Here is the 25th full chapter in Book 5, released on time as promised. The Battle of the Western Air Temple is over but there are two sides to a battle and as Book 5 spends more time than most looking at the other side of the conflict, this chapter will look at Ekrizdis and his council during the battle and right afterwards as they process what is going on and what happened with their attempt to win this war and end the stalemate, along with how some others have reacted to his actions to bring the war to an end. However, that is all I have for here though so I will leave this pre chapter note off here and as there isn't anything to respond to that means that it time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the 25th full installment of Avatar: The Tale of Harry. Book 5: Duty.

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing related to these two great works of fiction.

Chapter 25

Ekrizdis sat in the Eastern Air Temple Council Chamber, the place where he met with his war council, and tried to keep a clear and calm mind. The problem was that he couldn't and who could blame him, today was his day he turned the tides of the war and ensured his ultimate victory. He was too excited for it to think of anything else.

He'd sent the order to liberate the Western Air Temple the moment he knew that the Temple would finish celebrating Yangchen's Festival. The time difference worked for him as he was already done with the ceasefire as it was the next day in the Eastern Air Temple, so he had clearly acted within the laws of war. Now all he had to do was wait for news he was expecting to come out of the west.

The waiting was the worst part of all this, it was interminable. They had set up a radio in the room that was set to the main station that would pick up any headline news, as well as a long-range receiver that was set to a frequency only Pansy and Blaise had so that they could report once they had liberated Luna's home Temple. Not even the airships that were only being used in the bombing run before heading back to their Temples didn't have it. However there still had been no news and Ekrizdis knew that there wouldn't be any for a while to come as the battle was still in its early phases.

They tried to fill the time as best they could, the members of his war council who hadn't been sent on the mission that is. Brocklehurst was pacing though Ekrizdis thought that it was more because of how vulnerable the Northern Air Temple was right now and not the attack itself. Edgecombe was trying to meditate but failing to find the necessary inner peace to succeed at it as Ekrizdis could see it in her face. The only one able to maintain any calm was the ever-implacable Insomnus who was floating near the ceiling as if nothing was a miss.

As for Ekrizdis himself, he was sitting at the table thinking on everything that had gone into the attack and what might be going on there right now. He knew that this attack was insanely risky, but he had to launch it. It was the only way to break the stalemate that had bogged down the war for two years but to do so the timing had been perfect. Of course, the World Leaders wouldn't see it as such so Ekrizdis was making multiple plans for what to do once they'd liberated the Western Air Temple.

The first thing to do was to point out that he now controlled the majority of the Air Nation and Luna was dead, that was if everything went as planned, so moving against him even if they wrongfully believed that he had violated the accords would be seen as an invasion and divide their own nations into civil war as well. Of course, there was always a chance that the plan could fail so Ekrizdis had plans for that depending on the level of failure. The most important one though was his plan for the media to spin it in his favor by justifying it as a legal attack and as such the other nations couldn't get involved in the war.

"We interrupt this broadcast with an emergency report." The radio suddenly spat out and Ekrizdis turned to it with a grin, news was finally in that would confirm their success. "We have just heard from Archabbot Luna, via a wideband distress call from the Western Air Temple, that the Temple has been attacked by Ekrizdis's forces."

"Good now tell us that we have won." Edgecombe said and Ekrizdis noticed that the entire room was now paying close attention to the radio now.

"We have no news as of right now other than what Luna has gotten out." The radio announcer continued. "Apparently there has been a large attack on the Western Air Temple from above, the canyon, and from underground to fight in the Temple itself and the forces attacking are listed as the Northern Mercenaries, the so called Black Airbenders who claim to not be part of Ekrizdis's army and are acting on their own personal agenda, and a new force loyal to Ekrizdis of unknown origin. It should be noted that this attack has occurred on the day of Yangchen's Festival making it a violation of the ceasefire accords from the 1st Peace Summit outlining when ceasefires during the Air Nation Civil War will take place."

"It's not you fool but we planned for this ignorance and bias from the mainstream media." Ekrizdis said looking up to Insomnus. "Go and let our media team know that it is time to release our statement to this moron and the world at large. This act of self-defense by our brave troops is perfectly legal."

