The Avatar Saga-Azula's Redemption
Finale Act I: The Battle
By Flamehead23a

Disclaimer: All Avatar the Last Airbender characters, locations, and other things of that sort belong to their perspective owners. Matthias, Fenghuang, and other original elements are property me. Flamehead23a. This guy typing right now.

A/N: ff doesn't let me hyperlink. Take this h== watch?v=so10dKbhorI reformat it to work as a URL, load it in a seprate window, hit play, then enjoy your chapter!

Here begins episode 9
Θε ονε ωἑρε σἱτ γοες δοων...

...\/...\/...\/...

In the Year of the Ox, one hundred and five years after Sozin's Comet, the last full moon of spring rose inevitably above the eastern horizon. It dominated the sky, illuminating the nighttime air with its pale yellow glow. Under the light of this moon, the shadow of a great fog glided across the ocean's waves. Its opaque mist denied any who might wish to look inside it, and it exhibited an unnatural speed and direction as it sped towards the isle of the Fire Sages.

All too soon, this fog rolled onto the eastern beaches of Crescent Island. Its dense condensation did nothing to muffle the sound of hulls scraping the gravely shore, nor the hissed orders and sharp splashes of bodies exiting ships and gathering on their shrouded beachhead.

"Saddle the Komodo Rhinos, form up ranks and prepare to drop the bows. I want the advance scouts reporting back in half an hour-kill anyone you find quickly and quietly." Kahchi moved up and down the beach, his halberd-toting bulk cutting a large swath through the mist. Around him his officers hovered and pulsed, like flies buzzing about the corpse of a great beast. Kahchi dismissed them to carry out his orders and strode to the head of the fogbank, where his fellow captain stood peering past the shroud and at the dark silhouette the island's cliffs threw against the nighttime sky.

"What do you see Vachir?"

The archer motioned for silence, his sharp ears picking up the tell-tale sounds of movement. He moved closer inland, past the edge of the fog, and his eyes caught a glint of red and gold armor.

Royal armor.

"First rank, fire!"

Ten enormous streams of flame raced from the cliffs towards the unprepared invaders. The fire ate up the fog and drenched the invader's beachhead in a blaze of daylight. Terrified, Kahchi's officers broke and scattered. They dove into to the ocean, took shelter behind ships, whatever they could to escape the looming wall of fire. A wave of water rose in opposition, swelling and arcing over the invading vessels before colliding against the wall of flame in an explosion of steam. The water held only for a few seconds though, and soon the unyielding tongues of flame tore through the invader's aquatic defense, continuing to ravage the enemy's position.

The inferno's heat scorched Kahchi's lungs, igniting his rage. "They knew we were coming!" he roared. "It's a trap!"

"First rank, drop. Second rank, fire!"

The continuous blaze faltered for all of half a heartbeat. Those on the ships could see the ten flames cease for a split second, only for ten new flames to immediately take shape and race forward again. Without the fog cover those invaders still on the beach were left woefully exposed, and their invasion would have ended right then and there if it wasn't for a thick ice-wall that swiftly took shape between themselves and the unstoppable torrent of flames.

Kahchi moved his bulk behind the improvised shelter. He shouted orders to his retreating officers while Vachir sped to the ship that carried his Yu-Yan deserters. All around the spearman was fiery chaos, so much so that he didn't take notice of the old woman at his side until she spoke in a furious, crackling voice.

"How did they know we were coming?"

"The how doesn't matter," Kahchi muttered beneath screaming men and sizzling flesh, "if they had any real semblance of strength we would never have landed on the beach."

The two pressed themselves against the melting ice of their shelter as red-fletched arrows whizzed from the cliffs in a high arc, biting deep into the flesh of those not close enough to the wall.

"Second rank, drop. Third rank, fire!"

Vachir and two of his men took aim from the crow's nest of their ship. Finding a target was difficult-the fire was easy to trace, but its brightness blinded their night-adjusted vision. The archers fired blind anyway, and by pure luck a few streams of flame faltered and died. The red-fletched arrows shifted targets, and as his men ducked for cover, they didn't see a single stream of fire alter course and race towards their ship's mainmast.

"Vachir!" Kahchi bellowed, "Jump!"

Vachir heard his fellow captain just in time. He took a flying leap from the crow's nest just as the flame collided with the mast, cooking the other two deserters alive. His fall was cushioned by a mass of water, and he found himself whisked safely out of the path of arrows or flames, all the way to what remained of their frozen defense. His stoic demeanor had been washed away along with his war paint, and he looked at the two figures before him dripping wet and red with rage.

"Ashes! It is at least five hundred paces between the beach and the cliffs. How in Koh's twisted name are they firebending at that range with this much power?"

"Seems these sage rats are more powerful than you give them credit for," the old woman rasped as she bent more water from the ocean to reform their section of the wall. The rest of it she left to melt, sending the Rhino invaders scrambling for cover once again.

"Mistress Hama, please. Power means nothing if you don't have the numbers to back it up." Kahchi drew a crude map in the beach with the butt of his halberd. "They have three, perhaps four ranks at the most, on either side of the main pass. Once we've broken though the firewall, there'll be nothing they can do."

The section of the ice that shielded them cracked and splintered, crumbling away and revealing several men dressed in green with conical hats. They filed passed one by one, the last pausing to stomp his foot, bending a wall of earth to close both the stone tunnel they'd used to cross the beach and the hole in the wall they'd created. His work finished, he turned to the invasion's leaders with his hands behind his back and his posture ramrod straight. He spoke with his head slightly bowed and his eyes hidden beneath the wide brim of his conical hat-more out of routine than respect.

