Here is the twenty-first chapter in Book 3. For once I am ahead of schedule, a first for Book 3. I am going to try and get a new chapter out every other day so that means two more chapters before 2020. The goal is to catch up to where I was supposed to be at this point, which is Chapter 27 so there is still a lot of work to do. The goal is to reach Chapter 28 by January 10th so that I am effectively caught up with the release schedule. The projected completion date is February 4th and I intend to keep to that. No questions to answer here so sit back and enjoy the 21st full chapter in the third installment of Avatar: The Tale of Harry. Book 3: Unity.
Disclaimer: As always I own nothing related to these two great works of fiction.
Chapter 21
It had been a week since the Solstice festivities and Hermione's now infamous confession that many felt was deliberately worded to blame the victims of her atrocities for their suffering under her rule but had at least granted the victims some closure. The rest of the celebrations had been as spectacular and fun as ever but Hermione's confession had been the talk of the United Republic the entire time.
None of this really mattered to Delphini though. She couldn't give two shits about a former mudblood monster who was as famous as her father except unlike Voldemort, Hermione was actually evil. If she could, Delphini she would kill Hermione without a hesitation. However, for now she had to work on their mission.
Delphini had to focus on her goal of bringing the Avatar to the justice he so richly deserved for his many crimes against Voldemort and his Purist philosophies. All of her energy was dedicated to accomplishing this goal even if she had to work with her temporary allies to bring down the Avatar.
The Academy was going to resume classes tomorrow for their second semester and the Triumvirate had decided to meet up in the heart of the Foggy Swamp at the base of operations that Cresswell had set up for them in a deserted cave. This was to go over the next stage of their plan now that the initial seeds had been sown, it was time to start watering them.
It had taken Delphini a whole day to trek through the Swamp to find where Cresswell was based, though part of that was to ensure that she wasn't being followed. She wasn't expecting a tail but Delphini was not going to risk it, not now that she was closing in on her goal.
She had to admit, she was impressed with the base of operations. Delphini had lived in the Swamp most of her life and Cresswell had somehow found a dark, dank, deserted cave in an area she had never been too. It was perfect for their clandestine mission.
At last though she was at the cave and wading through the swamp to the riverbank that was near the cave. As she approached, Delphini saw that the cave itself was clearly an earthbending creation that Cresswell himself had created in the dank hallow. The trees were thick and cast everything in shadow with low hanging vines, mud and stagnant swamp water. Standing outside the cave, looking a little uncomfortable in the Swamp, was Johannes.
"You're late." He said without emotion.
"Couldn't be helped." Delphini said with a shrug. "Not exactly easy to find this place and I wanted to ensure that I wasn't followed."
Johannes just grunted at Delphini's words. The young Purist studied the old Enlightened mudblood as she approached the cave. The man was wearing typical Southern Water Tribe summer hunting attire except that instead of dark blue and white it was colored the dark green and brown of the Swamp. At his hip was a waterskin and a machete and a spear was strapped to his back. Johannes was certainly ready for a fight if need be, a good sign of preparation.
Delphini herself wore her former swampbender attire from her days in the swamp so that she blended into the scenery around her and not the Northern Mercenary clothes she favored when she not in disguise. She had traveled her in her old canoe and expertly navigated the swamp's treacherous waters. It was time to set up the next stage of their plan.
"Come on then let's get this over with." Johannes said as he turned to the cave entrance. "I have to get back to Republic City. I have taken a week off to meditate and prepare our strategy for the upcoming debates because I am not a fan of the Solstice festivities. However, Ron want's me back at the start of the week when campaigning resumes."
"Chief Ron got you doing grunt work on his campaign or something old friend." Cresswell said as he emerged from the cave and embraced Johannes. "That is a good sign, keeps you in his inner circle, right where we want you."
Delphini had to admire the Earth Enlightened's commitment to his disguise and hiding place. If Delphini didn't know him already, she would have just assumed that he was another Swamp Hermit who had come to this cave in search of enlightenment or to just cut himself off from society.