Insomnus nodded and flew out the window. Ekrizdis knew that he was the fasted of them, so he'd be able to get the media team, who were on high alert to await notice from a war council member, to release their preliminary statement of why the attack was legitimate and to force the other nations to stand down.

"We do not have anything else to report as of right now." The announcer said. "The battle seems to be ongoing, but we will…wait, I am getting reports that there is a statement coming out of the Southern Water Tribe and it is from Chief Dominique herself. We go to our reporter down there who will relay her statement that is apparently being made from the Southern Throne itself."

"Of course she'd be the first to make an announcement and do so without full knowledge of the situation." Brocklehurst said. "She's been the most vocal supporter of Luna."

"We expected the Southern cunt to support her aunt." Edgecombe said simply. "This was coming regardless."

"Yes so let's hear out the She-Wolf." Ekrizdis said quieting his Temple heads. "And how we can counter her false claims."

"This is a clear violation of the ceasefire accords." Dominique's voice said as it came out of the radio sounding strong and regal. "When they were signed by Luna and Ekrizdis following the first summit they clearly stated that any act of hostility against any of the Temples, airbenders, or volunteer forces openly aligned with one side during the two weeks preceding a festival would be a violation of the laws of war so that the festivals could be properly honored. Under the accords, hostilities couldn't resume until after the festivals have ended and that means midnight the day of the festival. It is still not midnight in the Western Air Temple, so this is a clear violation."

"It only says the moment they end." Ekrizdis said with a grin. "Not the end of the day and not the end of the last Temple's festival, only the end of the festival and that was hours ago here. Under your reading Luna could attack us and not the other way around and that's not how the law works."

"Furthermore." Dominique said continuing her speech. "It is clear that an attack of this magnitude required getting forces in place ahead of time. If the Northern Mercenaries have breached the Temple as is being claimed then they would have had to do it by tunneling which means that they were within the territory of the Western Air Temple during the two-week ceasefire making it a violation of the accords regardless of how Ekrizdis spins it."

"Fuck she's got us there." Brocklehurst said and Ekrizdis could hear the panic begin to enter his voice. "How do we counter that?"

"She is good, I'll give her that." Ekrizdis said stroking his goatee in thought impressed at Dominique's argument as it was one he hadn't thought about when he'd made this plan. "Trust a warrior Chief who was personally instructed in war strategy by some of the best, including the Red Wolf himself, to know it. Her tactical acumen might be second only to Ron right now, though James was likely better when he was still alive."

"So, what do we do?" Brocklehurst asked worried. "She has us if this is true."

"Only a warrior with war experience could have thought about this." Ekrizdis said as the defense came to him thanks to his deep preparations for this operation. "And Dominique is that. However, again the language is on our side. The accords state that there will be no hostilities during a ceasefire and hostilities are active acts of aggression and violence as far as we are concerned, not placing troops on our territory in preparation of liberating it from an occupying force. I can swing this as being ready to act the moment the festival ended and thus in accordance with the accords. It will be in our second statement on the matter to prevent the Southern bitch from coming for us."

"That is why I am officially declaring war on the rebel insurgency lead by Ekrizdis against the rightfully elected leader of the Air Nation." Dominique said bringing their attention right back to the radio having missed something while they were chatting. "It is clear that the ceasefire accords have been violated and as such the other nations can get involved, which I implore them to do so. As my first order of business in this war, I am mobilizing the Southern Fleet and sending it to the nautical borders of the Easter Air Temple while I wait for news from the Western Air Temple and hopefully meet with the Avatar and Archabbot Luna about the full war. I urge my fellow World Leaders to join me."

The radio cut out then and Ekrizdis calmly looked at his two Temple leaders for their reactions. Edgecombe seemed unphased by this as they knew that this was coming given Dominique's closeness to the Avatar and Luna and already had a fleet ready though they all knew that the air force would be needed as the Southern Fleet was a lot stronger than their mercenary one. Brocklehurst however looked even more worried than before.