"We've seen no more than thirty-one bodies guarding the Cliffside. Three of those bodies have fallen still by your arrows."

"And you didn't do anything to lower that number while you and your relics were spying?"

The wide-brimmed hat dipped lower. "We follow Wu Lian's direction. Not yours, Spearman."

Kahchi waved his hand in irritated dismissal. "No matter. We will overrun them regardless. Then afterwards I'll have words with Wu Lian about the usefulness of their antiques." He sheathed his halberd. "Vachir, keep these foreigners in line and maintain our defense with your Yu-Yan while Mistress Hama prepares for her ritual. I will break their line and send them scattering."

"Third rank, drop. First rank, fire!"

"Bring me Tsume!" Kahchi stood up from behind the shelter, rousing his men to action. "Horde, spread out and push forward! Take any path you find, and make straight for Roku's Temple! Their bending is insignificant when faced with our numbers-move as one and crush them with your might!"

One by one the invading ships unsealed their iron bows, the heavy metal ramps crashing into the beach with a hiss of steam and a spray of sand. Out of the lead ship a Komodo Rhino emerged, struggling against the four foot soldiers trying to lead it. It was thinner at the breast and longer from head to tail than others of its kind, and its distinguishing feature was four sets of wickedly sharp, unnaturally long claws. The animal broke free with a savage shake and raced towards its master. Kahchi leapt onto its back with a practiced ease before throwing his animal towards the firewall.

Kahchi called from his mount. "Mistress, if your men would be so kind…"

Sighing, Hama gave a casual signal to the ships. Several men and women garbed in dark red parkas moved as one from their positions at the railings, summoning another tremendous wave of water to crash against the continuous blaze. The resulting steam blanketed the beach, the horde using the cover to advance.

"Forward!" Kahchi roared.

And the Rhino Hordes of Kahchi charged. Like plague rats streaming off a cargo ship they moved, rushing from the bellies of their iron transports with animalistic howls and wild bloodlust. Almost every Fire Nation officer, soldier, and sailor left jobless, aimless, and disenfranchised by the war's end had found their way into Kahchi's camp at one point or another over the last five years. Now they were finally back in their blood-soaked element-this time not fighting for Lord or country, but rather their own sheer twisted pleasure.

"First rank, drop. Second rank, fire!"

As the flames cut through the haze and raced once again to meet them, the horde spread wide along the beach. The defenders spread their wall of fire to accommodate, but as the blaze thinned, Vachir's archers had an easier time seeing through the glare. Soon they found their marks amongst the Cliffside with relative ease.

Meanwhile Khachi's firebenders led the charge, blasting pathways through the firewall and allowing the Komodo Rhino Cavalry pathways to advance. Several riders rode double, the cavalryman steering while a bender deflected oncoming flames. The Captain's strategy worked, and soon it became obvious that the horde was steadily gaining ground.

As the invaders advanced, the inferno sputtered out. Sensing weakness, the horde surged forward, roaring its victory. Impeded now only by the mild inconvenience of opportunistic arrow fire, soldiers broke formation and ran pell-mell toward the cliffs. They wanted the glory of drawing first blood, and they wouldn't let regulation tactics or ranking orders get in their way.

A solitary figure stalked up and down her ranks of junior sages. "Wait for it… Wait…"

Two hundred paces…one hundred and fifty paces… glassed sand crunched and broke beneath the horde's boot heels and curved claws, sending thousands of incandescent crystals spinning upwards against the moonlight.

"Hold steady… A little closer…"

One hundred thirty paces… one hundred twenty…the terrain was shifting-ashy sand giving way to blackened gravel and large boulders. The cliffs loomed above the invaders, and they could make out shadowed shapes dotting the rock wall, shapes that tensed and shifted nervously at their posts.

At least, they appeared nervous. Only one hundred paces from the pass, those unfortunate souls at the front of the Rhino charge found themselves close enough to hear their sudden and fatal mistake.

"Now! All ranks, fire at will!"

A curtain of flame blossomed from the cliffs, three times larger than the previous blasts. Completely engulfing the forward columns of cavalry, only those riders with the luck to have a firebender nearby survived. The horde's formation, first disjointed by their own charge, now fractured into hundreds of unorganized individuals that fought amongst themselves for refuge that didn't exist.

Kahchi faced the resurging firewall head on. Unsheathing a spear from the satchel attached to Tsume, he spun the weapon in front of himself like the propeller of a great ship. The fire-hardened wood was a blur of motion, and as the flames collided with the spear it sprayed every other direction but forward, like a wave crashing against indomitable stone.

"Forward, you hog-monkeys! Spread out and move forward!" Kahchi swung the spear in a wide arc, breaking the flame before him and disregarding the charred spear contemptuously. "Break through their line and there's nothing they can do to stop us!" He charged through the hole he had created, encouraging his men to follow suit.

The horde did just that. By moving farther up and down the length of beach they spread the defender's firewall thinner and thinner, until even a foot-soldier could jump through the flames unscathed. The horde reformed into smaller, officer led groups, streaming into the island proper. They moved using any path or break in the Cliffside they could find, marching until they were swallowed up by the shadowed blackness of the island's magma-carved canyons and ravines.

"Tch," Azula huffed in frustration, "We've barely dented their numbers."

"Do you want us to trigger your last resort?"

