Bad Moon Rising | Book 4

15: Let the Blood Flow

Art: Artist Not Found

Several things happened all at once.

There were yelps and screams. Kiyi squealed and threw herself behind her father. Zuko ordered the guards to take his family out of the room. Aang and Katara tried to restrain Sokka. The Kyoshi warriors yelled at Kida to stop, but none of them would test actually touching her.

Meanwhile, Suki's face was beginning to turn blue. She struggled to breathe. Her fingers scratched at the tan pair of hands wrapped around her throat, but it was a fruitless effort. The more Suki struggled, the tighter Kida's hands became.

"You had one job!" Kida snarled. "You call yourself a warrior, and yet you can't protect one child? All you had to do was keep her hidden. All you had to do was keep her safe. YOU HAD ONE JOB!"

"I– I couldn't–"

"Who the hell is more powerful than the mighty Kyoshi Warriors? I thought you were the most elite warriors in the world. How in Roku's name did you screw this up?"

"They–" Suki croaked but couldn't get enough air to speak.

"They knew you!" Ty Lee cried.

Kida's grip loosened slightly. Her head snapped towards the Fire Nation Kyoshi Warrior. "What did you say?" she demanded.

"They knew you," Ty Lee repeated. Her voice shook in fear, but she was used to facing terrifying females. "The only reason they were here was for Mitsuko. They went straight for her. If Suki and Iroh hadn't caught them, then we wouldn't have even known they were here. They took her because of you."

A gasp of air sounded beside Kida as Suki fell to the ground at her feet, finally released.

"What did they look like?" Kida questioned.

Ty Lee shrugged but gave the best description she could manage. "They had their faces covered, but there were two men and one woman—the girl and one of the guys were firebenders."

"Natsumi," Suki wheezed.

Kida's eyes snapped back down to the Earthian girl. "What did you just say?"

Suki was still breathing heavily, but she started to get back to her feet. Aang and Katara had released Sokka, who rushed forward to help her up. Kida ignored her brother's glares.

"It was Natsumi," Suki sighed. "I recognized her voice."

Kida shook her head. "That's not possible."

"Why not?" Suki urged. "You sent them away. You had to be expecting something like this when you released them. Honestly, I'm surprised it took this long."