"Well, there you have it, the first World Leader to openly get involved and intervein in the Airbending Civil War is Chief Dominique and she has joined the side of Archabbot Luna, a powerful ally for her in deed." The radio announcer said cutting into the silence in the room before pausing for a moment likely to get more news. "And I am just getting word that we have two more statements from World Leaders though they aren't going to be broadcast as they are simple."

"That is probably good news." Edgecombe said. "If they aren't making public statements then they will be holding off."

"Most likely." Ekrizdis agreed."

"The first statement is from Chief Titus of the Foggy Swamp Tribe." The announcer said cutting them off again. "Has said that he will remain neutral but now frees any of his citizens previously prohibited from joining the war to choose a side should the wish. The second is from King Xiang of the ISEK and he has stated that this attack deeply concerns him and while he believes the accords broken he will wait for more news from the Western Air Temple before making any further statements or decisions."

"Well, that was to be expected." Ekrizdis said as the announcer confirmed that the two statements were from the people he expected them to be from. "Titus would keep in line with the Swamp's isolationist mentality but remove any blocks to show where he stands on the attack, though we know he's wrong there, while Xiang will wait for the right moment, he was also a little indecisive. Fortunately, our support in the ISEK is the largest so he will have to deal with local governors declaring for us."

"Which they will." Edgecombe said. "Already we know that Malum, Skrit, Tor Blinn, Yi, and Chin are on our sides as they've said as much publicly while secretly supporting us with money, weapons, and personal as best they can."

"Yes and now they will be able to send their National Guards to the Temple to aid us openly." Ekrizdis said. "In fact, they are already mobilized and ready to come here or to the North pending my order which I will give before the dust settles from this."

"That is good, but the Imperial Military is the largest in the world." Brocklehurst said though he didn't sound relived at all. "Maybe not as large as it was prior to the Principate War as it was the main force James had but it is still something that we shouldn't take lightly."

"That is true but so far we are doing fine." Ekrizdis said trying to reassure the man. "Once our statement is read the people will understand that we are in the right and protest war with us. Then, when the Western Air Temple is free of Luna's grip, we will have the momentum in this war."

"As it should be." Edgecombe said before the radio crackled to life again and caused Ekrizdis to look at it once again.

"We have two more World Leader reports, and one is going to be live but first a statement from the Fire Nation." The radio announcer said. "Firelord Ursa has said that she believes the accords violated but needs Fire Parliament approval to declare war and commit troops to any action against Air Nation territory, a power devolved to them to avoid the problems of the 100-year war and her nation's past actions against the Air Nomads. However, Chief Altinak is going to give a public announcement just like his Southern counterpart, so we go to him live right now."

"The events that have just occurred are deeply disturbing, as has this entire war." Altinak said through the radio. "The notion of civil war within the Air Nation, a nation which prided itself on its commitment to peace and pacifism, was unthinkable until 2 years ago and the fact that a leader would use such disgusting and dishonorable tactics by violating the ceasefire accords, and on the day of most sacred festival in the Air Nation's calendar no less, is unconscionable."

"Harsh words but what we expected from someone like Altinak given the mentality of the Northern Water Tribe." Ekrizdis said. "But we know that we are in the right, so it doesn't matter. The festival is over and the attack legal, the views of that Northern imbecile are immaterial."

"That is why I have no other option but to join my counterpart and declare war on the rebel Ekrizdis and lend my aid in defeating his rebellion and unifying the Air Nation under the Archabbot once more." Altinak said. "I have already given the order to mobilize the Northern Military, and we will be moving on the Northern Air Temple as soon as the Archabbot or Avatar gives the order to do so. We will free it from its occupation and bring the traitor Brocklehurst to justice for this heinous war crime he's been a part of. That is all, I must leave as I must send a contingent of warriors and healers to the Western Air Temple to aid it in its time of need."

The radio cut out and Ekrizdis sat there impassively. He could see that Brocklehurst was really agitated now and for good reason, the Northern Air Temple couldn't repel an invasion from the Northern Water Tribe without support. If Nor Co, the northern most Imperial State and the one that was closest to the Temple also joined in, though they hadn't declared a side during the war, then things weren't good for the Temple.