Her eyes flicked to the large egg-shaped boulder that rested on the beach, purposefully left un-touched by the defender's flames. "Fenghuang is the last resort for a reason. The fight has just begun, and these are just the opening blows."

"What now, Your Highness? It looks like they're making for the Temple."

"Of course they're making for the Temple. It's where they think we are." Azula notched another arrow, the bright red fletching grazing her check as she pulled back and took aim. "Give the order to fall back. Join the other groups and make sure the tunnel-traps are set."

The junior sage who'd been speaking paused, "What about our wounded?" he asked.

Her first instinct was to order the wounded left behind. This was battle-a one-sided one at that-and sentiment was a luxury they simply couldn't afford. But then Azula remembered Shyu's words. She was supposed to be the bravest, the strongest, and the absolute best their nation could produce. Even here, after the opening blows had been exchanged, she wasn't sure if those qualities were something she was ready to embrace.

She looked briefly at the handful of wounded junior sages. They were doing their best to stifle their moans and cries of pain. If she couldn't be relied on, she could at least let them rely on each other. "…Do what you want." She closed one eye and took aim. "If anyone wants to carry dead weight, they're welcome to."

The bowstring snapped forward with a sharp twang, and the arrow launched into a single-minded flight. It connected with an oncoming firebender's throat, deep in the gap between his helm and chest plate. He doubled over face-down in the beach, clutching the shaft buried deep within his larynx, and did not rise.

"Tch. I always was bad at archery."

"Looked like a clean shot to me, Your Highness."

Azula shouldered her quiver, pausing for a long moment before hauling one of the wounded to her feet and giving her the bow to walk on. She set off without looking back.

"I was aiming for his eye."

...

Hyakun led his detachment of fifty foot soldiers down the winding path he'd seen some temple rats scatter into. His men trotted easily, keeping within ear-shot of the panicking sage and his apprentices as they rushed further into the deepening ravine. The soldiers took every corner quickly yet cautiously, ever wary of a possible ambush. They needn't have bothered-instead of a courageous last stand, they were repeatedly treated to the sight of a flipping corner of robe or a single frightened face as their prey fought to stay a few meager paces ahead.

"Give it up, Sage. Surrender peaceably and we'll let your apprentices live." Hyakun turned back to his men with a wide grin, half-heartedly waving down their visceral chuckles of malcontent. "Come now, there's nowhere for you to run-all paths must end eventually…"

He was right. After only a few more turns, the trench straightened and ended abruptly. Three sheer walls of volcanic earth, twenty feet high, barred any escape save for the way they had come. Shyu stood with his lead apprentice, the other two busily scratching against the solid rock behind them.

Unfortunately for Hyakun's liking, his prey's faces held a distinct lack of animalistic terror. As he and his men fully entered the straightaway, he watched as the sage set his jaw and nod slightly, giving his lead apprentice leave to take a stance between themselves and the Rhinos.

The Rhino officer smirked from the head of his column, behind him his men snickered. "That stance is weak form, boy. Your betters on the beach would be disappointed."

"This stance isn't for fighting," Kwon shot back, "it's for signaling."

Kwon threw his fist towards the full moon, and from it bent a large signal flame. Both Hyakun and his troops were momentarily blinded by the unexpected flare. The officer's vision recovered just in time to see the sage and his whelps vanish into a hidden tunnel that had appeared from the far wall like magic.

Shyu caught his eye just as the fire-activated door swung shut. The old master gave the officer a brief, sad smile. "You are right boy, all paths do end eventually. As it turns out though, yours ends sooner than our own. Ashes to ashes."

Hyakun, seventeenth officer of the Kahchi's Rhino Horde, could only watch in disbelief as the tunnel disappeared with a grinding of stone. He didn't hear the clamor of heavy metal statues and wooden tables fall from the cliff tops, blocking his men's escape. He didn't see the ring of junior sages appear on all sides of the gully, their faces grim and their fists ready. He didn't feel the heat of their broiling flame, or taste the coppery sickness of his own blood. He didn't know he was dead, not until long after it became a solid, indisputable fact.

...

The Moon was nearing her peak now, and her light was no longer a pale yellow. Now, near the deepest part of the night, everything beneath her gaze found itself cast in a thin, silvery light. Over many years beneath her watchful eye, the island's volcano had shaped the land into a repetition of rises and falls, peaks and troughs, forming hundreds of winding canyons, gullies, and ditches out of cooled magma.

Yet tonight, some of these canyons were not completely cool. The dull reds of burning wood and charring flesh carried with them an ambient glow that clashed sharply against the Moon's cool luminescence. The lunar light was all-encompassing, pervasive. The firelight appeared only in small, sporadic clumps, and struggled feebly to shake the Moon's oppressive gaze. Only by merit of its tenacity, ingenuity, and consistency did it persevere.

Azula's pupils flared and contracted as another trap was sprung. Bits of ashen cloth drifted upwards on the heated air, carrying with it the unmistakable stench of charcoaled flesh. She watched the end of a canyon glow a violent orange, and didn't look away until the hordesmens' screams fell silent and the signal for a complete route was thrown. She turned to her map, drawing a line over the used path in dark ink. It was the eleventh trap sprung so far-eleven out of a hastily constructed twenty-five. She double-checked the corner of the map, frowning at the scrawled numbers that had long since been committed to memory.

She was still frowning when Shyu opened the tunnel door behind her and stepped out, sealing the entrance with a short burst of fire. He stood beside her, looking out over the multitude of glowing orange pits that dotted the island's landscape.

"Roughly fifty souls gone to ashes, Your Highness."

