her.
On the stairs up to her room, her father touched her arm and whispered, "Mai, please don't do anything." She glanced over her shoulder at him--he looked genuinely frightened. "I know Ty Lee is your friend, but you can't interfere in a military operation."
She turned around and took his hand. "I'm not going to do anything, Dad," she promised. "I just want to be alone for a while, ok?"
He nodded and returned downstairs. She went to her room, closed the door, and spent several minutes listening for anyone in the hall. When she was certain no one was going to burst in on her, she went to her desk and counted her personal spending money. She wasn't going to do just anything--she was going to help her best friend escape.
She had a good-sized pile of money, but doubted it was enough to bribe someone to undertake a mission as perilous as smuggling a fugitive. At least, not anyone smart enough to not get caught. She was by no means an expert on criminal behavior, but she figured it was like her father looking for artisans and tradespeople: talent and experience were expensive. Besides, she didn't know who to approach. She didn't exactly spend her free time hanging around sketchy seafarers.
A possibility sparked in her mind. There was someone who had his own ship, and who could move about fairly freely. Someone who owed her for recently saving his life. Someone who just might be interested enough in a real live air bender--even if she wasn't the Avatar--to be willing to help them.
She needed to visit Prince Zuko.
------
Zuko stood on the bridge, looking at a map of Whale Tail Island unrolled on a table. His uncle was out on deck with Lt. Jee and some of the crew, sampling some of the local delicacies. Strips of roast pork slathered in red-brown sauce and rolled in sesame seeds; fat, golden dumplings; and yellow-tinged, sweet-smelling rice studded with seafood. Zuko had declined his uncle's invitation to join in. At least they weren't out there singing again.
He sighed, flattening wrinkles in the map with his hands. The day had been completely unproductive. The only thing he managed to do was almost get crushed by falling rocks. If it weren't for Mai's quick reflexes, he'd probably be lying in a hospital bed right now, or worse. He shook his head--he didn't understand her any better after having spent the day with her. But he wouldn't forget what she'd done, and when he restored his honor he would re-pay her properly.
Frowning, he concentrated on the map. He needed to plan the next stage of his search of the island, not waste time dwelling on some weird girl he'd just met. The door was ajar, and slowly opened further. He ignored it, thinking it had been caught by a breeze, until a figure quickly stepped through it.
A person in a long, red cloak stood before him, face hidden by a hood. Assuming a fire bending stance, he demanded, "Who are you?"
The hood dropped, revealing Mai. He was about to ask what she was doing here when she dropped to her knees and kowtowed. He was utterly shocked. No one had kowtowed to him since he'd been banished. He didn't deserve such displays of reverence, not until he restored his honor.
She sat up on her heels and said formally, "Prince Zuko, son of Fire Lord Ozai, I have come seeking help. I know it is not my place to make requests of you, but please hear my petition, since you are the only one who can help me."
He stared at her, wondering what the hell had happened. Cheeks flushing, he said, "Uh, you--you don't have to do that." She hesitated, then stood up, dusting off her cloak. He asked, "You need my help? What for?"
For the first time, he saw her look anxious. She said, "My friend Ty Lee--you met her this morning, at my house--has been accused of…being a traitor to the Fire Nation."
"The girl in pink?" Mai nodded. "What did she do?"
Mai looked away from him for a moment, then said, "Please understand, I've come to you because I don't have anywhere else to go. And Ty Lee didn't really do anything. But…" She took a deep breath. "She's an air bender."
Zuko set a hand on the wall to steady himself. After a moment, he said, disbelieving, "She's an air bender."
"Yes. But she's not the Avatar."
"An air bender."
"Not the Avatar."
"An air bender."
Mai held up her hands and said, "She's not the Avatar. Really. She's fourteen years old. From the Fire Nation, just like you and me."
Steam curled from Zuko's clenched fists. The image of the relentlessly cheerful girl with the long braid flashed in his mind. "No," he growled, more to himself than Mai. "She can't be. She's far too young and stupid to be the Avatar."
"She's not stupid," Mai muttered.
"Don't talk to me!" Zuko roared, fingers sparking. "The whole time, you were hiding this from me--lying--pretending to help me."
"It wasn't any of your business," she responded, anger glinting in her voice. "You're looking for the Avatar. Ty Lee's not the damn Avatar."
He demanded, stalking toward her, "Where are the other air benders?"
She stood still, not flinching even when he leaned in toward her face, close enough to catch her scent. His breath steamed slightly on her, but she did not react. "There are no others," she said.
"You're lying," he hissed. "Bending runs in families."
She scoffed. "What? You think one of her grandparents is the Avatar? They're all dead."
