Daughter of the Moon - Book Two: Earth

Chapter 9.2: The Great Escape

- Elara -

The Pai Sho player had stolen us away from that bar quicker than an eel-hound sprinting to its next meal, using the veil of night to shield us from our pursuers. After traversing a long and lonely desert road, we stumbled upon a near-lifeless village, twisting through the interlocking streets until we found ourselves at the door of a quaint, little flower shop right at the stroke of midnight. Once we had entered, the man surveyed our surroundings and bolted the door shut behind us, making sure no one would be able to follow (although, there was a part of me that worried that he had just locked the door to keep us from leaving instead...)

"It is an honor to welcome such a high-ranking member of the Order of the White Lotus," the Pai Sho player then beamed as he turned to face Iroh, putting some of my initial suspicions about this new man at ease. "Being a Grand Master, you must know so many secrets."

My mind swirled with questions as the man spoke—Who was this guy? How did he know Iroh? What in the world was the White Lotus? and questions of the like. No amount of time on Zuko's ship could have prepared me for an escape plan over a board game nor how we had somehow managed to escape the grasp of those angry barbarians alive by following the competitor of said board game after starting a riot. And unfortunately enough, it only seemed that my questions would not only persist, but they would be quickly joined by several others as Iroh kept up his strange elderly antics.

Unfortunately, I quickly learned that Zuko would be no help in uncovering the mysteries of the supposed White Lotus...

"Now that you played Pai Sho, are you going to do some flower arranging, or is this club going to offer some real help?" Zuko pressed, ignoring a whole plethora of helpful questions he could have asked in favor of insulting the man that had just saved us.

"You must forgive my nephew," Iroh sighed (even though an apology was far from his responsibility in the matter). "He is not an initiate and has little appreciation for the cryptic arts. This young woman, on the other hand..." he continued, gesturing to me. "She may have a different opinion."

"Is that so?" the Pai Sho player asked with a quizzical look. This worried me at first, seeing how this man probably did not want a child in this mysterious club of his—and a young girl, at that—but I breathed a sigh of relief as his query quickly morphed into an excited smile. "Then I hope to see you amongst our ranks in the future, miss."

I nodded in awe as the Pai Sho player beckoned for Iroh to follow him, and the two began walking towards a room tucked away in the back of the shop. Before he even had a chance to open the door, however, I came to my senses and reached towards Iroh first.

"Iroh, wait!" I asked as I tugged on his sleeve. "This whole White Lotus thing...is that why you were teaching me that game back on the ship? So that I could find help if I needed it?"

"I knew you would figure it out eventually," Iroh answered with a nod. "Although I would like for you to consider the White Lotus as more than just a helping hand one day."

"Of course," I answered with a smile.

At that moment, the Pai Sho player knocked rhythmically on the back door, to which a little slide opened up through its middle, allowing another strange man to peek through.

"Who knocks at the guarded gate?" the second man asked.

Iroh stepped forward and offered his response. "One who has eaten the fruit and tasted its mysteries."

In response to the secret code that I clearly did not understand, the door opened wide, revealing a small, circular room with what appeared to be a white lotus etched into the floor. The old men walked in promptly, but as Zuko and I went to follow, we instead found ourselves face to face with a heavy wooden door. Iroh opened the slit once more to offer us some words of comfort (if that was what you can call them) just as we were about to grumble in protest.