"Try not to sound so morbid, Shyu." Azula turned from the map to look out with him, her mind crunching the numbers. "They are the enemy, after all."

"How many does that make?"

"Three-hundred and twelve."

"Not bad for a hundred sages, scholars and apprentices, wouldn't you say?" Despite the neutrality in his voice, Shyu's pride at his men and women's work wasn't lost on Azula.

"Not bad, but not nearly good enough. I saw at least fifteen hundred deserters on that beach, so even if all our remaining traps yield your group's rather large number we'll still be outnumbered five-to-one.

"Don't forget the waterbenders," Shyu reminded.

"I hadn't. They have earthbenders as well-Dai Li by the looks of it."

"I thought the Dai Li had been disbanded and replaced when Earth King Kuei re-claimed his throne?"

"You'd know more about it than I would, Shyu." Azula's eyes flicked to his face, her gaze dangerously impassive. "Locked in a cooler, remember?"

The Grand Sage inspected a spot of soot on his robes. "Ah. Yes."

"So far the invaders' thirst for blood and glory has clouded their better judgment," Azula said as a signal flame appeared from within a canyon. "They'll fall for our tunnel-trap every time so long as we don't leave anyone alive to report back."

The small orange and red dots that were the island's junior sages converged on the flame's point of origin. Several worked to release the landslide that blocked the horde's escape, while the rest took position around the canyon wall.

"But after our fire-pits are filled, what will we do?"

Azula's lips set into a hard, thin line. The defenders took aim as the wooden tables and metal debris fell down. "We'll go underground, stage guerilla attacks. The tunnels are our single biggest advantage-it's the only way we can compete with their numbers."

"And if the tunnels fall, will you call your beast then?"

"Fenghuang is to be used as a last resort only. Besides, I'd rather not rely on anything he's had a hand in. No, we'll regroup at the Temple and throw rocks from the rooftops before I-"

Azula's voice trailed off as the defenders around the canyon lapsed into a panic. They bent fire cascading downwards, shouting amongst each other and focusing on a single point rather than the entire canyon like they'd been instructed to. The reason soon became clear-from within the death-trap thick black lines flew upwards, colliding with the small red and orange dots, ending their flames forever. These lines-lines that could only be javelins, Azula realized-were soon followed by the roaring, raving bulk of Captain Khachi atop the long-clawed Tsume. The junior sages tried to stop him, but every burst of flame was answered by a sweep of his great spear and another deadly hurled javelin.

Azula and Shyu could only watch as Khachi and his Rhino crested the canyon. If they were closer, they would have seen how Tsume's scales smoked, how his mouth frothed, and how his feet bled where the long, specialized claws had been ripped from the root. Instead, all they could make out was Khachi's bulk dismounting the animal, trumpeting like a dragon, and then stabbing the wounded beast though his smoking belly. The Komodo Rhino tumbled back into the fiery canyon as Kahchi raced across the lava flats, making a beeline for the beach.

"…It seems we might need to start finding some good throwing rocks, Your Highness," Shyu spoke softly, "I'll round up my group for another run-we'll continue for as long as we can."

The Grand Sage exited by the same tunnel he had appeared from, leaving Azula alone at her post, running and re-running stratagems through her mind. Each one more desperate than the last.

...

"I'll split their heads on a pike! Blood and ashes, they've made an enemy out of the wrong man! These sages should've surrendered while they could've-I'm going to feed their entrails to my Rhinos and drink fire wine from their wretched skulls!" Khachi stormed across the beach in a rage, ranting at the top of his lungs. Horde members and waterbenders alike scrambled to evade his path, and any unfortunate to come within reach got a swift spear butt to the chest. "I won't stop 'till I've hunted down every last man, woman and child that's ever been on this accursed spit of rock!" He came to a stop next to Hama and Vachir who appraised him with separate views of unabashed glee and distant concern. His armor creaked and groaned as his chest rose and fell, and the tip of his beard still smoldered from the sages' ambush.

"Careful Khachi, you're using contractions."

"Don't goad me, Vachir," Kahchi growled, "I just lost twenty foot, ten benders and six cavalry-on top of having to put Tsume down due to the injuries. I am not in the mood for your so called wit."

Hama snickered with glee. "The feared Kahchi, second Captain of the Rough Rhinos, without a Komodo Rhino to ride upon? And I'd thought I'd seen it all."

"You should count yourself thankful, Mistress." Kahchi shifted his baleful gaze to meet hers, though the ancient waterbender failed to quell beneath it, as was his intention. "My men are out there chasing smoke and finding fire while you and your savages sit idly here on the beach, preparing at your leisure."

"Oh hush, you intolerable rat." Hama turned her back to Kahchi-who had to devote a considerable amount of willpower towards not running her through on the spot-and went back to overseeing the construction of her altar. "Your work may win us the battle, but mine will win us the war."

The altar was a tall, alien plateau located just off the shoreline, surrounded by the ocean's breaking waves. Made by lashing together the bleached bones of sea animals and supported by chilled blue ocean ice, it found itself in stark and undeniable contrast with the volcanic island it was constructed next to. Standing waist deep in the water, half of Hama's waterbenders worked to freeze and re-freeze the constantly melting ice, while Vachir's archers maintained a vigilant perimeter.