"I don't believe you."
She shrugged. "Since Captain Zhao knows about her, don't you think he'd know if there were others too?"
Zuko leaned back, surprised. "Zhao is here?"
She eyed him warily. "You know him?"
"Yes."
The two of them were silent for a moment, eyes locked. Zuko didn't like Zhao being involved in this at all. The Captain was a treacherous man who would do anything to advance his own career. Even Uncle Iroh, who was always going on about there being good in everyone, disliked and distrusted Zhao.
Thoughts began to bubble underneath Zuko's rage. Starting to believe there was something more going on, he asked, "Why did you come here?"
"Like I said, I need your help," she answered. "My friend's being hunted by the Fire Navy."
"You want me to smuggle her off the island?"
"That was the idea."
He said, "No."
Mai's mouth opened and closed, and she glared at him. "If you refuse," she said, "she'll be caught and imprisoned for the rest of her life."
He turned away from her. "That's not my concern."
"She can't help being an air bender! It was just some kind of accident."
"You said it yourself. I'm looking for the Avatar. Ty Lee's not the Avatar."
Mai's voice became low and dangerous--she was almost growling. "You owe me. I saved you from being crushed by rocks just before lunch, if you remember."
He turned back to her and retorted, "I've survived worse."
Her face was murderous, but her voice was cool and even. "You know, I felt bad for you," she said, "being banished. But that was a waste of effort. You only care about yourself. I hope you never find the Avatar."
Turning on her heel, she flicked her hood back over her head and stormed off of the bridge.
Zuko angrily unleashed a burst of flame that crashed into the wall and dissipated. The girl was insane. She asked him--the Fire Lord's son--to help her shelter an air bender. It was treason. Both girls would end up in prison for life when they got caught. And they would get caught. Involving himself in this mess would be throwing away all chance of ever restoring his honor.
Still, she was right about one thing. He owed her something for saving him in the mine shaft. There was one thing he could do: he wouldn't tell anyone what she had asked him to do.
His uncle entered the bridge. "Prince Zuko, I just saw someone in a cloak leaping off the side of the ship onto the dock. Should I sound the alarm?"
"No, Uncle," he answered, crossing his arms over his chest. "It was nothing. Tell the crew to be ready to leave as soon as possible."
"But you have only covered a small portion of the island."
"I know. But there's nothing but trouble for us here."
------
Mai raced back to the abandoned lumber camp where Ty Lee was hiding. The entire trip back home had been a waste of precious time, first with her father, then with the Prince. At least her father might have helped her, if Zhao's officers weren't breathing down his neck. But of course the boy Prince wouldn't care about what happened to anyone else.
She and Ty Lee could only rely on each other from now on.
Riding her lizard hard through the woods around North Harbor, she took shortcuts that only people who had lived in the area for a long time knew. All she had with her were her weapons and her money. She charged through fields of waist high grass, clambered up steep rocks, and skipped across ponds and streams.
Even with her futile detour, she was confident she would reach Ty Lee before Captain Zhao did. There was a lot of open country around the capital where someone could hide. He would likely be using rhinos--carrying fully-armored fire benders--which would slow him down considerably. And he and his men had also been taken down by Ty Lee, which would slow them down a lot.
But time was running out. Everyone at home was so distracted by the Fire Navy's presence that no one had noticed her slip out of her bedroom window and steal a lizard, but if she wasn't missed yet, she would be by morning. The only advantage she had was speed. And desperation, but that was certainly a double-edged advantage.
The moon was high by the time she approached the hill where the lumber yard stood. Acrid smoke drifted over the treetops into the cool night air. She halted her lizard and waited for a few moments, listening. There was no sound, other than the chirp of fire crickets. Cautiously, she rode on.
Cresting the ridge, she saw the fire. The ruined lumber yard buildings burned brightly, the hiss of flames and the crackle of wood puncturing the stillness of the night.
The Fire Navy had come and gone.
She ran toward the blaze on foot, shouting for Ty Lee. No one answered. The last few beams supporting the large warehouse collapsed and the entire structure fell down in flames. Embers scattered in all directions with the force of the implosion.
Mai knelt down on the grass, covered her face and began to cry.
--end Chapter Four
Five: Like a Sister
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Mai, Zuko, Zhao, Ty Lee Pairings: Mai/Zuko
Word Count: ~22,000, eight chapters plus epilogue. Chapter Four: ~2,800.
Summary: While searching for the Avatar, Prince Zuko stops at Whale Tail Island. He meets the Governor's daughter, Mai, who shows him around the most boring Fire Nation colony in the world. But things start happening when Captain Zhao arrives to investigate a report of an air bender living on the island, and both Mai and Zuko get pulled into his hunt.