"Don't worry Brocklehurst." Ekrizdis said calmly. "I have a plan. Just remain calm and trust me."

"The Northern Water Tribe is mobilizing against me and you want me to be calm!" Brocklehurst exclaimed. "How can I be right now? The only good thing is that I am safely here and not back home where they can drag me away in chains and execute me without trial."

"You're not thinking clearly, remember what Altinak said." Ekrizdis said trying to reassure the now irate man. "He's not going to attack unless the Avatar or the Archabbot gives the order as they are still the leaders of the rebel faction opposing my rightful rule of the Air Nomads. The latter will be dead by the end of the day and the former to distraught to do anything. It's an empty threat. Besides, I have a plan."

"Very well but I am still worried." Brocklehurst said seeming to calm slightly but it was clear to Ekrizdis that he wasn't fully reassured. "This isn't going as planned though."

"No, it is." Ekrizdis said shaking his head in disagreement with Brocklehurst. "Our statement should be out soon, though it will likely be after President Teddy makes his, which is coming. This is a good thing though as we will be last and thus the freshest in the minds of the people."

As if on cue the radio crackled to life again and they all turned to it. This had to be President Teddy's statement and it was, the announcer didn't come on like the last few times but rather the President of the United Republic's voice came out of the radio.

"The news coming from the Western Air Temple is disturbing to say the least." Teddy said in a heavy tone. "And if it is true, which I have every reason to believe it is, then the accords have indeed been broken and Ekrizdis is no longer a valid claimant in this war. That is why I am calling the Avatar, should he survive this dishonorable attack, and all the World Leaders who wish to help Archabbot Luna to come to the United Republic to discuss this. As of right now though, the United Republic has declared Ekrizdis an enemy of the Air Nation and no longer protected by the laws of war regarding civil wars. I am committing the United Forces to aid the Archabbot in bringing him to justice, as well as the RCPD. That is all."

"They will delay and give us a moment to spin this to our advantage while also preparing for any illegal attack they might engage in." Ekrizdis said before the other two could speak. "They know they can't act until they hear the report that we have liberated the Western Air Temple from Luna's tyranny. Regardless, they have to have a council to decide what to do. We have me and that is it and I already have a plan."

"Good because I will follow you to the end." Edgecombe said. "I know you will lead us to victory."

"That is all well and good, but you did hear what Teddy just said." Brocklehurst said still clearly worried and the brief calm he had a moment early all but gone from his voice. "The RCPD are now committed and that means Lily has been freed up. I don't need to remind you what a lavabender can do in war."

"True it does but she is one bender." Ekrizdis said. "And while she has the power to destroy a Temple, she needs time and space to turn enough earth to lava to do so. She will get neither if she tries. Her skills are formidable without it though so she will be a high priority and she must be killed should she attack us."

"There is a drawback to lavabending to remember." Edgecombe said. "It's indiscriminate once it's out of control, and the amount needed to destroy an Air Temple is more than Lily can control. It can only work on a large scale if done solo."

"Exactly which is why she won't do it." Ekrizdis said as the radio crackled again. "But now let's hear our statement."

"Today has been an unexpected and tragic day if the reports are true and they seem to be." The announcer said in a heavy voice. "And there is still one more statement to read that we were just sent from the Eastern Air Temple. This is Ekrizdis's statement on the attack, but it promises a public broadcast from him soon."

The radio broadcaster paused and Ekrizdis smiled as statement came. It was time to make sure the world knew he was in the right just as he had been during this entire war.

"The statement reads as follows." The announcer said clearing his throat as Ekrizdis knew that it was quite long. "I, Ekrizdis XIII descendant of true airbenders and heir to the title of Ekrizdis take responsibility for the attack that just occurred and the liberation of the Western Air Temple from the clutches of the false Archabbot."

"All true." Edgecombe said though Ekrizdis silenced her with a quick glance as the announcer continued the prepared statement Ekrizdis had made to show the world why the liberation was justified.

"Furthermore, the attack occurred after the Festival of Yangchen ended which is the true end of the ceasefire." The announcer said. "That end is the moment the meal of Yangchen ends and if you look at the accords it does not state that it ends at midnight just after the Festival is over and as the Ekrizdis and thus preserver of the old ways, I know for a fact that it ends after the meal and not midnight."

