Chapter Text
The murmur of voices in their hide-out spot was getting quieter and quieter every single day. When Taya looked around, she could see hardly half a dozen people scattered around the room that used to house twenty just a month ago. Their numbers grew thinner as each night they received messages about someone getting captured or worse – when people simply disappeared. It had been four days since another resistance group reported themselves, their old radio becoming completely silent. The only sign of life was a pot of cold tea and a bowl of rice, apart from the few bodies sitting around, barely alive.
“Today’s rations are smaller, again. I am sorry, Taya,” Amiku smiled sadly as she dropped a tiny ball on Taya’s plate, her eyes remaining dark and clouded. The steam from the over-cooked rice blew in Taya’s face, but the usual kick of the smell from rat meat didn’t come with it.
“Also, no meat today. Omashu is apparently running out of rats.”
“Thanks, Amiku. It’s enough.” Everyone knew that was a lie. Their food portions were never enough, as all goods getting in and out of the city were cautiously guarded by the newly installed security force no one asked for. The only way anyone living in Omashu could get their dinner was to come to a ration station with their identification card or steal it, which was nearly impossible. The resistance treasured every box they could get their hands on. But only a few grains of rice remained in the last one, barely enough to survive another day, and it could take a whole week before a guard would stop paying attention for long enough so they could steal another one.
Taya took her bowl of rice and poured some tea inside her cracked cup and joined a small group of three rebels sitting on a blanket and a few old pillows. Ruuq was the only older one, a man in his forties with a receding hairline and a long beard with a few grey strokes. He served in the Earth Kingdom army and left just a few years ago to return to his family. His skills were one of the most valuable things to the resistance, as nearly everything all of them knew, they learned thanks to him. The other two were young siblings – Mizhu and Elie. Both still kids, frightened and scared, but brave enough to join them. It was a miracle they, of all people, were still with them and not spirits-know-where Kuvira send her prisoners to.
Despair and exhaustion were written in all of their faces, lightened only by a single candle in the very corner of the room. No one truly believed they could win at this point. Not even Taya, maybe the fiercest and most determined one of them. That didn’t mean she would give up. She would rather die than turn it herself to Kuvira. She had made her decision to stand up to her rule and not just lower her head and accept it, as most Omashu residents did (very few people genuinely welcomed her), and she didn’t regret it. But the end was coming. All of them knew that.
“Who has the night watch?” asked Ruuq and slowly chewed his tiny bite of rice. His eyes were a darker shade of blue than ever before, turned to the floor. Night watches were one of the things they continued doing only due to inertia. A few weeks ago, they might have had a real reason to scout the intricate street labyrinth of the city or learn about the schedule of guard patrols. But now all of that was in vain, as they didn’t have the manpower necessary to execute any plan bigger than stealing a box of rice or bread. Even that seemed difficult with only six people remaining.
“Me,” Elie gulped and turned her leg into a more comfortable position. She had twisted her ankle a while ago while running away from an unexpected guard and the alleys and steep, slippery stairs of Omashu were treacherous, especially at night. The injury had not yet completely healed, but she insisted on returning to her duties. Since the first day that she had joined them, she tried to act tough and confident, told everyone she could take care of herself. But in the last few days that façade was slowly falling off, revealing her true frightened self. Her brother put his hand on her shoulder, receiving a smile from her in return.
“Good luck, kid. It seems like that vicious woman has changed the guard schedules. There’s a ton more of them now.”
“Not helping, Ruuq,” whispered Taya sending a sharp glance his way.
“It’s the truth. The girl needs to know what’s she getting into.” Ruuq shrugged it off and ate another bit of rice.
“I can do it, I am not a baby,” assured them Elie, but her expression said otherwise. The poor girl was only fifteen years old and, even as she tried to fool everyone around, clearly scared of her situation. She and her brother joined them full of childish ideas about a great revolution and overthrowing Kuvira’s regime. It was physically painful watching them lose hope and all their spirit. Now there was nothing in their eyes, only the vision of punishment for their crimes. The fact that none of them knew what fate awaited them after getting captured only adding to their distress.
