A gust of icy wind ruffled Zuko's fur-lined cloak and buffeted his face, but he barely felt it. After the frigid waters of the North Pole, with nothing but the flames of his breath to keep him alive, cold was nothing to him now. He was perched on a simple folding chair, on a hill at the edge of the treeline. His officers stood silently around him, waiting as he lifted the field glasses to his eyes. Night was falling, but the valley below them was lit all along its' edges; the soldiers of the Fire Army waited at the ready. He turned his gaze to the far end of the valley, between the two mountains whose streams fed the fjord. The jagged silhouette of Omori loomed back at him.
Zuko's order to tighten the siege had been followed, but his airship had been thrown off-course by a storm at sea, and nearly knocked from the sky when its' reserve boiler blew. When they reached the Boiling Rock, halfway between the Capital and Omori, Zuko decided to switch to a dreadnought instead. The ships might be at the mercy of the sea and a bit slower than aircraft, but they were far less... explosive. At the end of the fifth day at sea, the Western Air Nomad lands finally appeared on the horizon.
Zuko had also picked up an unlikely consultant, before leaving the Capital: his father-in-law. Ukano had always been more politician than soldier, and his judgement was often poor, but he had been close friends with Takeo during the war and knew his mind better than most. Besides, as a former traitor himself, Ukano might be able to pinpoint the one in the military who was feeding Takeo information. Admiral Jee and General Tianze disapproved, given Ukano's history, but Zuko's word was final. Besides, he had a long memory. Ukano's remorse over his crimes had been genuine, and he had been a model prisoner for the last eighteen years.
Suki and the rest of the Kiyoshi Warriors had already landed on the coastline three days before, and were scouting in the mountains near Omori. Her messenger hawk missed Zuko due to his detour at the Boiling Rock, but Jee had received a copy of her message and relayed it to Zuko. Jeonsa's body had been found, half-buried in a small avalanche, but there was no sign of Ty Lee. His heart had been heavy as he wrote a letter of condolence to Jeonsa's father- one he hadn't sent yet, due to the break in communications between the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation.
Zuko's rage over the Earthbending attack on Hira'a had only flared higher, when King Kuei's reply to his complaint arrived. He'd saved the Earth King's life once, offered him friendship on many occasions. By all accounts, ever since Ariq was elected, Omashu had been volatile and more resistant to the Earth King's laws than ever. And yet, Kuei- or, more accurately, the Council of Five- simply ignored Zuko's complaint and took the side of Ba Sing Se's most troublesome vassal, while throwing in the absurd accusation of kidnapping the heir to the Earth Kingdom. If Kuei really wanted to know why his daughter had disappeared, he ought to be keeping track of who she was dating. Zuko didn't think he was harsh or controlling toward his own daughter, but he'd seen on various diplomatic visits that Kuei spoiled Hou-Ting in every way, except the freedom to move around- something that, by tradition, was always restricted in Ba Sing Se. No wonder she'd wanted an escape; it was just particularly ill-timed for Zuko.
As much as Zuko was dreading a confrontation with the Avatar, he found himself actually hoping Aang would arrive and intervene. He knew he wasn't acting unprovoked against Omashu, but wasn't sure how extreme his reaction would be, if it actually came to battle. But with no guarantee of Aang showing up, and no word from the White Lotus, he needed his own military entirely behind him if Ba Sing Se attacked; sometimes the show of force was more important than force itself. And for that, he needed to finish with Omori.
He glanced up at the darkening sky for a moment, then turned to General Nishi. "Everyone in position, General?"
Nishi bowed. Mai hadn't trusted him -for that matter, she was suspicious of any officer who had ever served under Takeo, however briefly. But she found nothing risky or off about his battle plan, so Zuko had decided to use it, after making a few adjustments. "When the command is given, the assault will begin from all sides, Fire Lord."
"Any word from your air-scouts, Commander Atsuro?" Zuko gestured with a black tessen fan at two observation balloons circling the armored towers of Omori.
Atsuro bobbed his head briefly. "They've been passing within yards of those towers for the last half-hour, unmolested. Of course, that doesn't mean the fort is abandoned, but if there's no returning fire at my aircraft, that makes the second part of General Nishi's plan much easier."
When Nishi gave the attack signal, strategic points on all the tunnels would be shelled, while the airships dropped bombs on the approaches to clear any mines Takeo might have buried. Nonbending sapper teams supported by cover fire would then advance as close as possible to these entrances. Rather than storming the tunnels and being bottlenecked in a narrow space by the defenders, however, the sappers would construct foxholes- small defensive positions- near the entrances. This would allow the infantry following the sappers to dig in, but still keep the defenders occupied. The tundra tanks and cavalry would be held in reserve, in case the enemy tried to break out. Meanwhile, a company of Firebenders would torch the wooden keep (which was probably abandoned anyway). They would then drop by airship into the ruins, travel downwards through the underground complex and flush the defenders to the end of the tunnels. Once cornered, the rebels would either surrender or be obliterated.
