Daughter of the Moon - Book Three: Fire

Chapter 18.4: It Was Not a Good Idea to Go to the Boiling Rock

- Zuko -

I cautiously stabbed another Komodo sausage before turning to join a group of guards in the lounge, taking note of the small pile of rice that Elara had taken for her own lunch. She had insisted that we follow the guard's invitation to join her in the canteen so that we could try to gather information, but for some reason, it was still strange to see how little she wanted to eat. Elara had always loved eating, no matter the situation ...

"You kids must be fresh off the gondola," one of the guards commented as I sat myself down next to Elara. "I know it's the rule to have your helmet on at all times, but this is the lounge. You two can relax."

I looked over to Elara expecting to share a nervous glance with her, but when her eyes never left the table, I offered the best fib I could come up with. "But what if there's an incident?" I asked. "If we're not prepared, someone could strike us on the head."

Elara nodded in agreement as our fellow guards chuckled amongst themselves, the duo only pausing for breath as the female guard went to speak. "Give it a week. They'll loosen up," she said with a knowing smirk, completely oblivious to the fact that we weren't going to be staying that long (at least, that was the plan).

Before the guards could turn away and go about their senseless conversations (the ones that were usually exchanged during mealtimes, as I had been told), I offered one last question to the group. Elara and I were here to get information, after all, so I was determined to get it at all costs (the only exception being anything that might put Elara in danger, of course).

"Can one of the new guys ask you veterans a few questions about the prison?" I asked.

"No, you can't date the female guards," the woman immediately responded before I had the chance the dive into a more serious topic.

"Trust me," her partner added with a secretive smirk. "You don't want to."

The female guard promptly threw her cup at the man once he had given his snarky response, and I felt a pang of guilt as I remembered how Elara had done the same thing to me when we were younger. Perhaps she had never actually thrown a cup at me, but that playful spirit was one and the same. If only I had not betrayed her. Maybe she would have still had that spirit.

But I didn't give myself the opportunity to worry about that too much, no matter how much I wanted to. We were behind enemy lines, and to keep Elara, Sokka, and I safe, I had to stay on task.

"No, that's not it," I continued, immediately changing the atmosphere at the table. "The Boiling Rock; it holds the Fire Nation's most dangerous criminals, right? So, what about war prisoners?"

"Why do you want to know?" the male guard asked as he flashed me a mischievous smile. "You got beef with somebody?"

"Uh...well..." I hesitated as I tried to think of an excuse that wouldn't blow our cover, but my efforts weren't necessary. Elara swooped in to save us, just like she always had.

"Yes," she answered confidently, and the almost metallic tone in her voice chilled me to the bone. "We had a run in with some Water Tribe filth before getting transferred here, and it left a bad taste in our mouth. We were just wondering if we could...repay the favor, if you know what I mean."

I glanced at Elara out of the corner of my eye as the guards laughed once again, somehow sharing the twisted sentiment that the Moon Warrior had expressed. But I couldn't understand it—any of it. Elara had never suggested something so brutal in all the time that I had known her, even if it was to keep up a cover. It wasn't like her, especially that wicked smile that had somehow etched its way into her face.