Chào các bạn! Vì nhiều lý do từ nay Truyen2U chính thức đổi tên là Truyen247.Pro. Mong các bạn tiếp tục ủng hộ truy cập tên miền mới này nhé! Mãi yêu... ♥

Cabbage

Chapter Seventeen

Raiden

~~~~~~~

"How could this have happened?" Lin yelled at her sister. I stood in the corner of the room, watching the scene unfold.

"I don't know!" Suyin said. "It seemed a very well thought plan."

Lin looked down at Korra, as Suyin's personal assistant, Aiwei, injected her with a serum. "This will fight the Shirshu poison that paralyzed the Avatar."

Korra lifted a finger, and with a groan, slowly start to move her toes and other parts of her body. "That felt horrible," she said.

Suyin was fuming. She looked straight at Aiwei. "We have to find out who did this," she said through gritted teeth.

"It has to be someone on the inside," Korra said as she slowly sat up, clutching her head. "A guard, maybe. The plan was too well thought through for it to be just them."

"Aiwei," Suyin furrowed her eyebrows, "get all the guards rounded up. We have to find out who betrayed our home."

Aiwei was a truth seer. He could tell when someone was lying. I personally hated his look, his eyes, and the way he walked about so calmly. Especially those rings and chain that hung from his ear to his nostril.

It was time to find out who assisted the kidnapping.

♤♧♤

"Where were you last night?" Aiwei questioned calmly.

"I was patrolling the south gates . . . "

"Who was with you?"

"A couple of other guards."

"Did you assist with the kidnapping of the Avatar?"

"No."

Aiwei turned to us, shaking his head. "Next."

The guards came in and out, until Lin got frustrated. "Why don't you ask our people, then?"

"What?" Korra asked.

"It could be any one of us," Lin shrugged.

"You don't trust us?" Aimi said loudly. "Are you asking me and Raiden to do this?"

I felt my face heat up. Aimi, shut the hell up.

"I'm asking everyone to take a seat, even my sister," Lin frowned.

"This is a waste of time," Korra exclaimed. "We could be looking for him right now."

"Trust me, there are people doing that," Lin said. "Now, Su, take a seat."

We were all clear. Mako, Suyin, Asami, Bolin, Lin . . . And then it was Aimi's turn. She sat down, looking startled. She wiped her clammy hands on her shirt. She was nervous like that; I understood.

"Where were you last night?" Aiwei asked.

"I was fighting against the Red Lotus members, like everyone else."

Aiwei's eyes narrowed. He leaned closer. "Did you tell Zaheer of the Avatar's whereabouts?"

"No, I didn't," she said.

"Did you give the Avatar's whereabouts away?" Aiwei repeated.

"No!" Aimi yelled. "I just got here!"

"She's lying," Aiwei stood up. My heart started to beat faster. Aimi? She couldn't have. She never had the time . . .

Suyin's mouth fell open in shock. "How could you do this to us?"

"I didn't!" She stood up. "I swear I didn't."

Suyin walked up to her. "You stayed here. You became friends with my daughter, and then gave away the Avatar? For what?"

Aimi shrunk back, frozen in fear. Her lips were suddenly glued shut.

"I'll take her back," I volunteered. Her wide eyes met mine. She looked genuinely frightened. I didn't know what to believe. Of course Aimi didn't do it! This man, this truth seer, was a fraud. I brought Aimi here myself. She hadn't given Korra's location to anybody.

"Not so fast," Suyin said, her green eyes shining with anger, "you haven't been tested yet."

I looked up at the sky, praying this man wouldn't take me down too. I sat in front of him. He asked me the question.

"Did you assist the kidnapping attempt?"

"No."

"He's clear," Aiwei stood up. I wanted to punch off his stupid glasses.

"Mako can take her back," Suyin scowled.

"I'm going with him."

And Aimi was handcuffed. Mako put a hand on her shoulder, steering her out.

Once we were out of earshot, I grabbed Mako's arm. "Are you stupid?" I asked.

He knit his eyebrows, looking at me. We stopped. "Excuse me?"

"You're so dumb if you think she had anything to do with this. Aiwei's a liar."

"How are we going to prove that?" Mako asked, looking me right in the eyes. "He's the most trusted in all of Zaofu. What are we going to do?"

I took a step back, rubbing my face. "Why aren't you saying anything?" I said to Aimi.