Cresswell had grown a short, ragged, gray beard in the months since she had first met the man and his hair was longer now and slightly unkempt. All Cresswell wore was the classic grass pants/skirt thing that swampbenders favored and a bark breastplate with a conical hat. He spoke with a slight swampy drawl though it wasn't as think as hers. He had also eschewed shoes. The only thing he had that was not in keeping with the disguise was his axe, which was still at his side.
"Something like that." Johannes said with a smile as they disengaged their embrace. "He keeps me close so likely he suspects something but has no proof of my true allegiances. Gotta admit I wasn't expecting you to go full native on us Cresswell."
"While here I am simply the old mad hermit of the Deep Swamp." Cresswell said with a smile as he lead them into his cave. "It keeps anyone away and allows me to work on my part of the plan.
Delphini followed in silence, she was not their friend and as such not going to get too chummy with them, and was intrigued to see that the cave was very rustic. Just a large room of smooth earth with a small lava pit in the center, an earthen bed that Cresswell could make comfortable with his earthbending in a far corner and a series of old pots and jars on the shelves bent into the walls. There were a few books laying around but it seemed Cresswell had gone full native in his attempts to blend in and hide. It was very homey and looked the part of a hermit's cave.
The cave was lit by a series of torches in brackets along the walls, the torches made from a special wood that didn't produce much smoke. There was also a small makeshift kitchen bent into on wall. Delphini knew that Cresswell would have a hidden room with the modern stuff for when he needed it but it had to stay hidden just in case.
Delphini's observations were cut short by a smell coming from a medium sized pot was slowly being heated over the lava pit and three earth stools were positioned equidistant around it. The smell was rich, stewed, Swamp meats and brought back mixed memories for Delphini. She hadn't realized how much she had missed Swamp cooking in her years away until now.
"I can tell." Delphini said as she took a seat around the pot and looked at the thick stew that was bubbling away inside it. "Very Swamp Tribe though they do prefer huts to caves."
"Yes they do but every now and then a member of the tribe or an outsider will come to the Deep Swamp to commune with the spirits and set up somewhere as a hermit." Cresswell said as he went to a shelf to gather a series of earthen bowls, cups and a large earth jug that he used his bending to carry. "That is what I have done to preserve my cover. I am playing a mad old hermit who has been here for years and doesn't like people. Fortunately no one has come by since I got here so no need to pretend to be mad. Of course as our pureblood ally knows it's not just hermits seeking enlightenment, though I am already Enlightened, who come to the Foggy Swamp."
"True it is the perfect place to hide if ya are wanting to avoid the law." Delphini agreed. "Thick, deadly swamp for miles around, who would think of braving it to find someone. My father succeeded at it for over two decades. Then again, Cresswell here knows only too well about avoiding the law for a couple of decades. They still have no idea where ya are, based on the reports I've heard."
"They don't." Johannes confirmed as he sat down and looked into the stew pot with a mix of curiosity and revulsion. "Ron told me as much last time he gathered his key allies and donors just prior to the Solstice celebrations. It's the biggest black mark on the campaign but not large enough to prevent him from winning the election."
"Excellent, then all is going according to plan." Cresswell said with a smile as he handed the cups to the others before beginning to ladle a thick, meaty stew into the bowls and pass them out to the others. "But first eat up while it's hot. It was freshly caught today. The beer is also freshly brewed, it takes a while to ferment."
"What is it?" Johannes said as he prodded it with his spoon. "I am not familiar with the local cuisine here."
"Possum chicken stew with some Swamp vegetables to complement it." Cresswell said with a as he grabbed the jug and poured then each a drink of the beer from the jug. "It's the best source of meat in the swamp other than the catgators and their pets to the Foggy Swamp Tribe, not food, so I can't hunt and cook them. The other option is giant insects but I never did develop a taste for them."