"I did make that clear to them during the 1st Peace Summit." Ekrizdis said to no one in particular. "It is the truth of the matter, and they know it."

"Lastly, the accords do not state which Temple Festival is last." The announcer said reaching the end of the statement Ekrizdis had prepared. "As such, I, as the Ekrizdis and thus the only one who knows the truth of this Festival as we have actually preserved it for over 300 years, know that it ends when the time reaches the end at the spot where the Festival was originally held, which was several hours ago. Therefore, the ceasefire ended the moment that happened thus making this attack fully legal. Any World Leader who tries to declare war is doing so illegally and the people must know that so that they can protest the illegal actions of their rulers."

Ekrizdis kept smiling as the announcer finished reading his statement. He knew he had it. The statement was perfect as at the very least it would muddy the waters and cause confusion thus allowing him the time to consolidate and prepare for the next part of his PR campaign to ensure complete victory. With the Western Air Temple in the fold though, the war was at last his.

"That is certainly some statement." The announcer said as Insomnus flew back into the room. "One that shows there is clearly a different view on the interpretation of the ceasefire accords from the Ekrizdis camp, one that we know several Imperial Governors share as they've all released statements claiming that the attack was legal and threatening succession if Xiang intervenes in the Air Nation Civil War. To fully understand this, we are going to be joined in a moment by a few legal experts to discuss both sides of this debate and await counter statements from the World Leaders while we continue to wait for news from the Western Air Temple."

Ekrizdis just toned out the radio as he closed his eyes and began to meditate on what was to come and what he was going to have to do the moment he knew that he had the Western Air Temple back in the fold. He had to wait for news, that was true, but once the world learned of his success they would be unable to stop him. His plan had worked, now it was only a matter of time before the debate ended and he was in his rightful place as ruler of all airbenders.

It took 3 hours before the wait finally ended. Edgecombe had fallen asleep by then, Brocklehurst had at least sat down and stopped pacing so that was good though he still looked extremely worried, and Insomnus was just floating above them doing his own thing. Ekrizdis was still meditating and preparing his statement once the Western Air Temple was his when the debate he was ignoring ended with a claxon like sound.

"Sorry about the noise but the studio felt that it was necessary to let you all know that we finally have a report from the Western Air Temple regarding the situation there." The announcer said causing Ekrizdis to open his eyes and look at the radio as Brocklehurst did the same and Edgecombe woke up while Ekrizdis knew that Insomnus would be ready to go the moment he gave the order. "The battle ended about an hour ago but there were a lot of reports that couldn't be shared until now apparently and losses to be tallied but we finally have it and it has been the costliest battle of the war."

"No shit, it was a full assault that breached the Temple with the largest force we'd assembled to date." Edgecombe said but Ekrizdis raised a hand to silence her so that they could hear the statement that confirmed their victory.

"As we are a news outlet we take no sides and are committed to an unbiased reporting so we will just report the outcome, casualties currently known, and key facts of the battle." The announcer said. "And we can report that a force of about 8,000 attackers that were a mix of Black Airbenders, Northern Mercenaries, and what appears to be a group that wants the Fire Nation to pay reparations for what it did to the Earth Kingdom during the 100-year war, attacked the Western Air Temple. The Temple has a listed defense force of around 5,000 mostly Kyoshi Warriors, ANDF, the Xidi Militias, and volunteers. That defense force successfully repelled the attackers."

"What!" Brocklehurst exclaimed now sounding fully panicked and Ekrizdis couldn't blame him, this was not good, but he had a contingency, so he remained outwardly calm as he listened. "We lost! That's it, the war is over. We were baking on liberating the Temple to win this war but if we didn't take it then we were going to lose the war."

"Relax, there is a plan for this outcome." Ekrizdis said calmly. "Let's see how much this victory cost them. The attack was still legal, and we will ensure the world knows it. If we took out their leaders then we have still won."

"It has been reported that the defenders suffered at least 3,000 fatalities in the battle." The announcer said his voice heavy. "With a further 1,000 missing or seriously injured in the battle."