"Because this is all stupid!" She pulled away from Mako's grasp. "Because I don't have to answer to anyone. Stop worrying about me." Her gold eyes were fierce, as usual.

Mako didn't reach for her cuffs to tighten them. She wasn't a threat. "I know you didn't do it," he said to her. "But you're new. We have to find a way to prove your innocence. I'm taking you up to the cells, and then Raiden and I are going to find some evidence."

Okay. That's what we were doing.

♤♤♤

"Search her room," Suyin ordered. Mako shot me a look as Suyin metal bended the knob open to her room, letting everyone in. The first thing Mako saw was a paper on her desk.

"Team assembled. Ready for attack," Mako read aloud. I rolled my eyes as Aiwei took the note from him. Aimi would never have written that.

"This book has a listing of all the guards timings, in and out," Korra flipped through the pages. "Why would she have these?"

"All the evidence is here," Aiwei sighed. "Seems your trusted friend wasn't very trustworthy after all."

I wanted to punch the gold chains right off his face, but Mako stepped on my foot as he walked past me. "I guess that's all we need."

"What are you doing?" I wanted to ask, but I kept my mouth shut.

When everyone had scattered, I followed Mako outside, where we met his brother and Asami.

"It definitely wasn't Aimi," Mako said.

"I'm finding it hard to believe as well," Asami frowned. "Suyin pretty much has all her faith in Aiwei."

"She's been framed," another voice said, appearing behind us. "I'm Varrick, the genius," he shook my hand with a flashy smile. "I don't believe we've met."

"We haven't," I replied, annoyed. Mako pushed Varrick back. The woman with glasses that had appeared with him collected stones off the ground.

"Two more, Zhu Li," Varrick said.

"Why are you collecting those?"

"It's pumice! Good for your feet. I know that bald guy created a lot of damage," Varrick chuckled, "but he formed some great pumice."

"What we're you saying about Aimi being framed?" Asami asked.

"Well, it's obvious," Varrick said as Zhu Li scrubbed his foot with pumice, "you don't want to get in trouble, you blame it on someone else and plant false evidence to get him or her in trouble."

"Like you did to me," Mako cocked an eyebrow.

"Exactly! It worked brilliantly, didn't it?"

"It's Aiwei," Mako said. "He's lying."

"No duh," I rolled my eyes. "Now we need to prove her innocence. Do you know anyone that can help us?"

"Need a lawyer?" Varrick raised an eyebrow.

"Goodbye, Varrick," Bolin pushed him out of the picture. He turned his green eyes towards Mako. "I know someone. I've heard of here. She's back in Republic City, but she can supposedly also pick up little things when a person speaks. She might be able to prove Aimi's innocence."

"Do you know where she lives?" Asami put a hand on her hip. "Her name?"

"Nope, and her name is Erin. Or so they say," Bolin said spookily, wiggling hid fingers. "Or not," he sighed, when none of us smiled. "I'll find her."

"But . . . Wait," I reached out to stop him. "How do we prove that Erin's not lying?"

"I guess we'll figure that out when she gets here. Hurry, Bolin," Mako said.

Bolin nodded. "I'm gonna try to get Opal to help."

♤♤♤

"Ow," Aimi yelled as I tightened the cuffs. "Why are you making them so freaking tight?"

"Because you deserve it," I said, pushing her against the wall.

"You just said I didn't do it."

"And you elbowed me in the nose," I said, showing her the smear of blood on my sleeve.

"Because you're an idiot! Why are you trying to help me?"

"Why would I not help you?" I yelled back, holding her cuffs with one hand and pressing my other forearm between her shoulder blades to keep her in place. "It's unjust that they blamed you. Aiwei is a liar and Suyin won't understand. It's my job as a cop in training to make this fair."

"Who said I'm innocent?" She said calmly. My arms fell to my sides. She turned around to face me. "The truth always comes out. I don't need you as my lawyer, Raiden."

"There's a girl, Erin," I said to her, putting my hands up. "She's known to have the same ability as Aiwei. Bolin is going to bring her here."

She glowered, but said nothing. "And then? Have you thought this through? Do you ever think things through? Who's going to make sure Erin isn't lying?"