A group of men strained silently in the water, working beneath the watchful eyes and subtle gestures of the waterbenders not in the ocean. They were an eclectic sort, bodies of every shape and size imaginable and clothed in armor just as varied. Over a pair of dull gray pants and long-sleeved tunics each man wore a unique, sectioned armor. Made from many different materials, be it rolled steel, hardened wood, polished ivory, or even simple tanned leather, each set of armor was comprised of individual pieces that wrapped tightly around every square inch of their bodies, hardly leaving room enough to breathe. The armor gave maximum protection to all parts of the body save for the joints, which were left completely exposed.

Topping every set of armor was a unique helm-just as varied in its material and construction as the armor was. Their only commonality was that they all covered their wearer's head completely. That aside, some were decorated with intricate designs, while others invoked the visage of terrible animals or spirits. The helms made it impossible to infer anything about whom or what laid beneath them-securing the worker's complete and total anonymity.

Despite this strange and seemingly cumbersome armor, the workers moved with unnatural coordination and in absolute silence-the only sound they produced was a muffled, labored breathing beneath their helms. Without any obvious method of communication, they worked together to heave a large, black iron cauldron to the top of the altar, never once slipping on the slick ice or voicing a single complaint.

The Dai Li watched the work from a few paces off, their half-hidden faces exuding stoic detachment-none of Hama's scratchy threats or Vachir's stern orders could coerce them into helping speed the tower's construction, and the two leaders eventually gave up trying to cajole them into action.

"Once you're done with the cauldron my pretty goarks, unload the barrels from the good Captain's ship and get a nice fire going beneath that pot!" Hama called to the armored men who labored at their masters', and by extension her, will. "I wouldn't want to catch a cold from this little midnight dip," she cackled.

"I fail to see how this single ritual is important enough for us to waste our time and energy with," Kahchi muttered.

"Trust, Kahchi," Vachir said, "if Monogke and Wu Lian see it to be worth our time, then for now we must play the old crone's game. Remember we are soldiers-we follow our Colonel's orders, just as our men follow ours."

"Wise words, Fourth Captain," a muffled voice said. Vachir and Kahchi turned, watching as the sand behind them dipped and cratered. The grains of earth disappeared within themselves, traveling deeper into the beach and revealing a solitary figure, fully masked and garbed in stone. "You would do well to think on them Second Captain Kahchi-lest the Colonel and I find your dissention…troublesome." The featureless mask shifted to Kahchi, more for their benefit then his, and as he spoke the earth shifted again to collect beneath his feet, filling the sandy hole until he stood level with the Rhinos, eye to hidden eye.

"Wu Lian, we are honored by your presence." Kahchi bowed low, voicing only the smallest grunts of discomfort. With one simple, succinct motion, the invader's chain of command was irreparably altered.

"It's good you finally showed," Hama nodded to the new arrival. "Maybe you can help these two 'Captains' with their vermin problem."

Kahchi spoke up, "The sages are posing a bigger nuisance than we had anticipated. They impede our movements with hit and run tactics, and then lure the men that pursue them into death-traps."

"And how is it that they themselves do not fall victim to these traps?"

"I have reason to believe there are earthbenders working with the sages. Myself, along with a full unit of my Horde, chased a group of defenders only to have them vanish into the canyon wall while we were distracted by their trap being sprung," Kahchi grit his teeth as fresh rage resurfaced, "with your permission, I would take your Dai Li and-"

"I feel no earthbending on this island," Wu Lian cut him off, "the sages have no benders, apart from their own."

Kahchi blinked. "Well then, how are they escaping into solid stone?"

"They're not. This island is riddled with passageways-I passed beneath them on my way here. The sages are using the volcano's cooled magma tunnels to ambush your men and escape unhindered."

Kahchi swore beneath his breath. "Magma tunnels… Blood and ashes, I should have realized that."

"You should have been warned of the secrets this island posed." Wu Lian turned to the Dai Li, and though still no inflection reached his muffled voice, the implication was clear.

The earthbenders flinched visibly-an enormous reaction for those with their level of training. Their leader was nudged forward, and immediately his entire body contorted into an impressive right angle.

"Wu Lian, we only thought-"

"That is precisely the problem. You thought. You took it upon yourselves to take action-or perhaps inaction would be the better term-independent the will of Wu Lian. This is exactly why you ten are the last of your kind, the last to remain unconverted. This is why we only entrust you with the simplest of tasks."

The agents folded at their knees, bowing on the sand in supplication. "We are privileged to exist. A thousand blessings, Wu Lian," they intoned in unison.

"Never forget you are kept for nostalgia's sake. Nothing more." Wu Lian's voice ground like crunching stone, "Get up. Follow Kahchi's orders as if they were our own, and pray that we see fit to let you remain as you are. Sentimental value has its limits."

The Dai Li waited until Wu Lian dismissed them with a wave of his gauntleted hand before moving to stand at Kahchi's side, properly chastised and much more willing to cooperate.

Wu Lian made his way to Hama. He stood next to her at the water's edge, gazing sightlessly at the structure jutting out of the water.

"Are you ready?" his gravely tone gave away no emotion.

"Soon. All that's left is for the cauldron to be filled and heated."

"And the sacrifice?"

"Thoughtfully provided by our two Captains, along with copious amounts of the other ingredient," Hama replied, "we'll start at midnight, just as the moon is strongest."

"Take no longer than necessary. I've received word both Azula and the Outsider are on the island."

"So that was royal armor I saw on the Cliffside," Vachir mused, "interesting."

"Now I see," Kahchi grunted, his breast plate dropping to the sand with a dull thud. He moved to remove the charred bracers. "The White Phoenix probably warned them of our arrival, and the Princess…Koh-damned tactician that she is…has been playing us all for fools." He gave up on unbuckling the bracers-the metal buckles had melted into the leather- and took to shearing them off with the blade of his halberd instead.