"Neither." Delphini said with a shudder at the memory of eating insects growing up as she dug into her spiced and well-cooked stew. "I must admit this is pretty good. It's been a while since I had possum chicken but I did always enjoy it. One of the few things I enjoyed about the Swamp."
"Well for me so long as it's meat I will try it." Johannes said as began to eat and then dug in with gusto. "It's a cultural thing in the South to like meat. This is pretty good, a little like arctic hen."
"Goes well with the Swamp root beer." Cresswell said taking a deep swig of his drink. "Had to ferment it for a while but it pairs well with the stew."
"That it does." Delphini said as she took a sip of the slightly sour beer that was the best compliment to the stew in the Swamp. "Hard to make a good brew out here. How do the benders here take to ya earthbending? It isn't uncommon here but it also isn't normal."
"Well I haven't had to deal with that yet." Cresswell said through a mouthful of food. "I stay away from civilization for the most part, it is safest that way. When I do go into town for supplies or news I pretend to be a nonbender and not a mad hermit as I am just another Swamp dweller then. If it would ever come to it I would bend the mud as it is something both water and earthbenders can bend so as to avoid suspicion."
"A good idea." Johannes said as he got up to get a second bowl of the stew. "Your face and abilities, minus the lavabending that is unknown, is all over the place so best to keep a low profile."
After that they ate in silence for the rest of the meal. It had been a while since Delphini had had a true Foggy Swamp meal that was actually good and she was impressed with Cresswell's talent with the stew. Then again he was an expert in the less well known cultures of the world so it wasn't much of a surprise.
After their meal, Cresswell took the bowls and brought them to a makeshift sink in the kitchen area of the cave before bringing back a second earthen jug and cooling the lava pit to a dull, warm, glow. It was time to talk about their recent actions and the next stage of their plan.
"Cresswell, why don't you let us know what you have been up too over the last few months." Johannes said once they were all seated and topped off with Swamp root beer. "You probably have the least to say."
"Funny but alas true my friend." Cresswell said with a chuckle. "I have managed, at great risk due to the regulations on it, to procure the material we will need to kill the Avatar and have it properly stored here for when the time comes. Other than that I have been staying quiet in the Swamp so as to avoid being arrested. I am after all the most wanted person in the world right now so I need to lie low."
"Yes well that's all thanks to Hermione." Johannes said darkly at the mention of the mudblood who had betrayed the Enlightened and inadvertently set Delphini on this path. "Leach's fuck puppet recently confessed to her many crimes as part of that deal she made with the Avatar that appears to have set all of this in motion. I was listening on the radio to her confession and plea. Naturally I will not be turning myself in."
"Well not entirely." Delphini said as she thought about everything that had led them to this point. "I was already planning my own revenge against the Avatar and to bring him to justice for what he did to my father. I just got lucky to overhear about the Enlightened raid and I made the right choice to follow Cresswell, which led to Johannes. Our alliance will work."
"True, we can't thank that traitorous cunt for everything." Johannes said. "She doesn't deserve that much credit. At least she had the decency to blame her alleged victims and showed no remorse in her speech, she did do a lot of good before the power went to her head. Then again that was Hermione from what I heard. She could never accept responsibility for her actions and will always see herself as the victim no matter what."
"Yup." Cresswell confirmed. "It's what made her so valuable to us until as you pointed out, the power went to her head and she brought the wrath of the Avatar down upon our enlightened nation. By the time we left her there it was already devolving into a dictatorship that was nothing in line with our views. Her decision to exile us was the best thing that could have happened, it saved us from the ignorant masses and their pervasion of justice."
"Well she's out of the picture now." Delphini pointed out. "We can kill the bitch slowly once the Avatar is dead but until then we need to prioritize bringing the Avatar to justice. That is our mission, we cannot get distracted now."
"Agreed." The other two said in unison.