Zuko knew, no matter what he did, there would probably be casualties on his side, especially among the Nonbenders in the vanguard. He was also painfully aware that his sudden arrival had shortened the deadline on his own attack. But there was little else he could do, with the Earth Kingdom threatening war and nearly a third of his military already tied up in the siege of Omori. His ultimatum to Takeo's various officers- and the one to Takeo himself- had received no answer. It was time to make good on his threats, and raze the fortress to the ground. All the same, if lives could be spared, he would try.
He stood up, slid the straps of his helm into place around his jaw, and turned to the cluster of officers behind him. "I'll be joining the Firebending assault team, into the center of Omori."
Most of the officers balked; General Tianze looked stunned, and Colonel Ryoko, the commander of the assault team, stepped forward hastily. "Fire Lord, whatever delusions of nobility you have about taking the same risks as your troops-"
"It's not delusions, Colonel." Zuko cut her off curtly, setting the tessen on his folding chair. "It's basic military tactics. If you're making a strike at the flank or at the rear of the enemy, you give it the most force you can, especially if it's carried out by benders." He knew that sounded like bragging, but everyone here knew he probably was the most skilled Firebender in the military. "Besides, if I go, we won't be risking our strategist, because I only modified the battle plan. Our esteemed General Nishi actually came up with it, and he'll be carrying it out."
Nishi bowed, looking flattered, but Jee shook his head. "It's too high of a risk. Yes, you can crush Takeo in a one-on-one fight, but Takeo's strategy rarely relies on him being the strongest bender in the room. He'll have stronger Firebenders than himself available, and given that the winter solstice is only days away, you can bet he'll have other surprises waiting."
"I agree." A short, stocky man with a grey beard pushed his way forward. It was Ukano, Zuko's father-in-law. "I recommend that I join the assault team in your place, Fire Lord."
Tianze's bushy eyebrows furrowed together. "This is outrageous! A confirmed traitor, attached to the main assault-"
Zuko whirled around, wisps of smoke rising from his palm. "Would both of you shut up?! Ukano, unless you have a suicide wish, your request is completely mad. You're a Nonbender with no military experience, except what my sister spoon-fed you during the Kemurikage incident."
"Guilty as charged." Ukano replied solemnly. "I'm also the only one on this war council, apart from Generals Nishi and Tianze, who knows Takeo on a personal level- and the only one who knew him before he joined the Fire Army. I know how he appeals to soldiers, how he exploits our nation's commitment to honor through 'strength', how he inspires troops by example on the battlefield. I've seen you prove him wrong through my own downfall, and because of that, I may be able to reach out to the rebels, once you have them pinned down. You showed me mercy, in spite of everything I did, because you knew Azula had pushed me into greater foolishness; you knew I might still redeem myself, even if she wouldn't. Takeo's skill at inspiring or persuading his troops is exceptional, even if the cause is wrong. If I can offer some of the rebels that same mercy you offered me, even now, we may still be able to reduce the casualties of this battle."
Nishi looked troubled, but he nodded, turning to Zuko. "It's not a bad strategic move, Fire Lord. If the rebels are confronted by a confirmed traitor who turned his back on his own cause, they may hesitate. Alternately, they may be inflamed enough to break ranks and launch an undisciplined attack on Ukano. This might allow us to encircle and bear down on them even faster."
Zuko shook his head. "If we're using someone as bait, then I'm a much more personal target to these rebels than Ukano; he was nothing more than Azula's puppet."
"Then give me your armor and cloak." Ukano replied, unfazed by the insults. "I'll keep the faceplate of the helmet closed; no one will know the difference until I'm close enough to reason with them. Besides, I'll be surrounded by Firebenders, so there's no need to defend myself."
"Because you can't, to begin with!" Tianze sneered, slapping his tessen fan against his palm impatiently. "All this man ever does is talk his way out of things, or into people's good graces, Fire Lord- the same as Takeo! For all we know, he's going to defect and join Takeo once he makes it inside Omori-"
"Defect, inside a fortress that we're about to raze to the ground?" Ryoko interrupted, skeptically. "As the Fire Lord pointed out, this particular traitor has no combat experience. My Firebenders and I can keep him under control."
Ukano glanced contemptuously at General Tianze. "With all due respect, this man's methods will play directly into Takeo's hands. I might ensure that the only thing you burn today are Omori's timbers-"
"And I might also be ensuring that my daughter loses her grandfather, before she's ten years old."
