Chapter 10, council
Katara wondered if there was something in the blood of flying creatures – like bisons and airbenders – that made them generate so much heat. Appa had been comfortingly warm during the hike back to the village five years ago but now under the hot noonday sun, rubbing a hand on the sleeping bison's pelt was like touching furry flames. Aang was no better. He radiated heat like a human-shaped sun. He sat now, cross-legged and shirtless in the grass, his pants rolled up to just below his knees, perspiring in the relatively cool breeze. She remembered how the cold hadn't seemed to affect him. How he had played in the snow wearing what seemed to the Water people as the most impractical of clothing.
Beside her, Appa made a shuffling noise and stirred. Katara, waited, holding her breath but he didn't wake. She wondered if nightmares were also something that bisons and airbenders had in common. Her eyes drifted to the stump of black and white fur that was what remained of his tail.
"What are you thinking?"
Startled, she looked up into dark, gray eyes. Her thoughts had distracted her. She hadn't noticed Aang end his trance, and walk up to her. Although, that could be because he was literally as light as a feather when he wanted to be.
Katara considered answering "none of your business" just to bother him and something in her face must have given her away because Aang narrowed his eyes, bent down and kissed her. Very thoroughly.
She stopped considering everything.
A sharp, unnecessary cough interrupted them. Katara looked up at the tall shadow, took one glimpse at the Fire Lord's face and the slight blush that had been rising in her cheeks drained away.
The cool rage was almost a relief.
"Avatar Aang, may I have a word?"
Aang, who had just given the Fire Lord a quick glance over his shoulder, before turning back to her, now shrugged, still not looking at the other man. His arms were still around Katara, trapping her where she sat on the grass. "Later, Zuko."
"It is a matter of urgency."
Aang sighed. Then he let her go, straightened up and faced the Fire Lord. Quickly, Katara got to her feet. "Can't you see I'm busy?" he asked, calmly enough.
"Yes, I can see that." The Fire Lord said, barely glancing at her. Katara did her best to remember Hama's lesson, and kept her face expressionless. "But as you refused to acknowledge my messages, I am forced to seek you out myself."
"Oooh, I am flattered," Aang said, smiling.
"I would like to speak to you alone."
Still smiling, Aang nodded. The Fire Lord hesitated, then, to Katara's surprise, walked up to Appa, stroked his nose – the bison still didn't wake – then walked away, long red robes trailing in the white lily field.
When he was out of earshot, Aang turned to her, taking her hands in his own. She tried to snatch them away but he held them firmly. "I'm sorry. It's this boring Council meeting. The counselors feel it's relevant, and I am apparently the Chief Counselor." He rolled his eyes. "I thought I could get out of it with my convalescence, but I suppose it's hard to explain why I'm strong enough to air-bend in broad daylight but not strong enough to sit down for a boring meeting."
She hated herself for smiling, especially when he beamed.
"I'd rather spend the whole day with you," he said wistfully, coming nearer, close enough that their noses touched.
Her breath caught and she waited. Then when he just kept smiling, she leaned forward and kissed the smile off his mouth. His hands freed hers to tangle in her hair which was a relief because then she could wrap her arms around him and feel the play of muscles beneath that smooth, long back.
She broke the kiss, gasping and buried her face against his shoulder.
"I'd better go," he whispered into her hair.
She nodded, thinking the same thing. I'd better go far, far away from you. Against her cheek, the thrumming of his pulse sounded like mockery.
"Avatar Aang."
The counselors stood at attention. Aang winced inwardly at the range of expressions on their faces – from reverence to impatience to barely-concealed disdain – and made his way to his place at the end of the table. He bowed in greeting to the man at his opposite, the only one who had remained sitting.
Zuko returned the greeting – barely. Aang resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow – What's eating you? Sure I was late, but it's hardly the first time we've kept these old goons waiting – and sat cross-legged on the cushion placed for him.
The Fire Lord nodded in turn to all the people present – Fire Lady Mai, Admiral Chan, Admiral Zhao, Minister Qin, newly appointed General How…
"We may begin."
As one, the counselors took their seats.