"I'll figure it out," I threw my hands up. "I always figure it out."

"But why did he choose to frame you in particular?" A voice said from the doorway. Mako held a piece of paper in his hands.

"Maybe it was just at random," I suggested.

"Maybe. Unless he knows exactly who you are."

"And who might that be?" Aimi raised an eyebrow, pressing her lips into a thin line.

"Mai's granddaughter. The woman who singlehandedly tore down Aiwei's home when his family spoke out against the crowning of Fire Lord Zuko."

"That was ages ago," Aimi said. She started to laugh. "This is because of a grudge? Mai's more badass than I thought if she destroyed his home to shut his grandparents up."

"She got her friend Ty Lee to help her," Mako said as he walked towards us. He held up the paper so Aimi could see it. "That's Ty Lee. She became one of the greatest Kyoshi Warriors and kept on leading even after Kyoshi Warrior Suki stepped down. She was old, but she had it in her."

"What happened to her? Does she have children Aiwei can take his anger out on? Grandchildren?" Aimi asked. I rolled my eyes.

"I'm getting to that part," Mako said, but I cut him off.

"Wait. This doesn't make sense," I said. "Let's get back to business. Your badass grandma shut his family up, and now he's found you, blaming the attack on you to get revenge-"

"And he obviously helped Zaheer in. Now he's lying because no one can prove he's lying because that's his job," Aimi continued.

"We've got Erin on her way here," Mako grinned.

"Why are you smiling?" Aimi said, twisting her wrists in the cuffs. "I would grab your shirt and try to be intimidating but I can't."

"Because Erin is an old friend of his," Mako said.

"Erin's our age. Aiwei's like, fifty," Aimi knit her eyebrows. "Now I really want to grab your shirt. Hurry up and tell me the meaning behind the rubbish you're spouting."

"There was an earthbender," Mako said patiently. "He was a great friend of the previous Avatar's."

"Not Toph?" Aimi said.

"You idiot. Is Toph a 'he'?" I scowled.

"Might as well be. I heard she definitely acted like one."

"No! Will you two shut up? I was in the moment. You ruined the moment!"

"It's okay," Aimi assured him. "Let's get back in the moment. Oh wise teacher, oh powerful big minded man with all the answers, please tell us who this earthbender who's child's child turned out to be 'Lovely Erin' was?"

I snickered.

"Shut up," Mako's cheeks turned red. "His name was Haru, alright? Aiwei's grandfather used to be a cabbage merchant. He always thought the Avatar brought bad luck, because somehow, they'd always end up in the same place no matter how far the merchant would run, and then Avatar Aang would end up destroying his cabbage cart one way or another. It was probably an accident every time, but the merchant didn't see it that way. That was his means of living, and each time his cart was destroyed he'd go home hungry and penniless, unable to feed his children."

"What does a cabbage merchant have to do with Erin, though?" Aimi raised an eyebrow.

"Haru put the cabbage merchant out of business somehow. And here's the best part.

"Haru and Ty Lee were married. Erin is their granddaughter." Mako spread his hands out as if he was saying, "ta-da!" Crickets chirped in the background.

"That was ten minutes of my life I'll never get back," Aimi pursed her lips. "Basically, in that entire story, the main point was that Aiwei is evil and picking on me because of an old grudge, and bringing Erin won't help that grudge either. But we're bringing her here anyway."

Mako sighed. "Okay. I get it. You guys ruined the 'A-ha!' moment. It's done. Down the drain. Raiden, follow me." Meelo ordered. I saluted. Aimi smirked. "And you," he pointed at her, "stay. Put."

"Like I have anywhere to go," she sighed dramatically.

We we exited the cell, I followed Mako. "That was a really long story."

"I love explaining things. It gives me a better understanding of what I'm doing."

"So do you understand what you're doing?" I asked.

He looked at me right in the eyes and said, "Nope."

Okay, I said to myself. I can work with that.

~~~~~~~

Oh Em GEEE! What do you all thinks gonna happen next?

Ty Lee and Haru sittin' in a tree. . .

How do you think they got together? ;) comment below!

Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: Truyen247.Pro