Ukano smiled sadly. "Izumi's only ever known me through bars, Zuko. She doesn't judge, but she isn't learning anything from me either, except a reminder of the shame I brought on my family. Better she loses a grandfather she barely knows instead of a father who means the world to her, and vice versa. If you won't think about what's best for your nation now, think about the one who will lead that nation after you." He chuckled bitterly. "If I defect, you can always execute me or throw me back in prison for however many years I've got left."
After a long pause, Zuko shook his head, unbuckled his helm and passed it to Ukano. "And to think, I was sure you'd changed, after all your years of good behavior." He pulled the maroon cloak off his shoulders and began unlacing the iron-scaled pleats that hung over his thighs, while two of Zuko's bodyguards helped him with the cuirass around his torso. The wind came howling through the encampment again; Jee pulled his own cloak off and offered it, but Zuko waved him away.
Commander Atsuro frowned critically as Ukano laced on the various pieces of Zuko's armor. "Shift the helmet further back on the head- you won't fool them if they notice how short the Fire Lord is."
"I'll keep that in mind." Ukano replied sarcastically, forcing one of the wrist-gauntlets around his arm. "Of course, when they notice I'm not Firebending, I think most of them will catch on."
Zuko glanced back along the fjord. The steel turrets of Jee's warships were poking just over the clifftops, their artillery trained on Omori. Directly behind him and the generals were row after row of armor-plated airships, the first three already loaded with a company of the Army's best Firebenders, outside the Imperial Guard. He glanced left and right, along the snow-capped treeline. Flanking of the command tent were brigade after brigade of sappers and Nonbending infantry. On either side of these forces, in the surrounding hills, batteries of ground artillery and squads of tundra tanks and cavalry waited at the ready, followed by reserve Firebenders. Even a fortress as well-built as Omori would have to be fully-garrisoned to hold off an attack this large.
He reminded himself not to get overconfident. Takeo had held out, encircled and outnumbered, on various occasions against the Earth Kingdom's armies; he'd known what he was up against when he defied Zuko in the first place. About the only kind of military technology he'd never faced was aircraft- the former Armaments Minister, Qin, had guarded that invention jealously- but Fort Omori solved that problem since most of it's complex was far underground. Hence, the two-pronged assault from the ground and the air.
Zuko turned back to Ukano, who had just finished draping the cloak around his shoulders. "You're not going to be in command, Ukano. You'll follow Colonel Ryoko's orders, at least until you encounter hostiles. And if they attack on sight, your role is to talk them down, nothing more."
"Understood." Ukano paused. "Fire Lord, if I don't make it back... tell Tomoru he's done our family proud."
Zuko raised an eyebrow. "And Mai?"
"Mai doesn't need to be told, she already knows. Besides, she'd just think I was sucking up."
"She is the one who suggested shortening your sentence-"
"Only because I advised you on how to anticipate Takeo." Ukano cut him off. "Mai shows me kindness for the sake of our family, but she doesn't forgive easily, as you know." He closed the faceplate of the helmet. "Thank you both for giving me a second chance- I don't intend to waste it."
He bowed, then began to climb the ramp of the lead airship. Zuko watched until the engines fired up and the mooring lines detached, lifting the dirigible into the air. Then he turned to the rest of his war council. "The rest of you, to your..." He frowned. "Wait a minute. Where's Nishi?"
"He said he was going to go address the troops." Tianze shrugged. "Some of these hotheaded younger generals always do, too many of them were listening to Zhao when he attacked the North Pole."
Zuko thought it was rich of Tianze to call Nishi 'hotheaded', but he bit back a retort. "Well, get him back here, quickly. This is his strategy we're carrying out, he should be here to lead-"
"But it begins at your command, Fire Lord." Tianze interrupted. "No one in the military can act without the Fire Lord's divine approval-"
"Spare me the Mandate of Heaven argument, General." Zuko barked a harsh laugh. "I haven't commanded troops in the field since Yu Dao, when I was seventeen. That was a stalemate that nearly became a bloodbath, until Aang intervened."
"And yet, you trust our experience on the battlefield." Jee replied patiently. "Don't you think we ought to reciprocate and trust your judgement, after you've kept the peace for twenty years? If you feel the time to start is now, give us a command. We know our part in the plan."
Zuko felt his chest tighten slightly; he was often moved by the Admiral's unswerving loyalty, especially considering how often he'd insulted Jee during his exile.
The other commanders were waiting expectantly. He sat back down on the folding chair and picked up his black tessen fan, staring at the keep of Omori. Colonel Ryoko's team was drawing level with the observation balloons, but still, no fire came from the outer towers of the fortress.
He took a deep breath, let a small puff of flames escape his mouth, and brought the tessen down sharply. The officers saluted him and headed to their positions, already barking orders to their subordinates.