Four: Fugitive
Mai arrived back at home just as the sun was setting. Approaching the front steps, she saw Ty Lee's mother and father in front of the open door. The woman was crying loud enough to be heard a few dozen feet away; the man was arguing hotly with her father's valet, who stood in the doorway. Mai paused, watching. With an angry huff, the valet slammed the door. Ty Lee's mother wailed. Ty Lee's father loudly vowed that they weren't going anywhere until the Governor saw them.
The last thing Mai wanted was to deal with distraught people, but she needed to know what was going on, so she continued up the stairs.
Ty Lee's father saw her first and cried, "Mai! I'm glad you're here. You might be able to talk some sense into your father." He banged on the door. "I've known him since before you were born. I thought we were friends. And yet he turns us away like common vagrants when we ask for help. It's an insult!"
Before she could respond, Ty Lee's mother sobbed, "Mai! Have you seen Ty Lee? No one can find her. My baby's missing!"
The woman tried to dry her face, but the tears were coming too fast. The sight was pitiful, but revealing where Ty Lee was hiding to anyone was simply too risky right now. Mai lied, "No, I haven't."
The front door opened again, and the valet beckoned Mai inside. Ty Lee's parents tried to push their way in, but several housemaids had reinforced the valet's position and they could not get through. Mai squeezed past the throng of people guarding the door.
As the door closed, Ty Lee's mother pleaded, "Talk to your father for us, Mai! Please. He might listen to you."
Once inside the house, Mai had second thoughts about the wisdom of asking her father for help.
The Governor was in his office, standing at the large window overlooking the main garden. The sky was rapidly darkening outside, but the lamps had not yet been lit. The familiar furniture--her father's cluttered desk, the folding screen he sometimes put up for extra privacy, the cushioned benches for guests--seemed alien in the gloom. The strangeness of the entire day was infecting her own home.
She closed the door softly behind her, and her father turned around. He greeted her somberly. "Mai. I have a very serious matter I need to discuss with you." He stepped closer to her. They both stood on the yellow and red dragon design rug in front of his desk, he on the head, she on the tail. He asked, "Have you seen your friend Ty Lee today?"
The encounter with Ty Lee's parents made her uneasy, and so she decided not to reveal anything unless absolutely necessary. "I saw her this morning," she answered. "Before I left with Prince Zuko and General Iroh."
"Not since then?"
"No."
He looked at her keenly. "Are you certain?"
"I'm a little young to be going senile, Dad," she retorted.
He sighed. "You don't know what's happening, since you've been away all day." She decided not to correct him. He clasped his hands behind his back and began to pace. "Your friend is in grave trouble. Tell me. Have you ever noticed anything unusual about Ty Lee?"
Mai raised her eyebrows. "Ty Lee makes it a point to be unusual. Remember the time she climbed the flagpole on Fire Lord Sozin's birthday?"
Her father shook his head. "She isn't a bender, is she?"
"You know she isn't."
"I know she's not a fire bender," he said. "But could she be something else?"
She sighed. "Dad, what are you talking about?"
Wearily, he answered, "The Fire Navy is here. They believe that Ty Lee is…an air bender. And she has disappeared." Mai said nothing, just looked at her father in mock shock. She didn't have to try very hard to fake it--she still couldn't entirely believe this was happening.
After a moment, he continued, "I'm sorry, Mai. This must be difficult for you to hear. But we need to find Ty Lee. Do you have any idea where she might be?"
"No," she said, shaking her head. "I don't."
Her father began emphasizing the gravity of the situation again, but was interrupted. The screen behind his desk suddenly slid back, revealing a man in a Fire Navy uniform.
Mai abruptly stepped backward, barely stopping herself from attacking the stranger. He was tall, fairly young, and clean-shaven, with a small crescent-shaped scar on his chin. Looking suspiciously at her, he said, "With all due respect, Governor, I believe it would be best for me to ask the questions from now on. I understand your desire to be considerate to your family, but you don't want to obstruct a military investigation, now, do you? It's bad enough that an air bender's been living here for years, right under your nose."
"Of course--of course not, Lt. Quan," her father answered, flustered. He gave an apologetic look to Mai. "But my daughter doesn't know anything."
"Perhaps not," the officer said. "Although I must say, I find it surprising that you tolerate such disrespect from a child."
Mai looked away from the man to keep herself from glaring at him. She had to get out of here as quickly as possible, and antagonizing a Fire Navy officer wouldn't help. Even if her father wanted to help Ty Lee, he couldn't--he was being watched. This also explained why he had turned Ty Lee's parents away so brusquely. He was trying to protect them, at least for a little while.