Aang hadn't come to the meeting expecting much. In the months immediately following the former Fire Lord, that bastard Ozai's death, the War Council – because that was what this had been essentially – was instrumental towards developing the defensive and offensive strategies that had brought the new war to a swift and decisive end. After that, the tactics designed here had shifted from military to political. Aang had been actively interested in both – it was always necessary to know just what he needed to defy to get the job done – but he had to admit, the military meetings were far more interesting.
But as time went on, even the political agendas had become obsolete. All the necessary treaties had been established between the Nation and the vassal states. The colonies had been subdued. A few rebel activities here and there thrived but they were nothing the fiercest and largest combined Army, Navy and Air Force in the known world could not control. The War Council was quietly renamed the Fire Lord's Council and became little more than a venue for boring administrative chit-chat.
He perked up a little when the topic of the Fire Carnival came up and General How tentatively asked Aang if the Avatar was sufficiently recovered to make his customary demonstration during the Carnival? Aang mumbled something noncommittal and avoided Zuko's eyes. The discussion delved into the Carnival theme, logistics and protocol and matters so mundane that Aang couldn't keep his attention on them even if he had wanted to.
So when Zhao stood up, cleared his throat in the ostentatious, attention-seeking manner that he was famous for, and un-scrolled a piece of parchment with a flourish, Aang just snarled quietly and continued mentally counting down the minutes until he could get back to Katara. He tried not to think too much about her – formal robes or not, that would be embarrassing. He also tried not to remind himself that Zuko's spy was still keeping a close eye on Katara and had had her mandate changed to 'persuade' Katara not to leave the Palace without his knowledge.
Not permission, he reminded himself firmly. Just knowledge. He wasn't trying to keep her.
At least not against her will.
"Our sources in New Ozai have provided us with intelligence linking the apparent random rebel insurgencies in the City with the machinations of an ancient secret society."
For the first time in days, all thoughts of Katara took a backseat in Aang's mind.
As the smug bastard must have counted on, all eyes in the Council room were looking at Zhao in sharp attention.
"Let me see that," Zuko said.
With a smile on his face that was almost a smirk, Zhao gave the scroll to Zuko and bowed perfunctorily.
Minister Qin asked, "Why wasn't this information handed over to the Fire Lord before the meeting?"
Aang, who was watching Zuko closely, just barely caught the small frown before it smoothened itself away.
At the question, Zhao's near-smirk had widened. Aang resisted the urge to air-slap it off the man's annoying face. "I was only just informed myself, a few minutes to this meeting."
"And you deemed it best to intercept an intelligence report meant for the Fire Lord?" Admiral Chan snarled. As Ozai's old lieutenants went, Chan was not a bad sort. He made no secret of the fact that there was no love lost between him and Zhao.
"It was addressed to me," Zhao said complacently. "Maybe the Dai Li deemed that the information was too inconclusive for the Fire Lord to be bothered with."
Minister Qin opened his mouth to speak only to be cut off, quietly, efficiently by the Fire Lord.
"We will correct the defaulting protocol officer later." Aang was pleased to see Zhao's dark face pale a little and that irritating smile vanish. "The most important thing now is to deal with this new information." He passed the scroll to Chan.
Chan read it, his old face wrinkling even further, then passed it on to the next man.
When it got to Aang, he glanced at it, read the first line…'King Bumi was spotted with Resistance Leader, Haru a few meters from the Sewer system… and only just managed to hold his temper.
"How creditable is this source?" Aang snapped as soon as Mai handed the scroll back. He wasn't as good with silent menace as Zuko was and his voice was just a decibel short of an actual roar.
Still the half-awed, half-resentful gaze of the audience showed he could be just as effective. Most of them had seen the Avatar in a rage before. None of them wished to see the Avatar in a rage again.
Zhao, the fool, actually spoke. "The Dai Li are the most efficient, most extensive…"
"The Dai Li are a group of mercenary turncoats," Aang retorted, vindictively pleased at the way Zhao's eyes bulged at being cut short. "I'd trust anything from them as far as you can throw it."
Zhao's fists clenched. Aang breathed deeply, feeling the dormant Agni rising in his belly, and waited.