About ten minutes later, a small rocket streaked into the sky over Zuko's camp, exploding in a burst of white stars. Immediately, there was an answering roar as all the artillery opened up at once.
A barrage of cannon shells struck the ground around Omori's outer walls, hammering the fortress steadily from all sides. Zuko observed the inferno through his field glasses, alongside Nishi, who had finally returned. It was difficult to see clearly, with so much smoke and debris raised by the explosions. As expected, the first barrage did little damage to the reinforced walls, but then the rangefinders redirected their gunners' fire, concentrating on the approximate location of the tunnels. Bombs plunged from the bellies of the airships as they passed over the approaches to the walls; the explosions were magnified by the detonation of Takeo's mines, throwing geysers of ice and shrapnel high into the air. As soon as the smoke began to clear, infantry equipped with bows, pikes, swords and grenades advanced, protecting the sappers at their center. At any moment, Zuko expected his troops to take fire, either from the armored towers or from the tunnel entrances, but the battle remained eerily one-sided.
Soon, large sections of earth, stone and ice began to collapse into the ground, as some of the upper tunnels' roofs gave in under the bombardment. Zuko closed his eyes briefly. He gave them a choice, and they spat on it. Still, if there were any rebels left in the outer tunnels, they were being buried alive on his orders. He turned his field glasses back to the main keep, which had already been reduced to a blazing heap of timber. Three airships were hovering over it; armored Firebenders were descending slowly into the wreck on cables. Colonel Ryoko, already on the ground, was using her bending to disperse the flames.
"Spawn of the Ashura!" Nishi cursed, lowering his own field glasses. "Tianze's left-wing commander is sending his tank forces too early! We haven't cleared a wide enough path for them yet."
Zuko shifted his gaze back to the eastern side of Omori, closest to the mountain. Engineers were already constructing and reinforcing foxholes in some of the shell craters; from there, infantry launched fire arrows and smoke grenades at the tunnel entrances. The paths themselves were obscured by the haze of the bombardment, but he caught a glint of metal moving among the smoke. Sure enough, some of the tanks were already struggling across the broken ground.
"Signal Tianze to pull them back. Until the area's clear of mines, we risk hitting our own armor."
"Of course, Fire Lord."
"Also, have him signal the harpoon crews to start early."
Nishi looked uncertain and irritated- understandably so, given how long he'd been planning this to the last detail. "They were only to be brought forward if there was supporting fire from the towers-"
"Just because there isn't any fire from the towers now doesn't mean they've been abandoned." Zuko cut him off. "If they're still occupied, their garrisons are either waiting for the right moment, or are moving to intercept Ryoko's force in the tunnels. I want the towers down. Now."
Nishi shot him a look that Zuko ignored, but obeyed and gestured to an attendant next to a crate of various flares and signal rockets. The pyrotechnic selected two missiles, one short-shafted with a green head, the other narrow and striped black and red. She stabbed the fireworks' rods into the ground, then ignited them with Firebending. Both rockets screamed fifty feet into the air, exploding with twin cracks that echoed across the valley below; the first formed a ring of smoking, silvery corkscrews, while the second flared into a brilliant red diamond, continuing to burn as it fell back to the snow.
"I'd better send Tianze a secondary confirmation in writing, Fire Lord." Nishi snatched a parchment and brush from his aide-de-camp and rushed back to the command tent. "He's so scornful of retreat orders, he might pretend he didn't see the second signal."
Zuko nodded, gesturing to another attendant who held a red-crested hawk on his gauntlet. "Send his message when he's finished, then come back." He turned back to the fortress, focusing on the smoking ruins of the keep. The last of Ryoko's Firebenders was disappearing inside, yet still there was no fire from the eight steel turrets rising from the walls. What was Takeo waiting for?
Well, if he was planning on using the towers for a last-minute ambush, that option was about to leave the picture: Tianze had obeyed the first signal. As Zuko scanned the treeline, a new set of tundra tanks came into view, rattling toward Omori. They were much longer and broader than the standard type II tank, and instead of a slitted turret for the Firebender to attack from, they carried a rotating platform with a double harpoon-tipped ballistae. When they came within range, the harpoons would fire into the towers themselves, extending grapnel claws the instant their barbed heads pierced the armor. Using their spiked treads and metal bracing rods behind the engine to dig into the ground, the tanks would winch the harpoon chains backward, ripping the turrets right out of the towers.
Sweeping the field glasses from the sappers' positions back to the fortress, Zuko caught a brief movement, on the parapet of the inner wall. A figure in body-hugging dark clothes and carrying a longbow was creeping between the towers, glancing back and forth as if confused. As it turned its' head, Zuko caught a brief glimpse of a face mostly covered by a scarlet tattoo. What was one of the Yuyan Archers still doing here? He'd had them evacuated weeks ago.