The lieutenant studied her for a moment, then said, "Now. Tell me exactly what you have done today."
She spent two hours answering questions with selective honesty and biting back sarcastic remarks. Finally, the lieutenant seemed satisfied that she didn't know anything of value and dismissed her.
On the stairs up to her room, her father touched her arm and whispered, "Mai, please don't do anything." She glanced over her shoulder at him--he looked genuinely frightened. "I know Ty Lee is your friend, but you can't interfere in a military operation."
She turned around and took his hand. "I'm not going to do anything, Dad," she promised. "I just want to be alone for a while, ok?"
He nodded and returned downstairs. She went to her room, closed the door, and spent several minutes listening for anyone in the hall. When she was certain no one was going to burst in on her, she went to her desk and counted her personal spending money. She wasn't going to do just anything--she was going to help her best friend escape.
She had a good-sized pile of money, but doubted it was enough to bribe someone to undertake a mission as perilous as smuggling a fugitive. At least, not anyone smart enough to not get caught. She was by no means an expert on criminal behavior, but she figured it was like her father looking for artisans and tradespeople: talent and experience were expensive. Besides, she didn't know who to approach. She didn't exactly spend her free time hanging around sketchy seafarers.
A possibility sparked in her mind. There was someone who had his own ship, and who could move about fairly freely. Someone who owed her for recently saving his life. Someone who just might be interested enough in a real live air bender--even if she wasn't the Avatar--to be willing to help them.
She needed to visit Prince Zuko.
------
Zuko stood on the bridge, looking at a map of Whale Tail Island unrolled on a table. His uncle was out on deck with Lt. Jee and some of the crew, sampling some of the local delicacies. Strips of roast pork slathered in red-brown sauce and rolled in sesame seeds; fat, golden dumplings; and yellow-tinged, sweet-smelling rice studded with seafood. Zuko had declined his uncle's invitation to join in. At least they weren't out there singing again.
He sighed, flattening wrinkles in the map with his hands. The day had been completely unproductive. The only thing he managed to do was almost get crushed by falling rocks. If it weren't for Mai's quick reflexes, he'd probably be lying in a hospital bed right now, or worse. He shook his head--he didn't understand her any better after having spent the day with her. But he wouldn't forget what she'd done, and when he restored his honor he would re-pay her properly.
Frowning, he concentrated on the map. He needed to plan the next stage of his search of the island, not waste time dwelling on some weird girl he'd just met. The door was ajar, and slowly opened further. He ignored it, thinking it had been caught by a breeze, until a figure quickly stepped through it.
A person in a long, red cloak stood before him, face hidden by a hood. Assuming a fire bending stance, he demanded, "Who are you?"
The hood dropped, revealing Mai. He was about to ask what she was doing here when she dropped to her knees and kowtowed. He was utterly shocked. No one had kowtowed to him since he'd been banished. He didn't deserve such displays of reverence, not until he restored his honor.
She sat up on her heels and said formally, "Prince Zuko, son of Fire Lord Ozai, I have come seeking help. I know it is not my place to make requests of you, but please hear my petition, since you are the only one who can help me."
He stared at her, wondering what the hell had happened. Cheeks flushing, he said, "Uh, you--you don't have to do that." She hesitated, then stood up, dusting off her cloak. He asked, "You need my help? What for?"
For the first time, he saw her look anxious. She said, "My friend Ty Lee--you met her this morning, at my house--has been accused of…being a traitor to the Fire Nation."
"The girl in pink?" Mai nodded. "What did she do?"
Mai looked away from him for a moment, then said, "Please understand, I've come to you because I don't have anywhere else to go. And Ty Lee didn't really do anything. But…" She took a deep breath. "She's an air bender."
Zuko set a hand on the wall to steady himself. After a moment, he said, disbelieving, "She's an air bender."
"Yes. But she's not the Avatar."
"An air bender."
"Not the Avatar."
"An air bender."
Mai held up her hands and said, "She's not the Avatar. Really. She's fourteen years old. From the Fire Nation, just like you and me."
Steam curled from Zuko's clenched fists. The image of the relentlessly cheerful girl with the long braid flashed in his mind. "No," he growled, more to himself than Mai. "She can't be. She's far too young and stupid to be the Avatar."
"She's not stupid," Mai muttered.
"Don't talk to me!" Zuko roared, fingers sparking. "The whole time, you were hiding this from me--lying--pretending to help me."
"It wasn't any of your business," she responded, anger glinting in her voice. "You're looking for the Avatar. Ty Lee's not the damn Avatar."