"That is good, we have taken out nearly half their forces at their main Temple." Ekrizdis said. "See, already we are still winning."

"They fought hard though and from reports at least 6,000 of the attackers were killed or captured." The announcer continued; a number higher than Ekrizdis would have wanted or liked but he could live with it. "The other 2,000 or so are unaccounted for. Furthermore, the defenders lost 3 airships to none from the attackers."

"Again, not bad as there aren't many airships in this war to begin with." Ekrizdis said with a smile. "And our survivors know the rendezvous point so we can extract them and bring them back here. I trust Blaise and Pansy to ensure that."

"However, there were key losses on both sides that must be reported." The announcer said brining their attention back to him. "We can report that Blaise, the man now confirmed to be the commander of the Northern Mercenaries and the son of the founder Zabini, as well as being a convicted Purist from the Second Purity War, was killed in single combat with Ron, the Red Wolf of the Southern Waters. Due to his position, it is believed that he was also a senior advisor to Ekrizdis."

That wasn't good. For the first time Ekrizdis began to feel a little worry worm its way into his chest. He had lost a key commander and one that would be hard to replace as Blaise had no sons and the Northern Mercenaries was his family's business. The deputy, well new deputy after last one had died earlier in the war, was here so they had him and Ekrizdis knew he'd follow his orders without question, but he wasn't near Blaise's level of leadership.

"We can also report that at long last the leader of the Black Airbenders has been identified as convicted Purist, Triad member, and murderer Pansy, daughter of former Air Nation Ambassador to the ISEK Parkinson who was a major arrest in the Global Raids during the Second Purity War." The announcer continued. "Pansy was expelled from the Air Nation 67 years ago following her conviction in relation to her actions during her father's arrest for treason and espionage and has been a career criminal ever since her release."

"Well, she was after Luna so it's no surprise she revealed herself." Edgecombe said. "And she has a record that will instill fear so it's a good thing they know she's fighting them now."

"Yes, we were waiting for the right moment to reveal her." Ekrizdis said with a nod. "And this was it. She will have succeeded, I'm sure of it."

"Pansy has racked up multiple arrests and convictions, including one for second degree murder, and spent 56 of the last 67 years in prison which is 5 more years than Hermione the Cruel spent locked up for context." The announcer continued. "Her leadership of the Black Airbenders makes sense as it was the Avatar who caught her and Archabbot Luna who got her to agree to the plea deal which led her to her life of crime. We can report that she too was killed by Ron, this time with a spear to the back as she was trying to flee once the battle was lost."

"They're both dead." Brocklehurst said sounding aghast at the news and turning to Ekrizdis. "You said they could handle it."

"I thought they could but apparently they were weak." Ekrizdis said annoyed at another major loss in the battle but not showing it. "But it is ok, we have prepared for this as part of the worst-case scenarios, and they can't be the only major casualties. The announcer said that there were losses on both sides after all."

"It was not just the attackers who lost key figures though." The announcer said cutting off whatever Brocklehurst was about to say and confirming Ekrizdis's point. "We have learned that two members of the Western Council of Elders were also killed. In addition, we have reports that Deputy Marshall Lorcan was badly wounded though his status is unclear other than alive, while the leader of the Xidi Militias contracted by the Air Nation, Dennis, has been confirmed to have been killed in the battle."

"See, they've lost some important people." Ekrizdis said. "And I doubt that is all they lost."

"It can also be confirmed that one of the volunteer leaders, Scorpius, has also died from wounds he suffered in the battle though details on that have not been made public." The announcer said furthering the good news for Ekrizdis. "Scorpius was the grandson of Chief Lucius, a convicted Death Eater and the only Purist Chief of the Northern Water Tribe, and son of former Crown Prince and redeemed former Death Eater Draco who died during the Second Siege of the North at the end of the Principate War. Scorpius was also Chief Altinak's cousin on his mother's side. Altinak has declared him a Hero of the North for his bravery, and it is expected that he will be buried with full military honors in the Northern Water Tribe."

"See we have sowed chaos and that is good." Ekrizdis said. "Luna's son is badly wounded an out of the fight, she lost two of her Council, her militia, and her son-in-law is dead. All is fine."