There was a sudden thud, just behind him. Zuko dropped the field glasses and spun around. The pyrotechnic was lying motionless next to her arsenal, and standing over her were... his four bodyguards? Their faces were hidden behind the three-eyed visors of their helmets, but their hands were raised in an attack position. He took a slow step back and copied their stance.
"So, Takeo's plan is to take me out while my forces are occupied, is it?" His voice was calm, as it always was when he was about to fight. He inhaled deeply through his nose, feeling the heat build in his chest. "You've forgotten, a Dragon's head is where its' teeth are. I assume my real guards are dead?"
"As of this morning, yes. Along with your ill-timed hawk-bearer, and my idealistic aide-de-camp." Nishi stepped out of the command tent, a long knife in his hand. "You're far too lax in choosing the Imperial Firebenders these days, Zuko. Their standards are falling." He wiped a smear of blood off the knife's single edge and strode forward. "Dragon's teeth are easy to deal with, if the Dragon doesn't know how to use them."
Shock, then rage, erupted through Zuko's mind, repeating over and over. His hands dropped to his sides. Unknowingly, he had handed the strategy to the mole, the only one who could have allowed Takeo to win. How could he have been so stupid? Nishi stopped about ten feet away, slipping the blade back into his belt. His thugs drew up on either side of him; all four conjured fireballs.
"Well? Say something." Nishi's expression was mild, but his tone was smug. "I was surprised at how quickly you went along with my plan. I didn't really think you suspected Tianze of being the mole- that old fool takes honor far too seriously to betray the Fire Lord, and everyone knows it. But, given how much that knife-throwing bitch of yours mistrusted me, I thought you'd at least have me watched more carefully."
The contempt in his tone- and the insult to Mai- finally spurred Zuko to reply. "Putting officers under surveillance creates mistrust." He growled, even though he was silently cursing himself for not doing exactly that. "It breeds resentment, and disloyalty."
Nishi shrugged. "It also allows the disloyalty that's already there, to grow unchecked. Takeo taught me that, when I was his aide-de-camp near the end of the Hundred Year War. He used both loyalty and suspicion, when it suited him. Use the wrong one in the wrong situation, and you're doomed."
Zuko's eyes flicked back and forth as he slowly shifted his right foot back, readying himself to spring. He hadn't fought a real Agni Kai since he stopped teaching Izumi Firebending, but he still remembered everything Iroh had taught him- and after Azula, no one else had been able to give him a real challenge. Still, with five against one, it wouldn't hurt to stall until he could somehow signal for help.
"How many will die?"
"On our side? Only the ones in the towers, and they knew what they were getting into. As did we all." Nishi shrugged. "On yours? You, the few unfortunates here, and most of Ryoko's forces in the tunnels, once the tower-garrisons collapse the roofs on them. Your premature arrival and alterations to the plan forced me to improvise a bit, but even if my message to Vachir was too late, we should still reach the same result." He glanced briefly down at the battlefield. "I was trying to spare the tank crews, by the way. No need for unnecessary deaths, just enough to convince them of your military incompetence. Which won't be hard, since your army will return from their 'victory' to find you assassinated."
Zuko frowned; the name Nishi mentioned was familiar. "Vachir? The Yuyan Archer who defected to the Rough Rhinos?"
"You have a good memory." Nishi nodded. "He's held a grudge against you ever since you declared all mercenaries in the Fire Nation to be terrorists. His skill isn't exaggerated: he really can hit his target blindfolded, which is particularly useful in dark, underground tunnels. I barely had to offer him anything to eliminate you- he might have even done it for free. We both knew you'd volunteer to lead the assault into the tunnels, but then your spineless father-in-law had the same delusions of nobility as you. All that did in the end, though, was allow us to kill two birds with the same stone. Vachir will deal with that traitor Ukano instead... leaving me the honor of wiping you out. For the good of the Nation."
He lunged forward suddenly, the fireball around his hand extending into a whip. Zuko jumped back and brought his hands back up just in time, parrying with a flick of his wrist, then deflecting the next six fireballs into the snow around him. For all Nishi's cunning, neither he nor his guards were Firebenders of Zuko's caliber; their attacks were crude and didn't even try to break his stance. He could hear Iroh's voice in his head, sharp as ever: Basics, Zuko! Break the root, and their own power takes them down!
He could win this battle, no question, but first he had to get the initiative back. Crouching with leg extended, he raised a fire-barrier to deflect the next barrage, but only two fireballs came. Two of the guards were still bombarding him; Nishi and the other one were circling around from either side, looking for an opening. The fifth guard was charging the barrier head-on, hands drawn back to strike straight through it. A bold and unexpected move, but foolish. But instead of taking the bait, Zuko stepped sideways at the last minute and launched a charged strike at the Firebender approaching him from the left. The force of his fire-jet hurled the attacker back against a tree, knocking her helmet off and stunning her. The one who had charged through the barrier tried to rush him again, but Zuko deflected his impatient attacks easily, then tripped him flat and dealt a chopping blow to the side of his neck.
