Where There Is Smoke, There Is Fire [Avatar: The Last Airbender Fanfic]

Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Zuko was standing in his office, staring at the wall now coated in scorch marks. This was the first time he had lashed out in anger physically in a long time. He usually kept a lid on his temper or trained until his frustration eased and he could be calm again. But this was not the time for training or keeping calm. All he could see was Izara, with a knife at her throat, and her golden eyes telling him to trust her. He trusted her, so he stayed where he was and let her be captured by the Supremacists. Because they had her captive, he couldn't follow them or continue to attack them. He knew Izara must have had good reason for it all, but it was tearing him apart, knowing they might hurt her to get information. In fact, since they were willing to attack the Capital directly, it was highly likely that they would hurt Izara to try and get her to talk.

There was a knock at his door, and he growled angrily. He had requested to not be disturbed under any circumstances. His assistant, Wen, entered sheepishly, with her eyes lowered.

"I told you that I didn't want to be disturbed!" He yelled at her and immediately regretted it. He would properly apologise later. She usually was a stone-faced, confident woman, and seeing her flinch at his raised voice made him angry at himself.

"My Lord, one of the guards says he has information about Izara." She said in a quiet voice.

Zuko looked behind her to see Kazan, who he knew was Izara's friend and had served under her Uncle previously before coming here. His fury waned slightly, and he gave her a brief nod, and she stepped aside to let Kazan in before closing the door behind her. Kazan bowed, approached, and stayed silent until Zuko turned to face him fully. Previously, when he had asked Kazan about Izara's past, he had said that if Izara didn't tell him, it wasn't his place to do it for her. Zuko respected this, but it had piqued his curiosity even more.

"My Lord. Due to the situation, I feel it is proper to inform you of Izara's past. I know I didn't want to when you asked me before, but I don't think I have a choice now." He spoke with a voice that showed no concern for Izara, and Zuko decided to listen.

While waiting for Kazan to sit, he sat in his own chair and took a breath to mentally prepare himself.

"I first met Izara a few years ago when I served under Colonel Uzan. I noticed that he was... not so polite to her, and I thought it was the right thing to do to be nice to her, and we eventually became friends. We learned many things about each other, and she also spoke to me about her life before she came to be with her Uncle. She will be angry with me for telling you, but you must know she will be okay. She might tell you more when she returns." Kazan's tone was dark and cryptic, and he took a purposely deep breath before he continued. Zuko was surprised by how he casually mentioned her returning and hoped it was true.

"So, I'll tell you how I learned about all this."

###

Izara was strolling past the war tent and, as she usually did, listened in on what was happening. Kazan frequently asked her for inside information, such as when they would be deployed and where they were going, so she tried to keep in the know. A group of scouts had yet to return and were deciding what to do. Seeing her chance, Izara stepped inside silently, began making tea over to one side, and served everyone a cup. She wasn't disturbing the conversation since no one paid her any attention.

"Look, I don't think we should spare a large force to search for scouts who are more than likely dead already. Since we know where they were sent, we know the area where they must have been killed or captured. Why don't we just attack directly instead?" Uzan spoke without compassion for the missing men, and Izara sighed mentally. This was the reason why his men didn't respect him.

"Captain Kazan is a good soldier and a good scout. I think it's worth trying to retrieve them. They may also have valuable information." One of the others spoke, and Izara's eyes went wide, and she conveniently turned away so no one would see her expression change.

Kazan was her friend and one of the only people here who gave her the time of day. Some of the men he was in charge also treated her well since their commanding officer did. After Uzan treated her like shit, no one else seemed to think they needed to be nice to her. Not that she cared about who liked her and who didn't, but after being in military camps for years, it eventually got old. Since Uzan barely treated her like a human being, maybe a few other people could. Thankfully, Kazan wasn't like her Uncle. They talked many times on night watches and got along well. If he was out there, lost, dead or taken prisoner, then she wanted to do something. It would mean falling back into old habits, skills and a mindset that she had wanted to leave precisely where it was; in the past. But Kazan was worth it. It was worth trying. If she failed and was killed, then at least she had tried to do a good thing. She would die with her honour intact and good intentions in her heart.

She approached her Uncle silently, knowing she had to do something to be excused for the remainder of the day. If she was absent for no reason, it would just cause hassle, and her disappearance would be noticed. Lowering herself until she was right beside her Uncle, she leant to whisper in his ear.

"Colonel, my apologies, but I am feeling very unwell. May I be excused for the day?" She said weakly, putting on a perfect act.

He sighed quietly in frustration and shooed her away, and she couldn't have gotten out of there faster. Once free, she returned to her tent, quickly grabbed a few things, and changed into more practical clothing. It was the oldest trick in the book, but she placed a few clothes under the blankets and a black cloth for hair on her small cot to fake her presence, though she doubted anyone would check on her. If her Uncle did, then she would be shocked. Since she was 'ill', he would simply ignore her, which was perfect.

After she was done, she quickly zipped out and approached one of Kazan's men, Argo. He was almost twice her age but had also been polite to her. She stood just far enough away for him to see her gesture for him to walk over to her. He frowned but followed her behind a few of the tents, where they couldn't be seen.

"The scouts sent out this morning have been captured and are being held in the valley. Kazan is with them," she spoke quietly, and he nodded. "I'm going to try and find them. You coming?"

"What?! The Colonel isn't ordering a rescue?" he hissed at her in reply, thinking she was crazy for even considering this.

"Nope. He isn't interested in wasting time looking for them. He just wants to attack, and that's it." Izara replied softly.

"Of course, he isn't interested. Kazan is one of his best men, and he is willing to let him die?!" Argo was clearly angry, and she was glad he hadn't been sent with Kazan. At least she would have one ally in this.

"Exactly why someone needs to help them. They will have critical information. If we send out more scouts, they will also be captured. And Uzan won't find out because anyone who wants to tell him will wake up dead." she retorted back, her tone matching his. "We can't let people die because my Uncle is a fucking asshole."

"What the hell can you do? You aren't even a soldier!" Argo kept his voice down, but she could hear the disbelief in his tone.

"I'm no soldier, but I'm rather overqualified to serve tea." She let the lack of emotion in her tone and eyes convince him and hoped he would believe her. He didn't seem convinced, so she lifted her pant leg just enough for him to see the dagger strapped to her calf. "Let's just say I've spilled my share of blood in the past."

After a moment of silence and a deep breath, he nodded slowly, taking in the change in her expression. "I'll grab a few guys who know how to keep their mouths shut. I'll make sure they aren't missed."

"Meet me at the eastern entrance to the camp at nightfall." She patted his shoulder in appreciation and turned away.

Nightfall was only an hour away at this point, so she didn't have to wait long...