Ash [Prince Zuko - Book Two]

❃Chapter Seventeen❃

An early morning sun rose in the distance as Asake trekked through the streets of Ba Sing Se, watching as the city that never slept woke up for the day. She stayed close to the shadows, trailing against the edges of buildings, trying not to be seen. A restless feeling spread through her body as she ran her fingers along the rough surface of a quaint house, and she squinted against the blinding sun.

It seemed like Asake was mainly invisible here in the city. So many people lived here, made their lives here, so she was able to blend in with the faces and hide in the crowd. And yet . . . Zuko and Jet both were able to find her easily. She didn't want to be found by anyone, let alone Zuko. But, she was glad she found them again, glad to be with people who knew her.

She grimaced, pausing at an intersection. A fork in the pathway appeared in front of her, one heading toward the right, so full of sunlight that she had to shield her eyes, and one to the left, so dark but with enough shadows to cover her and hide her away from the rest of the world. She cursed her luck. Maybe the Spirits had a sense of humor because she was literally and figuratively stuck between two paths in her life.

Asake glanced down the brighter path, the light calling out to her. What did this path mean for her? Deep down, she knew she wanted to get better, to forget her past, forget Iroh and Zuko and step into the light – on her own. What good was starting a new life if your past is still haunting you?

But what if they helped her instead of hindering her?

Asake shook her head, looking over at the darker path. If she stayed with Zuko and Iroh, she would go down a dark path just like that one. Zuko hadn't spoken to her since they argued about her date with Jet. He barely spared her a glance in a few days. That really hurt her, more than she cared to admit. He was always angry with her, and she was angry with him, too. Iroh tried to be helpful, tried to be a buffer between the two angry teens, but his hopeful speeches fell on deaf ears.

She didn't think Zuko knew he was hurting her, though. He seemed fine treating her like that. He went about his day with the same face on – anger. He hadn't really changed since she left during the storm; he was still the same person he was when he left them before that. He was still angry, still filled with rage. What he was angry at, she didn't know. Maybe he was angry at her for burning the bridge between the two of them. She would've been angry, too, if he left her a note before disappearing into the night. Especially since she left when he needed her most. But he had Iroh, and that was all he needed. He didn't need her any more than she needed air.

She slipped into the dark path to the left, sticking to the shadows. Even though she wanted to step into the sun, feel the fiery warmth on her sickly skin, she couldn't do it. She knew she needed Zuko and Iroh, more than she needed air itself, even though she hated the power Zuko had over her.

And then the back of her neck tingled uncomfortably. She pressed her back against the wall, looking behind her. A dark shadow, more solid than the other shadows around her, moved ever so slightly as if it was trying to hide away from her. Her heart thudded against her chest at the thought of someone jumping her in this alleyway. Her fingers itched to grab ahold of her swords, but she didn't strap them to her waist today. She didn't think that she would need them.

Asake took off down the alleyway, heading toward the end. Behind her, footsteps thundered loudly, spreading fear through her veins. With a glance over her shoulder, she noticed that the person wore the dark robes of the Dai Li. She tripped over her own feet but stayed upright. What would the Dai Li want with her?

She quickly exited the alleyway and came out onto a street. The sun was higher in the sky which meant that more people were out and about. If she was able to hide in the crowd, she'd be able to get away from the Dai Li. She lowered her head and hurried forward, allowing herself to pray to the Spirits for help. She didn't want to cross the Dai Li at all.