"So Johannes, what have you been up too in Republic City?" Cresswell asked. "Other than chumming it up with a war criminal and evil Purist like Chief Ron and other intolerant bigots who make up the elitist circles of upper class United Republic society."
"Well other than the pain of having to be with people like that and lying all the time, it's going pretty well." Johannes said with a wry smile. "At least I am not living in a cave in the Foggy Swamp or some shack in Hogsmeade but my luxury apartment in the city. That is a plus. I am doing everything that is expected of a man of my station and wealth so as to maintain my cover while gathering all the intel I can."
"Rub in in why don't ya." Delphini said though she didn't mean it, she had lived rough all her life so luxury meant nothing to her. "My one room apartment in Hogsmeade ain't much better than this charming place but it is still in civilization so there is that."
"We all know our places and what we must do to survive." Cresswell said with a sage tone that sounded pompous and stuck up to Delphini. "And two of us are wanted for serious, albeit false, crimes and as such must avoid mainstream society for the time being. It will all be worth it in the end."
"Very true." Johannes agreed. "But that was always my role with the Enlightened, I was to fund y'all and I have played my role well. Currently, I am rubbing elbows with the big wigs and major players in Republic City. They have been a useful source of information, especially in the shockingly male dominated back rooms when the whiskey is flowing and the cigars are being smoked. Then again as much as we know women should be more represented there and we should do everything to ensure that, we cannot change their choices when they chose not to do what we want, even when we give them a more than fair advantage. In the end we will have to force it but that is not for now."
"Too true but it is to be expected and you have to play your part, even if it is that of a sexist asshole." Cresswell said as he took a drink from his cup. "A shame really but right now we are in no position of power to change it and we won't be until the Avatar has been brought to the justice he deserves. After that, the utopia of the Enlightened can be restored."
"Yes we need him gone first and then we can go about re-amassing the power our groups once had." Delphini said looking pointedly at the other two to make it clear that her views were to be respected as well. "We can divide the world as soon as we are able to take it."
"Of course and then our own war can resume once our common enemy is dead and the Avatar Cycle ended once and for all." Johannes said with a twisted smile at her. "I look forward to the day when we are once more enemies. When the dust settles, whoever is left standing can make the world in their image, be it our enlightened utopia or your Purist hellscape."
"As do I." Delphini said as she took a drink, smiling just as twistedly at Johannes. "But until then, do continue with ya report Johannes."
"Yes where was I." Johannes said with exaggerated absentmindedness. "Oh yes, I was taking about those smoke filled rooms. Well unfortunately, despite the wheeling and dealing, the election is still purely democratic there and there appears to be little media collusion or attempts to undermine democracy. The exception is the Ro camp which has been collaborating with a few of the far left papers and who I have secretly been aiding as she is so corrupt as to be useful should she win. Also she's a woman and a nonbender so two oppressed groups right there so more victim points to aid our cause."
"Sounds like a useful ally for future." Cresswell said stroking his short beard. "We rig the election, get her elected and then she does as we say. With the threat to remove power should she fuck up like Hermione, we can control her. We tried that in Malum but our candidate went insane as soon as she got power and we had to leave her to her own fate."
"I heard about that." Delphini said. "I thought ya were behind that."
"Initially we were but she fucked up and we left her to her fate." Cresswell confirmed. "Anyway, Johannes, continue. We keep interrupting you."
"No worries." Johannes said dismissively. "Ro would be useful but not right now, she won't win. As for Tru-Da, he is an arrogant blowhard who knows jack shit about politics but the smart people around him do and they have been accused of colluding with outside sources. However, I know for a fact that they haven't been, at least not directly, and that the whole accusations are just smokescreens to derail his candidacy and sell some papers."
"Sounds about right, it is the kind of the underhanded tactics we would use." Cresswell said with a nod. "Best to discredit them with smear tactics then to address the issues that they are bringing up, especially if those issues go against our goals."