"There is one more fatality to report." The announcer said sadly, and they all looked at the radio in surprise that there was more to report but eager to hear it. "It is with a heavy heart that I report that Archabbot Luna was killed in the battle. Her brief reign of two years, a reign that will be marked by this schism and civil war that she couldn't prevent, has come to an end. A member of Team Avatar and decorated War Hero from the Second Purity War and the liberation of the Fire Nation, Luna's death marks the first World Leader's death in battle in centuries. The reports have it that she was stabbed in the gut by Pansy and fell into the canyon as the battle was ending, but her cause of death is unknown at this time. That is all, I will now sign off to all people to mourn as they see fit."

The radio crackled briefly and then fell silent. Ekrizdis stared at it for a moment before he grinned. He may have failed to take the Temple, but he had his contingency and Luna was finally dead. Her death would devastate the Avatar and Ron and give him an advantage as they deal with her body and the procedures to replace. He was going to win this war, he knew it.

"See, everything worked out almost as planned." Ekrizdis said turning to his remaining inner circle still grinning. "Luna is dead which means that we will win."

"Yes she's dead but Ron isn't, nor is the Avatar, and we didn't capture the Western Air Temple." Brocklehurst said not sounding reassured at all. "That's a failure. They will now come for us as soon as they can, and they will have several nations now backing them."

"Which won't be for a month at least." Ekrizdis said shaking his head. "They have to mourn and bury Luna, select a new Archabbot, and deal with the World Leaders. This is our moment and I have a plan to force them to fight us on our terms in a way that we will win even if the other nations get involved despite it being illegal for them to do so."

"What is it?" Edgecombe asked.

"It's one I had in case we completely failed but it works for the current situation as well." Ekrizdis said. "After this I will contact the governors on our side and have them send all their forces here to the Eastern Air Temple to bolster our defense on all fronts as it is likely that the World Leaders will violate the laws of war to attack us so we may as well be fully ready. I will then contact the Northern Air Temple and have all the defenders there brought here as well. We will amass a force of at least 20,000 at this Temple, the largest force of the war in the most defensible place, and when they come we will shatter their army on our anvil."

"But that leaves my Temple undefended." Brocklehurst cried. "The Northern Water Tribe will take it."

"Yes they will, and it will ensure that they aren't part of the attack on this Temple thus lowering their forces." Ekrizdis said simply. "A sacrifice but one that must be made in order to win the war. We will lose it because it is the harder of the two Temples we have that they know the locations of to defend so no point in wasting lives on a fruitless endeavor like they did during the Principate War. They can have it and we will make our stand here. They will send everything at us, and we will repel them and break their will. After that it is a simple counter attack to win this war by reclaiming the other Temples."

"I see and with the forces here and civil wars threatening the other nations into submission they will be crushed once we've held this Temple." Edgecombe said with a grin. "And we can win by walking into the Southern and Western Air Temples. Then we can force Altinak to leave the Northern one as he will be seen as an occupying force as we will have won the civil war by then."

"Correct." Ekrizdis said with a nod. "This was my backup plan in case we didn't take the Western Air Temple and the World Leaders got involved, which I am expecting them to do so despite the fact that it's illegal for them to do so. See, I am always ready."

"Well, I don't agree to it and we are a council." Brocklehurst said, something that Ekrizdis was expecting given that he was giving up the man's Temple for the sake of the war. "I will not sacrifice my Temple because of this. I will go back to it and decide what to do now that we have lost our surprise attack."

"No, you won't, you will stay here and help plan our defense of the Eastern Air Temple as you are part of this council." Ekrizdis said shaking his head. "That is an order from the Ekrizdis, and you must obey my orders. We need the forces you have at the Northern Air Temple to win this. This is a sacrifice that must happen."

"I disagree and without my vote you can't do it." Brocklehurst said angrily. "That is what we agreed to. Anything major in this war needs a unanimous vote from the war council and I vote no on this plan."