He demanded, stalking toward her, "Where are the other air benders?"
She stood still, not flinching even when he leaned in toward her face, close enough to catch her scent. His breath steamed slightly on her, but she did not react. "There are no others," she said.
"You're lying," he hissed. "Bending runs in families."
She scoffed. "What? You think one of her grandparents is the Avatar? They're all dead."
"I don't believe you."
She shrugged. "Since Captain Zhao knows about her, don't you think he'd know if there were others too?"
Zuko leaned back, surprised. "Zhao is here?"
She eyed him warily. "You know him?"
"Yes."
The two of them were silent for a moment, eyes locked. Zuko didn't like Zhao being involved in this at all. The Captain was a treacherous man who would do anything to advance his own career. Even Uncle Iroh, who was always going on about there being good in everyone, disliked and distrusted Zhao.
Thoughts began to bubble underneath Zuko's rage. Starting to believe there was something more going on, he asked, "Why did you come here?"
"Like I said, I need your help," she answered. "My friend's being hunted by the Fire Navy."
"You want me to smuggle her off the island?"
"That was the idea."
He said, "No."
Mai's mouth opened and closed, and she glared at him. "If you refuse," she said, "she'll be caught and imprisoned for the rest of her life."
He turned away from her. "That's not my concern."
"She can't help being an air bender! It was just some kind of accident."
"You said it yourself. I'm looking for the Avatar. Ty Lee's not the Avatar."
Mai's voice became low and dangerous--she was almost growling. "You owe me. I saved you from being crushed by rocks just before lunch, if you remember."
He turned back to her and retorted, "I've survived worse."
Her face was murderous, but her voice was cool and even. "You know, I felt bad for you," she said, "being banished. But that was a waste of effort. You only care about yourself. I hope you never find the Avatar."
Turning on her heel, she flicked her hood back over her head and stormed off of the bridge.
Zuko angrily unleashed a burst of flame that crashed into the wall and dissipated. The girl was insane. She asked him--the Fire Lord's son--to help her shelter an air bender. It was treason. Both girls would end up in prison for life when they got caught. And they would get caught. Involving himself in this mess would be throwing away all chance of ever restoring his honor.
Still, she was right about one thing. He owed her something for saving him in the mine shaft. There was one thing he could do: he wouldn't tell anyone what she had asked him to do.
His uncle entered the bridge. "Prince Zuko, I just saw someone in a cloak leaping off the side of the ship onto the dock. Should I sound the alarm?"
"No, Uncle," he answered, crossing his arms over his chest. "It was nothing. Tell the crew to be ready to leave as soon as possible."
"But you have only covered a small portion of the island."
"I know. But there's nothing but trouble for us here."
------
Mai raced back to the abandoned lumber camp where Ty Lee was hiding. The entire trip back home had been a waste of precious time, first with her father, then with the Prince. At least her father might have helped her, if Zhao's officers weren't breathing down his neck. But of course the boy Prince wouldn't care about what happened to anyone else.
She and Ty Lee could only rely on each other from now on.
Riding her lizard hard through the woods around North Harbor, she took shortcuts that only people who had lived in the area for a long time knew. All she had with her were her weapons and her money. She charged through fields of waist high grass, clambered up steep rocks, and skipped across ponds and streams.
Even with her futile detour, she was confident she would reach Ty Lee before Captain Zhao did. There was a lot of open country around the capital where someone could hide. He would likely be using rhinos--carrying fully-armored fire benders--which would slow him down considerably. And he and his men had also been taken down by Ty Lee, which would slow them down a lot.
But time was running out. Everyone at home was so distracted by the Fire Navy's presence that no one had noticed her slip out of her bedroom window and steal a lizard, but if she wasn't missed yet, she would be by morning. The only advantage she had was speed. And desperation, but that was certainly a double-edged advantage.
The moon was high by the time she approached the hill where the lumber yard stood. Acrid smoke drifted over the treetops into the cool night air. She halted her lizard and waited for a few moments, listening. There was no sound, other than the chirp of fire crickets. Cautiously, she rode on.
Cresting the ridge, she saw the fire. The ruined lumber yard buildings burned brightly, the hiss of flames and the crackle of wood puncturing the stillness of the night.
The Fire Navy had come and gone.
She ran toward the blaze on foot, shouting for Ty Lee. No one answered. The last few beams supporting the large warehouse collapsed and the entire structure fell down in flames. Embers scattered in all directions with the force of the implosion.
Mai knelt down on the grass, covered her face and began to cry.
--end Chapter Four
Five: Like a Sister