The Fire Lord ducked and rolled as the two guards in front of him roundhouse-kicked, their flaming arcs singeing his jacket sleeve. Nishi was bearing down on him from the side again, a fire-dagger on his left hand and the steel one in his right. Zuko jumped and drop-kicked straight outward, striking Nishi in the solar plexus with a fire burst that knocked him off his feet. Rotating in a semi-circle as he landed, he conjured a cyclone of flames around himself, hurling his other two enemies back. Springing up, he fed more energy into the barrier, advancing on Nishi as the inferno whirled and roared around him.
As Zuko drew back his arm, one of the thugs leaped straight through the flames, crashing into him and knocking both of them to the ground. The hulking Firebender let out a gasp of pain as they fell; the bindings that fastened his ceremonial guards' armor together were made of leather and silk, and flames were licking along his shoulders. But his arms continued to grip Zuko in a bear hug, pinning his left arm to his side.
Nishi pulled himself upright, brushing snow and ash from his scorched armor. "Brave effort, Zuko. No question, you're stronger than any one of us. You would have won, in a traditional Agni Kai. But for those of us who follow Takeo, strength is only secondary. The cause means more than any rules or pain along the way... since there isn't any to fear, at the end." He tossed the knife from his burned right hand to his left. "I would have loved to make this slow, but I'm on a bit of a tight schedule."
Before he could bring the knife to Zuko's throat, there was a flash of light and a tremendous explosion right behind them, causing clumps of snow to shake from the trees. It was followed immediately by the stench of sulfur and more explosions. As Nishi whirled around, Zuko spotted the cause. The pyrotechnic had regained consciousness and set off the rest of her arsenal, creating a diversion. One misfired rocket had impaled the other remaining guard; he lay face-down, chunks of still-burning shrapnel protruding from his back. The rest of the rockets were screeching off in every direction, setting trees alight and obscuring the entire hilltop with smoke.
Conjuring a flame in his palm, Zuko clamped his right hand over his attacker's visor, heating it red-hot within seconds. Howling in agony, the thug finally released him, ripping the helmet off his head. Leaping up, Zuko made a series of quick jabs at Nishi, hitting him with several light fire blasts. The treacherous general staggered back and fell against a cedar tree.
Zuko made sure the injured guard was down with a blow to the jaw, then advanced on Nishi, his face contorted with rage. "SO YOU WERE GOING TO MAKE IT SLOW, WERE YOU?!" Kicking the knife from Nishi's hand, he yanked him upright by the collar, slamming him against the cedar trunk. "WHY DON'T I SHOW YOU EXACTLY HOW SLOWLY MY OWN FATHER TOOK HALF MY FACE OFF?!" He held his free hand inches from Nishi's face, his fingers encased in fire.
Despite a burn over his eye and the blood streaming from his nose, Nishi's expression was oddly calm. "As I said, 'Fire Lord Zuko', the cause means more to us than any pain along the way. Since you're so interested in saving lives... I think you'll probably want to turn your focus down there."
Zuko followed his gesture toward Omori. Two of the turrets had already collapsed under the harpoon attack, and another two were already starting to topple, but pillars of smoke were rising between the inner and outer walls of the fortress- where the tunnels would be. The harpoon crews had saved some lives, but they were too late. He let out a roar of frustration, then slammed Nishi against the tree again, knocking him out.
The pyrotechnic staggered upright, ignoring the massive bruise forming around her eye and cheekbone. "I'm so sorry, Fire Lord! I didn't have time to think when I distracted them, all my signal rockets are gone!"
Zuko took a deep breath of mountain air, trying to let it cool his rage. "Don't apologize for saving my life, Private...?"
"Yojong, Fire Lord."
"Someone will have noticed that many fireworks going off, Yojong. Even if they somehow missed it, the generals will probably notice this." Zuko gestured at the blazing trees around them.
"But there's no way to warn Colonel Ryoko, her troops are already underground-"
"I know, we were too late. But it could have been worse; some of the towers were taken down, before they could fire. What we need to do next is get Ryoko help, as soon as possible. We've still got the hawk-roost for communication, and I'm willing to bet these traitors didn't slaughter them yet." Nishi would have wanted to send the news of his death to Takeo as soon as possible, he was sure. "We'll relay a ceasefire order to Atsuro, Tianze and Jee... and then see how many we can save, and how many we've lost."