"Correct and I may or may not be the one dropping the anonymous tips." Johannes said with a sly smile and Delphini couldn't help but admire his cunning. "Other than those two and that fat equalist Dudley going to the far, far, nonbending right and calling for bending to be made illegal it's been a pretty tame election. The worst election in history but fortunately someone like Ron, as bad as he is, is running and can win the presidency. He has the hero card to play despite not deserving it as we all know he is really a war criminal. That and the fact that he is a charismatic moderate, at least according to the fake news on him as we know that he is an extremist, helps him a lot in this polarizing election."
"How is that elitist, oppressive asshole's campaign going?" Cresswell asked.
"Oh he will win." Johannes answered. "There is no doubt about that at this point. I am sticking close to him to be able to stay in the loop but it will be a landslide. So long as Ron doesn't fuck up the debates, which he won't, he will walk into the Presidential Palace. That is if he lives long enough to do so."
"True, he may become the first President-elect to die before assuming office." Cresswell said with smirk. "I hope so, Tyrant Slayer is thirsty."
"Does he suspect ya of being the Water Enlightened?" Delphini asked Johannes. She honestly didn't care too much as these two were just tools for her to achieve her goals but she did have to keep up appearances with them. "Cos that could be a problem."
"I would be shocked if he didn't." Johannes said with a shrug. "As evil as Chief Ron is, he is still a very clever man who thinks of everything. He may have had help from his association with the Avatar to advance over nonbenders and women to become Chief of Police but he is more than capable of the office on his own merit."
"Except we don't believe in merit." Cresswell said and while the reasoning was different to hers, Delphini could agree with that statement. "It is all about outcome, not opportunity."
"Very true." Johannes agreed. "Ron would have figured out that I am one of the few who would fit their profile of the Water Enlightened and that my arrival in Republic City during the winter months, a time when I am famously known to be reclusive, right after the raid is very suspicious. However, that was the plan. It will make Ron suspicious and cause him to keep me close because he cannot prove my status as an Enlightened but at the same time doesn't want me out of his sight. It's the perfect situation for me to exploit. I am close to him and ready to strike."
"A wise and Enlightened move." Cresswell said, nodding with approval, before he turned to Delphini. "And what about you? How is your part of the mission going Delphini?"
"Perfectly." Delphini said with a sweet smile. She could tell that Cresswell had wanted to call her something worse but like her was being civil for the purposes of their alliance. "I have found a weakness amongst the Avatar's children that I will exploit. It is one I believe we can use to ensure his cooperation."
"Really?" Johannes asked. "And what pray tell is that?"
"His son Albus." Delphini said turning to the other waterbender. "And by extension Albus's best friend Scorpius, a blood traitor and the son of Draco, the former Crown Prince of the Northern Water Tribe and a traitor in his own right."
"Why them?" Cresswell asked.
"Simple." Delphini said, silently planning how to kill these two when she was done, that thought was one of the many that helped her in their alliance. "They are the perfect target. The Avatar and his second son are not on good terms. Albus is fed up with being compared to his father, as is Scorpius with his incidentally, and just wants to be his own person. I can use that to drive a wedge between them and then use that to manipulate Albus to do what I want."
"How do you propose to do that?" Johannes asked. He was clearly skeptical of her skills, Delphini would show him and then when the time was right remove his blood for doubting her.
"I have already gained their trust." Delphini answered. "The poor fools were looking for reassurance and support for who they are and I, an attractive older girl, have given it to them to the point that I will soon have them wrapped around my little finger. Give it another month and they will do whatever I say."
"Excellent." Cresswell said with a salute from his cup in respect. "What do you propose then? It will be your job to capture the Avatar as only you truly have the power to do so given your bloodbending. Once he is caught, it will be our job to administer the material and then we can all execute the criminal together once he is in the Avatar State. After that, we can go our own ways and prepare for our impending war."
"Of course that is the only way we can do it." Delphini said. She enjoyed the acknowledgement of her own power from someone who otherwise would be her mortal enemy, soon he would experience that power first hand when she killed him. "But yes soon I will begin to make suggestions for what they should do during their own thing next break."