"But if the Fire-Snatcher is here, why has he not confronted us?" Hama asked.

"Because he never acts on his own," Wu Lian supplied, "during the war he would only act in tandem with the Avatar and his group."

"It would be wise to recall most of the Horde to the beach. We don't want anyone…or anything…interrupting the ritual," Vachir said to his partner.

"No, we wouldn't want that," was Kahchi's gruff reply, "fine. Now that they've lost all elements of surprise, there is nothing they can do to stop us anyway. Dai Li!"

"Master Kahchi, what are your orders?"

"I will stay here and assist in the defense of Mistress Hama and her ritual. You will take command of five hundred Horde members in the field and direct a full route of the enemy. Send the rest back here to re-form rank and bolster our defenses. I've had enough of this battle. We're behind schedule and time is of the essence." Kahchi finished removing his charred armor, signaling for one of his men to bring a new set. "Insure you make up for what we've lost due to your… willful act of insubordination."

The Dai Li leader bowed deeply. "We will leave at once."

"Not so fast. Azula has anticipated your involvement, and planned accordingly. The sages set their traps with non-bendable objects-you'll be just as susceptible as we are if they continue striking from their hiding spots."

"You wish us to bring down their tunnels then?"

The Spearman looked aghast. "Spirits no! What use are those tunnels to me blocked? Find those tunnels, kill whoever hides inside them, and after that…" Kahchi bent to the ground and hefted one of his blood-stained javelins. Gripping the haft with both hands, he spoke over the deeply satisfying sound of cracking wood and flying splinters. "Report back to Wu Lian, and leave those still top-side to the Horde."

...

Azula scanned the darkened contours of the island, searching for signs of movement. Seventeen minutes had passed since the last signal flame was shot-four minutes longer than usual. She knew the enemy couldn't be in retreat. The clangs and screams of battle still sang to her, floating up as they did from the shadowed canyons and ravines below.

Something was gnawing at her stomach, a tapeworm of unease that gnashed its thousand teeth, eating away at her confidence. Azula knew it wasn't fear-never in her life had she acknowledged the paralyzing, debilitating emotion-but the gnawing was so alien to her that it might as well have been. Apprehension, she decided. She was nervous.

She knew the battle was unwinnable. From the outset her strategy wasn't meant to rout the enemy-it was designed to stall them, to keep them occupied until the Fire Navy received word of the island's emergency and came sailing across the horizon to the rescue.

But what if the Navy didn't come in time? Azula thought back to her time in the Earth Kingdom, back when she had been cornered by the Avatar, his friends, and her brother and uncle.

"Well, look at this. Enemies and traitors all working together… I'm done. I know when I'm beaten. You got me. A princess surrenders with honor."

Azula smiled grimly to herself, while the tapeworm squirmed in her stomach and burrowed deeper. She'd gotten away, but it was more due to her opponent's divided force and fractured goals then her own talent-not that her talent was lacking, of course. Besides, from the first word her yield had been a lie. There was no honor in surrender. That was one of the first lessons Father had taught her, and even now she held firm to that indisputable truth.

The cave-door behind her opened, and Azula spun to face it with a hand on the hilt of her sword. Shyu stared back at her, his face a mixture of relief, exhaustion, and pain. The man's robes were sooty and torn, and there was a nasty gash along his cheek that still bled freely. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it, wheezing.

"Dai…Dai Li. They've…they've found the tunnels."

She made no outward show if it, but internally Azula blanched. She'd hoped that the Dai Li would stay out of the fight for a while longer. Now their intrusion had left her deprived of the one advantage keeping her men alive. "Did anyone make it out?" she asked.

"Thank the Flame, most of us did. A few stayed behind to stall them…they haven't pursued anyone beyond the entrances, but going in those tunnels now would be like tying your own noose."

Azula looked out over the island. Her mind conjured images of their situation all too accurately. Her troops scattered, they could only hope to mount tiny pockets of resistance against the overwhelming force of Kahchi's men. Even knowing the terrain as well as they did, they could only hide for so long on such a barren spit of land. They needed shelter, they needed defense.

They needed to retreat.

Azula spoke without turning her back, "Send up the signal, Shyu. We're falling back to the Temple." Her voice was even, but her nails dug deeply into the palms of her clenched fists.

The old man stood quietly for a moment, watching his Princess's tensed back. While serving in the Navy he, along with every other man under Ozai's command knew that retreat was an act tantamount to treason. For Azula, the former Fire Lord's star pupil and apple of her father's eye, to willingly give such an order…

With the subtlest of smiles, Shyu bowed to the Princess's back. "At once, Your Highness. Please, be ready to move."

As he began the form, Azula didn't answer. Instead, she folded and collected her maps, tightened her boots, and stowed her Earth Kingdom Jian sword neatly in its scabbard. Once she was done, she locked eyes with Shyu. He was just completing the last movements in the form, and waited for her final command.

"Do it."

Dragon's Roaring Blaze surged skyward from the Grand Sage's fingertips, ten streams of flame twining about each other and racing to the heavens, as if attempting to scorch the moon. Shyu moved his arms, flexed his hands, and the streams of flame bent into dragons. They soared higher, higher, until their fiery forms circled one another above the Island's towering volcano. Finally, with one last burst of energy, Shyu clapped his hands together and the dragons erupted into a terrible shower of blinding sparks that rained down the mountainside for all to see.