Just give me a reason.
"An ancient secret society," Mai said softly. "How romantic."
The sudden tension dissipated. Chan snorted, and a few others chuckled. Zhao glared at everyone.
Then Zuko spoke and once more, the Council fell silent. "Avatar Aang, counselors, we need to consider this information from all angles before we take action. On the one hand, it could be Agni-sent solution to quashing the rebel insurgents once and for all. On the other hand, this could be a conspiracy from some faceless enemy to sow discord between the Fire Nation and one of its most important vassal states."
He turned a steady eye – the left one – to his counselors, holding each man's gaze one by one.
"We will deliberate on this until we find out who the culprits are and what their motive is. And when we do, we shall strike as we always have – swiftly and completely."
"The whole thing is a bloody lie!"
"Aang, I meant what I said. We need to consider this carefu-"
"Consider what, Zuko? We'd still be fighting now if Bumi and the White Lotus hadn't signed that treaty and you know it!"
"Well since the White Lotus doesn't technically exist, the secret treaty doesn't either and will you keep your voice down? Secret chamber or not, walls have ears!"
Aang had been in non-stop motion since they had got here, literally climbing walls of the antechamber as he viciously removed the layers of clothing that made up his full monk's uniform. He was always in a hurry to disrobe after formal appearances. He said that it was because the Fire Nation was too hot for proper Air Nomad clothing. Zuko kept his own theory about the real reason to himself.
Now, Aang appeared to literally swallow his words, his chests rising and falling heavily as he breathed out steam.
Which reminded Zuko:
"How many times must I tell you that breathing steam in public is seen in the Fire Nation as an act of aggression?"
"You did not steam-breathe during the Council meeting!" Mai exclaimed, looking up from her erstwhile silent reading of her parents' letter to stare at Aang.
Aang, half-way through pulling his monk's robe over his head, said something that was muffled in the process.
Zuko tried not to take to heart the way Mai's eyes followed the gradually exposing line of blue on the Avatar's back.
Tried.
"For once, you weren't paying him any attention," Zuko retorted.
Mai smirked.
"It was either that or blast Zhao where he stood," Aang said at last, finally free of the robe. He folded it automatically as he continued his restless pacing of the cool marble floor.
"For accusing the White Lotus? Intercepting the Dai Li's intelligence?" Zuko asked.
"Oh, I know he didn't intercept it. He wanted to rub it in your face that he has the loyalty of those earthworms."
"And Minister Qin certainly brought that to everyone's attention," Mai said thoughtfully. "You should keep an eye on him, Zuko."
"I already have," he said quietly. He caught her eye and they exchanged identical, sinister smiles.
Aang rolled his eyes. "Let me know when you've stopped bonding over your shared evil genius and you're ready to deal with the problem you have at hand."
"Which one?" Mai drawled. "There are suddenly so many."
"Admiral Zhao trying to stage a coup against Zuko."
Zuko frowned. "Zhao is all flame and no ashes. I may not like it but I have to keep my enemies close."
"Close, right?" Aang snapped. He swirled around, pointing his thumb towards the ugly red scar at the center of his spine. "Is this close enough?"
Zuko looked away, tried not to shudder. He still had nightmares of that day. "That was Azula's work," he said quietly.
"No. Azula was Zhao's work. She was the arrow but who was the archer? Or did she break herself out of a marble, underground, insulated cell?"
"With no concrete evidence, my hands are tied."
Aang swirled back – swirled fast, his body flying into a kata. The tapestry in the room flew to the ceiling and fell down with a crash. "Evidence!"
"In case you've forgotten," Zuko hissed, "I killed the only person who might have been able to tell us the truth."
This time the tapestry flew at Zuko. He just narrowly jumped out of the way. "Aang!" he snapped.
In two strides, Aang was standing at the door. He fire-bent it open – that was the only way – and fire-bent it shut behind him.
Mai, who had gone back to her letter, said absentmindedly, "Those drapes needed cleaning anyway."
Zuko turned on her. "Is that all you have to say?"
"Be thankful he didn't burn them."