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The canyon was double her length, as a dragon, in depth and close to five times as wide. The enormous ravine stretched to the ocean at one end and up to the Serpent's Pass at the other, there would be no way the four nation's army could get to the rebel camp without crossing it. A natural trap. An easily seen trap, but an unavoidable one to reach a goal, if they took the time to go around it, it could take months to get to the rebel strong hold, and by then it would have moved again.
Of course, neither her brother, nor the man beside her were particularly patient. How Nothus had kept up running for so long she didn't know, but then again his army was only a fraction of the force following him.
"Keep them there 'til I give you the signal," Nothus's low bark. She nodded and eyed the cannon again, catching sight of people moving along the walls packing them with blasting powder. She would head off the coming forces, at least slow them down and if necessary push them back. Once Nothus' forces were safely out of the cannon, she would serve as spark and blow the whole place into oblivion. If that didn't wipe out whatever forces were unlucky enough to end up on the cannon floor it would slow them enough for Nothus' army to take out any survivors.
What he planed after that he had yet to divulge to her, or he had yet to think that far. She suspected the later.
The low groan of a komodo rhino behind her pulled her from her observations. She turned and saw ten cavalry men and one unmanned mount gathered to accompany her down the cliff side, before retreating as quickly as possible back up. Her eyes flickered back to the canyon and saw the shadows of the advancing forces coming close to half way across the floor of the ravine. She turned back and mounted the rhino presented to her having to ride down, only to change when signaled to spark the blasting powder.
"Do not fail me this time, or I will personally make sure the acrobat doesn't survive the night," Nothus growled beside her, dark eyes matching her own glare.
"Do so and you will share the same fate," she growled back, feeling the belt around her waist twist as anger coursed through her veins, even despite the plate steel and fabric separating her skin from hard scale. She took a low breath to calm herself, remembering what he had told her about the belt only moments ago is the cave.
"It's stupidly simple to control. It's the same as bending; you have to want to bring forth the change the same way you have to want to bring on the flame. Controlling and focusing your chi into the belt or becoming angry enough to stir the chi naturally flowing there is all it takes. Changing back is the same, you have to want to turn back your body will do the rest."
The belt stilled as she took another low breath and spurred the rhino down the cliff face.
-D.-
"Azula," her name was spat from her brother's mouth hostility and suspicion lining each syllable.
"Hello, Zuzu."