They ate in silence, not really having anything to talk about. They used to sing songs or tell ancient stories about great heroes or exchange funny moments from their lifetimes. All of that was gone now with most of their friends. The candle flame flickered and danced around the knot, creating all sorts of twisted shadows of the dining rebels on the opposite wall. The sun disappeared completely behind one of the mountain peaks and the empty room, with only one window already covered by shutters, fell into darkness. Ruuq reached to the candle and blew it out. A strict curfew was imposed on the city weeks ago, and every fire that remained lit after the sunset was suspicious, as most people went to bed by that time.
Elie silently finished her meal and stood up, still unsure on her healing ankle. Mizhu hugged her goodbye and whispered something into her ear. Their hugs were getting longer and longer as it became more and more likely that one of them wouldn’t come back, leaving a sting in Taya’s heart. Elie gave the rest of them a last glance and limped towards the narrow door leading outside. Obviously, her foot was still weak, and she could barely walk on it, let alone run away from guards. There was no way she could rely on it to carry her around Omashu all night. Taya, Ruuq, and Mizhu all realized there was a very slight chance she would survive until the morning.
Taya looked at Mizhu. He returned from his scouting during the day only a few minutes ago, just like her, but the boy had been outside since the sun came up. Taya joined him only for the late afternoon. Ruuq had been taking all of Elie’s watches the past week when she lay here, her ankle healing. Amiku still hadn’t eaten, and Ming stayed outside, returning only for the day. And after all, she was the non-official leader of their group after Sinju had gotten captured. She felt responsible for Elie, in a way. And so, against her whole body’s wishes, she put aside the rest of her tea and ran towards the young limping girl.
“You can’t go out there with your leg still looking like that.” Taya could see the defensiveness building in Elie’s eyes, just like every time she was told she couldn’t do something. “I don’t want to hear anything. It’s the truth Elie, look at it. Even you must know that. Stay here for another day. I will go instead of you.”
“But… you have the morning watch tomorrow.”
“I will manage. You have to rest,” persisted Taya and her muscles ached just from the thought of another ten hours out in the city. Elie looked at her with her big, doe eyes, and Taya expected protests for a moment before her arms wrapped around her torso. The older woman hesitated, not sure what she should do, settling on patting Elie's back after a few seconds.
“Thank you, Taya. I am not sure if I would make it tonight,” whispered Elie, quietly, so no one else would hear it, and limped back to her brother, who nodded to Taya in a simple thank you. She nodded back, turned around, and let out a deep breath. Even for her, the thought of going out there was scary, and she hated leaving the safety of their hide-out. The narrow, wooden door was like a barrier between them and the outside world full of danger. Even though if Kuvira had found them, it wouldn’t stop anyone from coming in and arresting or killing all of them.
“I am also not sure,” she whispered to herself, slipping out. She scaled the steep stairs and found herself in the small passageway leading to a courtyard on one end and a side alley on the other. Turning around the corner and tiptoeing down the staircase, she convinced her body that it wasn’t tired at all and could outstand another few hours of non-stop vigilance.
The main street appeared in front of her, and Taya pressed herself to the soft wall, still hidden in the shadows. Ming shouldn’t be far away from her. A sound resembling the chirping of a sparrow-mouse came out of her throat and filled the calm stillness of a warm Omashu night. After a few seconds, a similar sound answered, but Taya could barely hear it. Ming had to be further away than they thought.
“Please, don’t get yourself captured.” Taya wasn’t sure who was the message addressed to – Ming or herself. Nonetheless, she slipped from the side alley and onto the main street, leading alongside one of the inner city walls. The street was dark and quiet as always, the town deep in its good night's sleep. After sunset, the only lights in the whole mountain range remained the watchtowers around the numerous walls. They were the only buildings made out of metal, a clear reminder of the fact that Omashu remained under Kuvira's rule. Taya could remember the horror in everyone's eyes when they first saw her banners held high by the front row of soldiers, followed by tanks and airships.