"What will you suggest?" Johannes asked, it was clear that he was still not convinced that Delphini knew what she was doing. He would regret that.
"That they become their own men and not listen to their fathers." Delphini answered and continued before Johannes could speak again. "Then once they have agreed with me on that, I will subtly steer them towards making an exhibition to the Foggy Swamp to meditate with me under the Banyan Grove Tree in the center of the Swamp. I will use the lure of the Swamp and what it can teach you to ensure that they come."
"Getting them away from the Academy for that won't be easy." Cresswell pointed out. "You need to plan for that."
"I already have, ya aren't the only ones who can think several moves ahead." Delphini replied with a knowing smirk. "I will make sure that this occurs during the break between the second and third semesters of the Academy. Then, once they meet me at the Banyan Grove Tree, we capture them and take them to this cave. With them in our custody we offer to exchange them with the Avatar if he turns himself over to us for justice."
"A good plan." Cresswell said with a slow nod as he digested it. "A little longer than I was hoping for but I understand the restriction we have to work with in order to maximize our success. I assume that you have made sure that you will be the one who the Avatar surrenders too."
"Of course." Delphini confirmed. "As ya said, only I have the power for this. I can knock him out with my bloodbending should I need too but I will restrain him with platinum restraints first, a precaution we must take. Ya two will have to provide the restraints as I don't know how to acquire them. Ya will also have to serve as those who hand over the boys to whoever the Avatar sends to collect them. I will leave a note with instructions on how to contact me for the Avatar to surrender himself in exchange for them. You can get the platinum restraints right?"
"I can." Johannes said with a nod. "They are hard to come by but I have a few contacts who sympathized with the ways of the Enlightened currently living in Republic City who can acquire them for a price. Once we have them I can bring them to Cresswell who will be able to verify their purity with his metalbending."
"Can you trust these contacts?" Delphini asked deciding that it was her turn to be a skeptical bitch and challenge Johannes's abilities.
"Don't worry they don't know my true identity." Johannes replied with confidence. "They only know me as a shadowy middleman between them and the Enlightened Council. It is just what Pyrites would do, though he would usually pose as a simple Death Eater if he even had any contact with his network to impress them. That or he would pose as a mid-level part of the network and not its leader."
"Yeah there was a lot Pyrites had to answer for but he was one cunning, intelligent, manipulative bastard." Delphini said with grudging respect for the man who had done more damage to the Death Eaters and her father's noble cause than anyone else. "My father's single biggest mistake was to trust that cocksucker with so much power and information. A serpent like Pyrites would only ever truly cared about his own ass and he made sure to protect it when the time came. It was an immense pleasure to kill that fucker. I made sure that it was slow so that he suffered for his crimes."
"The world should be thanking you for what you did, not vilifying you." Cresswell said and Delphini agreed with that, she had done the world a service by killing that blood traitor. "Though we may be different sides of the ideological debate, we both know how foolish and wrong the mainstream media can be when it comes down to reporting on us."
"True." Delphini agreed.
"I have a question regarding the boys when we take them." Johannes said interrupting the conversation. "What are we to do with them when whoever the Avatar sends to pick them up arrives? Let's face it, he will almost certainly send his trained lapdog Ron and likely Draco will come because we have his son, but what to do when they arrive is the question. I for one am all for double crossing them and executing the criminals. People like them do not deserve to be treated honorably."
"Agreed." Cresswell said. "They deserve no less. Those with no honor will get none in return."
"Yes, they will all be executed when they come to rescue the boys." Delphini said forcefully. "All are blood traitors and criminals to purity and benders' rights. Yes Draco served 10 years in the Catacombs Prison Complex for his former Purist views but he turned on his brothers and sisters and testified against many, including his own father, in order to convict them and get such a light sentence. I would love to be the one who drives the knife into his heart but you two will have that pleasure. It will be the end of your hiding Johannes though, we need all three of us to accomplish this."