Atsuro's airship arrived just as Zuko attached the ceasefire order to the third hawk's talons. After taking the four surviving rebels into custody, the young Air Fleet Commander relayed what he'd seen while hovering over the fortress. Although Nishi's attack signal hadn't reached Omori's towers, the rebels had realized they were out of time when the harpoons began to fire. A few of them managed to ignite black-powder charges buried between the walls of Omori, causing the tunnels under the keep and courtyard to collapse. Most of Colonel Ryoko's forces were now trapped inside the underground maze.
"Of course, I had my airships cease bombardment immediately; we'd only be burying them even deeper." Atsuro added hastily, as they lifted off again. "Most of the ground artillery has stopped firing as well. I think Tianze guessed what was happening, and both of us saw that firework explosion on the ridge, near your camp-"
"It was Nishi." Zuko replied curtly. "He was the mole. If Yojong hadn't set off the fireworks when she did, I wouldn't be speaking to you now." He bowed his head in her direction gratefully.
Atsuro's face darkened. "So, we played right into their hands- except that you came out alive, thank the Spirits." He glanced out the airship window, in the direction of the fjord. "Jee probably didn't see the explosion or your ceasefire order yet; the Navy artillery is still firing."
"He'll get the message soon. Take us straight down, into the heart of the fortress. Most of the debris there is already burned away; we'll have an easier time digging them out."
Atsuro looked anxious. "The rebels might have a secondary trap laid-"
"No. There's no one left in the fortress, except the ones who were in the towers." Zuko didn't know this for certain, but it was the only explanation that made sense. Nishi had said earlier that the only rebel casualties would be in the towers, but he had also known the rest of Omori was going to become a tomb. The mutineers in the towers had been accounted for by the harpoons; if there was anyone left below-ground, they were either dead or trapped, now that the tunnels were sealed off. Which meant that the rest of the garrison, including Takeo, had already evacuated... somehow. "Did the harpooners take any prisoners?"
Atsuro glanced away. "Tianze... wasn't in the mood to take prisoners, after he saw the charges go off."
He gave Zuko an uneasy look, wary of his reaction, but Zuko's concern for the rebels had expired. Nishi was right, he thought savagely. They'd known what they were getting into. His own troops, now trapped under Omori's ruins, hadn't.
The airship finally touched down in the center of the blackened courtyard. Zuko vaulted over the rail and started toward the largest heap of rubble, the keep itself. A handful of Firebenders who had avoided being buried had already cleared the entrance to the central tunnel, and were hauling out the debris piece by piece; Zuko jumped down into the passage and joined them. Most of the debris here was burned wood, which was fairly easy to move, but Zuko ordered the troops to go slowly, working their way from the top down. Even a small piece of rubble, if it fell the wrong way, could trigger another collapse. He was tempted to use pressurized Firebending to cut through some of the larger stones and slabs of metal, but fire near the only visible opening might cut off the trapped soldiers' airflow. Omori had ventilation shafts, but most of them had probably also collapsed under the bombardment.
Within about twenty minutes, some of Tianze's troops were descending into the hole to assist. The Army's sappers were much more experienced excavators than the air crews or infantry, and the piles of debris began to come down more quickly. No sound came from the other side, but once a large gap had been formed, some of the infantry began to squeeze their way through into the tunnel, to search for survivors.
At Atsuro's urging, Zuko finally returned to the surface, where Admiral Jee and General Tianze had arrived. Tianze shook his wrinkled head grimly as Zuko climbed over the lip of the pit. "So dishonorable and cruel. Many of the assault team were new volunteers to the army. Young, brave, full of love for their nation and their people. Now, many have been snuffed out before they had a chance to prove themselves."
Zuko glanced at him. Tianze might be outdated, stubborn and inflexible, but at least the man had some principals, unlike Nishi or Takeo. "All the same, I want to thank you for responding so promptly to my message, General Tianze. Your timing may have saved at least some lives."
Tianze bowed low, the lights from the airship playing off a battle scar across his forehead. "I may question some orders, Fire Lord, but if my sovereign commands, I obey. To do any less would be dishonor."
Zuko mused that that argument had been used by some of the Fire Nation officers tried for war crimes, years before. But today it served to affirm Tianze's loyalty, and he needed that now. He clapped the old general on the shoulder, then turned to Jee. "Any sign of ships off the coast?"
"None, and my frigates have been patrolling nonstop. If Takeo fled beforehand, he didn't do so by sea. He must still be on this landmass somewhere, though I can't understand how." Jee's brow was furrowed. Before he could continue, there was a shout and the hurrying of feet from below. Zuko and his officers hurried to the edge, in time to see the sappers pulling aside the last of the burned timbers. From behind the debris came two armored Firebenders; between them was a black-haired colonel, her armor spattered with ash and blood.
"Ryoko!" Atsuro hurried over, offering his hand to help her over the edge of the pit. "Thank the Spirits, you're alive. How many are trapped in there with you?"