The man barely had time to catch his breath before Azula had him on the edge of their hidden perch. Hopping from ledge to ledge, scrabbling down outcroppings of rough igneous rock, Azula and Shyu sped down the terrain with all the speed they could muster. No sooner had they touched ground, however, then the first of many attracted by the source of the signal leapt upon them.

Azula wasted no time. Ducking beneath a foot soldier's pike thrust, she unsheathed her sword without flourish and halved his weapon in one smooth motion. The poor sop barely had time to register what'd happened before the toe of her boot connected with his temple and he went crashing to the ground. A firebender struck next, striking with a blow of flame that Azula batted aside with the back of her free hand. His own hand, the one he'd tried to burn her with, was quickly and efficiently broken, and he crumpled to the earth as well, screaming in pain.

She looked up just in time to see Shyu finish off two firebenders of his own. Together they ran across the low dips and rises of a lava field, racing across the flats with a speed born from desperation. Wordlessly they were joined by other sages and apprentices as they went, who fell into line behind them as they made their way to the distant temple. Of the newcomers Azula could only pick out a few scattered faces. Master Sage Shula, bloodied and her hair in disarray, and Shyu's pupil Kwon, jogging doggedly with what looked like a broken forearm. Some ran unimpeded by injury, and would break from the group periodically to stall an oncoming group of hordesmen, or to help along a wounded comrade. During this exodus Azula's eyes often fell upon an injured. Whenever that happened, the tapeworm in her stomach burrowed a little deeper. She tried her best to ignore it.

It wasn't long before the cooled plateau gave way to a deep canyon. Without a moment's hesitation, Azula ran down the sloping incline and into the darkness below. The others paused at the edge, straining to hear what lay beneath them over their haggard and labored breathing. Then a cacophony of startled voices rang out, followed by several masculine curses and a single, fierce, feminine admonition. Shula cocked her head to Shyu.

"Sounds like Her Highness found Azar and Zutan," Shula flashed a tired grin before leading the Grand Sage and their students into the canyon below.

Through a labyrinth of narrow ravines and twisting gorges they ran, stopping only to press themselves into crevasses when a group of horde members to large to handle marched past, searching the maze of passageways for fresh blood to spill. The group's pace was stilted and inconsistent, and it wasn't long before the pathways became so tight, and the traffic so thick, that hiding from the enemy was simply impossible. The next series of confrontations were little more than blinding flashes of fire and sword sparks, of which their numbers would drop or rise depending on how many of their own they lost in battle or rescued from attack.

Along the way they ran into Hotaru and his group at an intersection of ravines. They were all bleeding heavily, and there was a squad of Komodo Rhino Cavalry biting at their heels. This launched both parties headlong into a series of deadly hit-and-run engagements as they kept pushing towards safety. The cavalry carried firebenders with them, and thus couldn't be countered easily by the purely firebending sages. Only the tight twists and hairpin curves allowed Azula and her men to survive-such terrain made it hard for the Komodo Rhinos to reach full gallop, and thus the worst the defenders had to deal with were the occasional blazing arc or thrown javelin.

Finally the end of the canyon came into sight. Beyond lay the Temple's wide parade grounds and five-tiered pagodas, still untouched by the night's fighting. Though streams of flame whizzed past their ears, and javelins buried themselves in the ground next to their running feet, the defenders saw their home and pushed themselves harder, eager for even just an illusion of safety.

Azula swiped her sword across a jutting piece of cliff, slicing through the stone and deftly catching the rock that chipped off. Leaping into the air and twisting her body, she whipped the stone back the way they had came and watched in satisfaction as the jagged rock lodged itself in the lead Komodo Rhino's eye. The beast bellowed in pain, throwing its head side-to-side before crashing into the Rhino it ran next to. Both sets of riders and firebenders were thrown from the saddles, and those behind them were forced by the narrow ravine to hold off on their charge until the leaders could regroup.

Shyu and the Master Sages slowed their gait, falling to the back of the group while Azula caught up. "We won't make it to the pagodas at this rate. They'll overtake us before we make it halfway across the parade grounds," Azar panted.

"We have one last trap prepared," Azula said, "it will close off the canyon once we get clear of it."

"These men have got nothing to lose, Your Highness. I don't know how long some tables and scrap metal will hold them," Shula panted.

Azula and the sages stopped at the edge of the canyon. They watched as the rest of their group hobbled towards the shelter ahead of them. Azula took note of every limp, every wound, every impediment they possessed, and she knew Shula was right. They'd never make it inside in time. Not unless someone stayed behind to stall for them.

"…Once you get inside, bar the doors and ready the cauldrons. Send two apprentices to the rooftop. They're to keep shooting distress signals until the Navy arrives."

Shyu blinked through the blood that flowed from a cut on his forehead. "Your Highness?"

"Don't make me regret this, Shyu. If that Temple falls I'll throw you in a cooler myself. Now go."

The sages stood motionless, stupefied, as Azlua turned her back on both them and the safety of their pagodas to climb the dangerous cliff wall the trap was built upon. Perhaps it was because now, for the first time since before Ozai took hold of her, she wasn't looking out for herself; but as she paused to watch Shyu and the others race after their students, Azula noticed the tapeworm's gnawing lessen considerably. Her lips pressed into a thin smile, just for a moment, before she focused again on climbing.