She scoffed.
When her grandparents told her stories about the Fire Nation’s siege and conquer of the city, never could have she imagined that she would live to see another one. When she was a young girl, the walls appeared to be endless and as nothing could ever defeat them. Obviously, that wasn’t the case. There were still massive holes in them, sealed only with large but thin metal plates. Kuvira must have left them there as a mockery – a big middle finger in the face of the people passing by them every day. As if her presence wasn't enough.
She found a dark spot where she stayed for a while until a loud sound disrupted her. Double footsteps echoed somewhere behind the corner of a grocery store – the newly installed city guard. Taya pressed the inner side of her palm to her cheek and meowed loudly. Not waiting for the bark to reply, she turned inside another side alley filled with boxes of fruit. She carefully hid between them, making sure not to bump into any of them and keeping herself on her toes to stay as quiet as possible. The footsteps of the guards were coming closer and closer until even their voices could be heard.
“…totally not for me.”
“Yeah man, I don’t know how they manage it. The training's so rough, and all the unannounced jaunts with the Great Uniter… Nah, thanks, I am good here, with my small salary and comfortable shoes.”
“Better this than rotting in that shit-hole I’m from.”
Taya rolled her eyes. No one was ever talking about anything important.
She continued up the stairs of the side alley, now allowing herself to step on her heels and making the tiniest sounds. Looking over her shoulder, she noticed the two guards standing next to the wall across the street from where she had been crouched just moments ago. That was certainly unusual. Nothing interesting could be found in this part of Omashu. Except for their hiding spot. Her heartbeat fastened.
Arriving at another main street, Taya stayed in the shadows and listened, searching for the clinking of metal. And she found it, louder with each step the guards had made. There must had been at least eight of them, if not even more, every metal boot stomping on the cobblestone pavement, making a thud and together creating a symphony of terror. That meant only one thing – this was Kuvira’s private escort, a group of elite metalbenders trained specifically to ensure her safety in dangerous regions. That lifted Taya’s ego a bit – they considered them enough of a threat to not let Kuvira walk around unguarded. But the Great Uniter herself was coming.
Stories about Kuvira’s incredibly precise sight and hearing passed throughout the whole Earth Kingdom, reassuring her supporters and terrifying her enemies. One story, in particular, was notably famous – that of Kuvira dodging a sharp piece of metal, shot at her from behind, in the middle of a battle during her fights in Ba Sing Se. Taya doubted its truthiness, but there had to be at least a bit of reality in its core – that of Kuvira’s senses being sharp. She took a few steps backward, making sure to coordinate them with the ones of the guards, withdrawing deeper down into the side alley.
When the silhouette of the first guard passed the corner, Taya held her breath, trying to merge with the silent darkness surrounding her. Another two guards appeared and disappeared until finally the outline of a tall woman in a metal-covered military uniform solidified in front of Taya. It was petrifying and intoxicating at once – to be so close to the Great Uniter. Knowing that Kuvira could cut her throat in only a couple of steps, but that so could Taya. If she was feeling like sacrificing her life for the slight chance at assassinating the interim leader. And if she could calm her racing heart and overcome the crippling feeling of inferiority that suddenly struck her.
It seemed like a full minute, in reality being only a quarter of a second, until possibly the most powerful human on Earth was replaced by another pair of guards. Taya let out a breath and leaned against the wall, resting her temple on the cold stone, the edge of a wooden box digging into her side. A wet, squeaky sound followed, surprising Taya and compelling her to jump up. A half-rotten peach must had fallen out of the box she had leaned against and was now lying next to her left foot. Chilling horror filled her veins.
“Like a bird in a cage,” the deep voice cut through the night, and before Taya could turn around her eyes were blinded by a thin piece of the finest metal.