"No, we didn't, you two swore fealty to me and that means you are bound by my orders." Ekrizdis said his own anger starting to rise in his throat. "I am the absolute and unchallenged ruler of all airbenders because I am the Ekrizdis and the descendant of true airbenders. You advise me, you do not have a vote in my plans for what to do with my nation. I have taken your advice and rejected it in favor of my plan."

"I don't agree to the plan and your last one didn't work so I don't expect this one to either." Brocklehurst said shaking his head. "And I am going back to decide what to do going forward with this war."

"Then it is treason." Ekrizdis said looking up to Insomnus. "Deal with him."

Before Brocklehurst could react, Insomnus flew down and blasted him in the chest with a powerful gust of air that slammed Brocklehurst into the wall with a crack that sounded like several bones breaking on impact. He slid down it to sit on the floor in a dazed, pained, heap. As he sat there, Insomnus began to perform the complicated hand movements he needed to perform in order to drain his lungs. The air came out of Brocklehurst's mouth and his eyes went wide as the vortex of air formed around his face sucking all air from him.

Brocklehurst's eyes bulged as he panicked and tried to breath, but the earlier blow had been deliberate to prevent him from airbending long enough for panic to set in. Once the panic began he had no hope as Insomnus held the bubble, suffocating the Head of the Northern Air Temple until the lack of oxygen did its job. Brocklehurst's eyes rolled up and into his head before he collapsed to the side, dead before he hit the floor when Insomnus finally released the air bubble that was the man's last breath.

"What a shame, it seems that the shock of the news has caused him to have a heart attack." Ekrizdis said looking to Edgecombe. "We haven't had a good day for this council."

"He always had a weak heart." Edgecombe said indifferently. "It couldn't handle the strain of such news and what had to be done in the wake of it. Shame. What will happen with the Northern Air Temple?"

"My orders stand." Ekrizdis said. "We will bring the forces stationed there, and their Council of Elders, here, as well as any airbenders willing to defend this Temple. We are at war so I will not replace Brocklehurst until we have won."

"Very well it will be done." Edgecombe said with a nod. "And the body?"

"A traditional state funeral for a noble Head Abbot who tragically died when he learned we had failed to liberate the Western Air Temple from the evil force that has been occupying it since the start of the war." Ekrizdis said knowing it was best to milk the death for all it was worth. "We will have it here and bury his body in the tombs under this Temple. When the war is over it will be transported back to the Northern Temple to rest in its proper place. Get the prepares in here and began the preservation process."

"On it Ekrizdis." Edgecombe said as she got to her feet and left the room.

"I always knew that Brocklehurst was a weak link." Ekrizdis said to Insomnus as he stood. "He supported me but the moment we were on the back foot I knew that he'd run and try and betray us to save his own skin, that was what he was about to do, I'm sure of it. Edgecombe is with us to the end though. Go and prepare my friend, you will be needed in the final battle."

All Insomnus did was nod at him before he flew out. Ekrizdis stood for a moment as he composed himself for what was to come. Yes they had failed to take the Western Air Temple and the World Leaders would be against him now, but he still had this war.

Luna was dead and that was a huge win for them. Whoever succeeded her wouldn't be as good and the Air Nation had to lead the final battle. That was a battle that Ekrizdis intended to win and then he would reclaim the Air Nomads as was his destiny in the wake of his victory.

With that in mind, Ekrizdis left the room to attend to his duties. One way or another, they were in the final stage of this war and Ekrizdis intended to win it no matter the cost. He'd changed the balance of the war with his attack and now the Air Nation Civil War was drawing to a conclusion as the final battle loomed over everyone.

I think I'll leave this here as we see the reaction to the attack from the attackers' perspective, as well ask what some of the World Leaders had to say about it, and what their plans are going forward. Ekrizdis made a bold move, but he failed and now he has forced the war to the end and that is coming but first we must shift back to the wake of the recent battle with our heroes and how they are handling it before they too get ready. Stay tune, the exciting climax of the Air Nation Civil War and the final installment in my Avatar Harry series is coming. That is all I have for y'all in this chapter so I will leave it here. As always any questions in PMs or reviews will be answered before the start of the next chapter (as well as replied to if possible). Please follow, favorite and review, all are greatly appreciated. Until next week.

Stringdog