ATER Book 2: Air

Chapter 9: The Rescue

I was glad to have something to take my mind off of Khanu. Unfortunately, it was something that made me even more apprehensive. The Queen wanted to see me. The only other time she wanted to see me was when she was giving me prison duty.

I pushed open the heavy door to the throne room. The Queen sat on her throne, brushing her long chocolate curls. Three guards stood around her. I scurried over to her and bowed, not rising until her say-so. "Rise," she commanded. I stood. She waved a hand at the guards. "Leave us."

They made their quick bows and left the room. I heard a tiny clinking sound and turned to see a miniature camera fall to the ground. Four more followed. The Queen hadn't even lifted a finger. "How-?" I began but she waved my question away.

"All your questions will be answered in due time," she said. "Now, I want to explain something to you: you and I both have lived in Cakuho. Unlike you, I was not born there, but I moved there when I was a teenager."

"But how did you know about Cakuho?" I couldn't help asking.

"I discovered it by accident. But there is something else, Luna, something you ought to know. Your mother isn't dead."

"Really?! Where is she?" I looked around, thinking she might be hiding somewhere. But it was only the Queen and I in the room.

"Luna," the Queen said slowly, "I am your mother." I couldn't help gasping. There was no possible way, but I did look like her.

"But-she-wha?" I sputtered. "How is it even possible that..?" The Queen set down her hair brush. She gazed at the wall, I assume imagining something.

"My grandmother was the Queen of Ba Sing Se before myself. My mother had been disowned by my grandmother, so when she died, I acquired the throne. It was when you were 10."

"So, what, you faked your death just so you could go and take the throne? You didn't even care about Dad or...or Chen and me?" She pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Of course I cared about you. But my grandmother had dangerous advisors that would do...terrible things if I didn't come in. Besides, you know the rules. You're not allowed to leave."

I sighed. I knew she was right. The only other way to leave besides the becoming of age was death. After a funeral, the body is cast out and buried in the desert. My mother must've had people help her escape from the coffin once she was up there.

I got the feeling there was something else bothering her, so I asked, "Is that the only reason why you called me in here?" The Queen shook her head.

"I know one of your friends is a wrongful prisoner here. I know you know that there are secret tunnels going outside from the dungeons. I have a map, and there is a tunnel straight outside from his cell."

"But...I don't have a key."

"That won't be a problem." She picked up something beside her throne and tossed it to me. A gleaming metal key. "That will open up his cell. Tell the guard that I gave you special permission to go inside."

There was still one problem. "You act as if I am to do this today. I have no ride to get back to my friend's house and Khanu is badly injured." She smiled like we were sharing an inside joke.

"I hope you don't mind, but I intercepted your eel-hound on his way to your friend Kaito's house. He led me there and I told Kaito." I groaned.

"Did you tell him everything?"

"All I told him was that it was the Queen's orders that he meet you at the end of that tunnel."

"Does he know where it is?"