City of Secrets (The Lost Waterbender sequel)

The Tundra Queen

When I came to, my head ached and my mouth was dry. I opened my eyes and found myself in a large room. It was fairly empty, save for a table in the center. The windows were all covered with planks of wood, so I had to squint through the darkness.

I realized my hands were chained above my head. I was behind bars, and I saw no way out. The room was extremely dry, but I knew that was on purpose. They knew I was a waterbender—there couldn't be any risks.

The door suddenly banged open and in walked two young women. One I recognized as being on the ship when I'd been kidnapped.

"Well look whose up," the ship on said. "Glad you could join us."

Both girls wore blue armbands with the black silhouette of a wolf on them. I knew now I was in a Tundra Wolf prison somewhere.

"Come on, Mara," one said. "The Boss wants to see you."

I was too tired to protest as the came into my cage. The unlocked me from the ceiling, allowing me to drop to the floor with a painful thud.

My arms were roughly grabbed as the dragged me from my cell and out of the room. I saw we were in a large house. My room was on the second floor, but the balcony overlooked the open room, where a couple people sat sharpening weapons. In the center of the room below was a huge, shallow dish that looked eighteen feet across. It held water, and I realized through my daze I was in Tundra Wolf Headquarters.

I was shoved through the house. I passed several closed rooms until finally we came to another set of stairs, which I was roughly shoved up. I was tired and my throat was dry. I wanted nothing more than a nap.

At the top of the stairwell was a large room. It looked like the inside of my father's igloo at home, only larger. The walls were decorated with furs and tribal antiques and cloths. At the center of the room was a fireplace, unlit in the warm weather. But it was sat at the edge of the room that caught my attention.

It was a large, intricate throne made of some sort of blue material, draped with blankets and Water Tribe medallions. In the chair sat a severe-looking woman. Her brown hair was pulled into a tight bun, and her features were pointed and angry-looking. She wore a black jumpsuit made of a flexible material, similar to the rest of the gang members I'd seen. Around her arm was the blue armband, decorated with Water Tribe insignias. Around her waist were two pouches, filled with water. I knew this was Shakya, leader of the Tundra Wolves.

I was dragged to throne and forced to kneel in front of her. She eyed me with suspicion and anger, then spoke "well if it isn't the one and only Mara of the White Lotus."

I looked her in the eye. "What are you going to do to me?" My voice shook with fear, and she smiled at my trembling.

"Well first I'd like an apology," she said. "I don't appreciate finding an unwelcome intruder snooping around my ship, putting their nose where it doesn't belong."

I glared at the ground and didn't respond.

"Too proud to apologize but not too proud to be a common thief. Ironic."

"I was trying to clear my name," I snapped. "Possibly because of one of your members."

"Ah yes," Shakya tut-tutted. "I heard about that. The infamous White Lotus member, the companion of the avatar, and the former street rat committing a murder—caught red-handed. Can't say I'm surprised."

"You don't know me," I spat.

"I know you came from nothing," she said. "I know you were taken out of pity into a community that rejected you after you acted recklessly and dangerously."