"I will be there." Johannes said with confidence. "By that point it will be too late to care about my cover. We will be on the cusp of victory, I can finally reveal my true self to the world. I will do my best to figure a way to get to Ron beforehand but no promises. I am certain he will confront me sooner or later and I will have to be very careful when that happens cos the asshole will have a tape recorder for it but I am Enlightened for a reason, he will lose any mind games he plays with me."
"Good, I look forward to it." Cresswell said cracking his knuckles. "I have a few tricks up my sleeve just for them to enjoy in their last moments. My lavabending is a complete secret to the whole world and we know how much the Avatar loves to employ it so it will be unexpected when I suddenly lavabend. Don't worry, the will suffer as they deserve."
"Where shall we execute the Avatar?" Johannes asked steering the conversation back to the most important topic.
"The Banyan Grove Tree." Cresswell answered without hesitation. "It is the spiritual center of the Swamp and ideal place for the bridge between the worlds. Also it is a very public place where we can leave his body once it is done so that the world knows just what happened to their precious villain and how the Avatar will never return. Then the world will know the true extent of our abilities and finally we will be able to recover from the losses we both suffered at the hands of the Avatar and his evil friends. Then we can go back to being enemies."
"Excellent." Delphini said, a sinister smile gracing her lips. "I think we have a solid plan here but we need to work out all the kinks to make sure that it works perfectly. We are too close to the end to fuck this up."
The other two nodded at this and they all raised their glasses, clinked them over the lava pit and downed the rest of their beers before Cresswell refilled their cups. The rest of the evening was spent talking, drinking, and ironing out all the kinks in their main plan. Delphini didn't expect it to go perfectly, no plan ever survived first contact, but they were controlling for as many variables as possible so they had a high success rate in her book.
Once they were done, Cresswell politely offered her the chance to stay though it was more a formality than a sincere offer and she respectfully declined. She had to get back and set everything up for when Albus and Scorpius next visited her in Hogsmeade that coming weekend. Besides, she didn't trust the two mudblood bigots to not do anything to her while she slept, Johannes had accepted the offer to stay, so it was safest for her to go home.
On her way back she used internal bloodbending, an uncommon and painful method of the art that few knew how to do, to purge her system of alcohol and sober up without the hangover. Bloodbending had the potential to be a useful healing tool but none used it as such given its other, better, attributes.
As her canoe made its way through the stagnant waters of the Foggy Swamp, Delphini couldn't help but smile. She was close to her goal of gaining justice for her father and killing the Avatar once and for all. Then she would restore Lord Voldemort's noble legacy almost 30 years after it ended. This time she would not fail where her father had.
"Soon dad." Delphini whispered to the dark night as she navigated her canoe home. "Soon ya will be avenged for all the wrongs done to you by the Avatar and his foolish, perverted, notion of balance. Soon you will know justice and your soul can find peace. Soon I, your daughter and heir, will restore your noble legacy and bring true balance to the world. Only 3 more months and it will all be done."
Delphini smiled as she continued into the black night. She had no doubt that she would succeed in her mission, it was only a matter of time and that she had. All she had ever wanted would soon be hers she just had to be patient and let it come to her.
These thoughts and many others like them kept her going through the inky blackness as she made her way home to put into motion the last stage of her plan. Soon the Avatar Cycle would end once and for all.
As y'all can tell, this shorter chapter (by my standards) serves as a return to the main story-line and look into the Triumvirate's plans going forward. The next few chapters will focus on the Ron/Johannes story arc and draw that to a close before the final arc of Book 3 begins its winding path to the finale. The story will start to pick up from here, though at a reasonable pace so as to not feel rushed and set up everything needed for the ending. That is all for this post chapter note, as always please like, favorite, follow, review, this story and any questions asked in reviews or PMs will be answered at the start of the next chapter. Until next week.
Stringdog