From where they'd built the crude lever that held back the mass of tables, statues, and just about anything else that wasn't bolted to the floor of the Temple, Azula waited. She watched silently as the riders came around the final twist and barreled towards the end of the canyon. She waited until the last possible moment, just as the forerunners were reaching the exit, before kicking the fragile lever out of place and diving off the cliff, falling sword-first into her targeted cavalier. The first two Komodo Rhinos, along with their riders and passengers, were crushed beneath the ongoing avalanche of debris from the trap she'd just sprung. The third rider had enough time to pull the reins on his Rhino, stopping the beast exactly where Azula had anticipated he would. Her blade drove neatly into the base of the Rhino's neck, and Azula used her momentum to swing around the sword-hilt, kicking both the rider and the firebender behind him from the saddle and landing on his chest. He did not rise.

Wrenching her sword free in a little under an instant, Azula threw it end-over-end into another Komodo Rhino while it scrabbled to a halt. As the animal reared back in fear of the falling timber and clanging metal, the sword connected with the soft scales of its chest, sinking to a fatal depth. The beast fell backwards, crushing both its rider and the firebender seated behind him beneath its armored hide. Azula leapt forward as the firebender from the first Rhino she killed found his feet and prepared to strike. She unbuckled her scabbard and went at him with that, getting one good strike in before she was forced drop the improvised weapon and roll aside as a javelin buried itself in the dirt she'd been standing on an instant before.

In an instant Azula was on her feet, crouching low as the last Komodo Rhino and its master charged at full speed. Just as they bore down on her Azula leapt forward and slammed her feet down. Her boots connected hard with the shaft of the rider's lance, driving the pointed tip deep into the ground beneath her. The lance, still firmly tucked beneath the rider's arm, catapulted the man off his saddle and into the air. He flew surprisingly far, and his scream rebounded off the cliff walls until it was cut short by his body doing the same.

Panting, Azula scissor kicked a stream of fire that flashed in front of her. Three firebenders had gotten off the Rhinos before they'd charged, and the fourth one she'd struck moments before was slowly getting to his feet. They maneuvered until they had her surrounded, striking with almost leisurely attacks as they kept their distance and tired her out.

Azula's knuckles were red and burning. Her eyes stung with the sweat that poured down her forehead and face. Her sword buried in a Komodo Rhino and her opponents out of arm's reach, there was little she could do but block their attacks and wait for help to come. Of course the firebenders knew this, so they took their time wearing her down with long streams of flame that could only be dispersed, not reflected. After a while however, her endurance wore on their patience, and the streams of fire that followed were faster, hotter, and from all directions at once.

Several more blurred series of defensive jabs and kicks left Azula gasping for air. Her legs buckled from fatigue, and she dropped to a knee. The firebender before her smirked. She could see his yellowed teeth beneath his out-dated firebenders helm, and it was obvious that he was one of Kahchi's men. Azula considered just rushing him and going out in a blaze of glory when she noticed, on the Cliffside behind his shoulder, what could only be described as a sprout of light growing from a crack in the rock. Bowing her head and closing her mind to the curiosity that arose as a forgotten chill seemed to thaw within her, Azula spoke.

"Congratulations traitors, I'm done," Azula raised her hands in defeat. "I know when I'm beaten."

The firebenders surrounding her shifted in place, glancing at one another with eyebrows raised.

"You got me. A princess surrenders with honor." The light on the Cliffside vined and grew, and from it leapt a figure garbed in white and red.

The firebender directly in front of Azula was taken down by a flying knee to the back and a searing hand to the helm. The new fighter raked his thumbs across his fingertips, and each of the eight snaps that followed produced a ring of fire that adorned his fingers like tiny ornaments of war. Digits spread wide, he stepped off the firebender he'd landed on and exhaled a controlled breath of steam. The other firebenders stood frozen, shocked, and their momentary lapse of action cost them the fight.

"Stop, drop, and roll," he said.

Azula dropped her other knee and rolled to the side, glancing up just in time to see him rush forward, taking her place in the middle of the circle. The firebenders acted on pure instinct, each striking out with a stream of fire. As they did he spun on his heel, throwing his arms wide and sending the rings flying from his fingertips, speeding towards their intended targets. The rings met with the flames and absorbed them, growing in size before they connected with the firebenders who'd powered them. Two rings were allotted for each invader-one for their arms and one for their legs- and they all hit the ground with a single concerted gasp of pain as the rings tightened and burned against their flesh.

Azula picked herself off of the ground and dusted some grit from her armor. "You're late."

Matthias stood amidst a circle of fallen and groaning bodies. His hair covered his eyes, hiding his expression. He exhaled again, and the steam shrouded his face further. "Where are the leaders?"

"On the beach, I'd imagine. I saw Kahchi run that way after we burnt one of his units to cinders." Azula inspected her nails, showing only the slightest dissatisfaction upon finding one of them had the tiniest bit of dirt beneath it. "Why, what do you have planned?"

Mat walked out of the circle, towards the beach. Oranges, yellows, and reds colored the phoenix glyph on his back as Shyu's apprentices launched their first flames from atop the main Pagoda. "Cut of the head of the snake rat, and the body will die. The only thing keeping a rebel group like this together is their leader. We end the leaders on the beach, we end the invasion."

"Oh. You mean you're actually going to participate now?"

Mat paused. He looked over his shoulder, and green eyes met gold in a blaze of intensity.

"Are you coming, or what?"

Azula walked calmly. Collecting first her scabbard, and then drawing her sword from the Komodo Rhino's neck. She wiped the blood on one of the groaning firebenders before sheathing the blade and walking past Matthias. She made sure to bump his shoulder as she passed. Hard.

"Try not to get in my way too much, peasant."

...\/...\/...\/...