"Not enough." Ryoko replied numbly, her expression slightly shell-shocked. She caught Zuko's eye and dropped her gaze hastily. "Fire Lord... I should have waited for the tanks and harpoon crews to attack, I'm sorry-."
"You have nothing to apologize for." Zuko threw a dark look back at the ramp of the airship, where Nishi was being held between two guards, his hands encased in manacles. "We were betrayed by our own strategist; if there's any blame to be held, it should fall on me for not being more suspicious." He took a deep breath. "All the same...I need to know how many men and women we've lost today."
"Nearly one hundred were killed or suffocated in the cave-ins, out of a battalion of three hundred. Another forty injured, to varying degrees." Ryoko replied mechanically, her voice tight as a bowstring. She glanced back into the pit, where some of her troops were struggling to carry something out of the entrance. "Among the dead, I'm afraid..."
Zuko felt his chest tighten as he saw the body the soldiers were carrying on a makeshift stretcher. Ukano looked even older in death, thanks to the pale grey ash coating most of his face. A broken arrow protruded from a gap in the armor at his neck; dried blood stained his mouth. Someone had closed his eyes, but his contorted expression indicated that his passing hadn't been easy.
Zuko closed his own eyes for a moment, his jaw clenching. He inhaled deeply through his nose, containing the fire that fueled his conflicting emotions. Ukano had undermined him, threatened his life and the lives of his mother, sister and stepfather, led an uprising against him in his own capital. And he had suffered for it, spent the rest of his life in penance at the Boiling Rock- unable to witness his daughter's wedding, the promotion of his son, or the birth of his granddaughter. As the body was carried past him, Zuko reached out and clasped Ukano's ice-cold hand for a moment. Mai had always publicly disowned her father for his past treachery, but in private she'd made efforts to make his life in prison a little easier. Zuko wondered just how she would react when she learned the price Ukano had paid for his redemption.
His eyes fell again on the broken arrow in Ukano's neck, reminding him of the threat of Vachir. "Were you able to find the archer?"
"Oh, he's been dealt with, though not before he took another two with him." Ryoko's mouth was set in a grim line. Zuko decided not to press for details, but she went on. "We didn't find any other hostiles beside the archer, but when my adjutant and I were chasing him down, we came across something interesting, in the bowels of the maze. There's a sort of... mining shaft, over half a mile straight down, surrounded by broken cranes and cargo equipment. We went down by rope, to see how deep it went. The end was blocked by rubble, but the damage there wasn't recent; it happened before this battle even started. I think we've discovered how Takeo and his troops escaped, right under our noses."
"He...tunneled out?" Jee was astonished. "Just how much heavy equipment did he have stashed away here, to begin with?"
"He could have constructed a smaller version of Qin's war drill. Remember, the one that ate through the Outer Wall of Ba Sing Se-"
"Fire Lord Zuko!" A familiar voice interrupted them. Raising his head, Zuko saw three green-robed, armored figures with painted faces pushing through the soldiers. The Kiyoshi Warriors had finally returned from their expedition in the mountains.
"Suki." He bowed his head to their leader, a tall woman with straight brown hair and a gold-and-bronze headdress. "Did you find anything?"
"Nothing related to where Ty Lee disappeared to, or whether she was captured." Suki replied, returning the bow as she approached. She gestured at the mountain on Omori's eastern flank. "But we found something, near that peak. My warriors found the remains of a magnesium flare; almost certainly one of Ty Lee's. There's a small cave nearby, she may have used it for shelter."
Zuko couldn't see much reason to be optimistic over this, but as he'd said to Mai, Ty Lee was smarter now than she'd been at fourteen. And she'd had the good sense to get beyond the range of Omori's walls. "Well, at least there's a chance she's still alive-"
"Even better. She left us a clue, as to who was involved. I found this, next to the mouth of the cave." Suki lifted her black-gloved fist. A round, bronze tassel dangled from her fingers, hanging from several tattered threads of green silk. She turned it sideways as Zuko squinted, throwing light onto the characters embossed on one side: PEACE WITHIN THE WALLS. "You're probably not familiar with these words, Zuko, because you didn't spend enough time in Ba Sing Se. Anyone born there, knows them by heart." Suki's voice was grim. "This is the motto of the Dai Li."
Zuko felt his blood run cold. He'd only briefly encountered the Dai Li, during his exile, and they'd been in the process of defecting to Azula. But in his meetings with Kuei after Sozin's comet, it became clear that the secret police had cast a dark shadow over Ba Sing Se, long before the city fell to the Fire Nation. They might well have snatched their power back from the Earth King after the liberation, if it hadn't been for the presence of the White Lotus. No one had heard anything of them, in the two decades after the war. But what Zuko did remember, from his time in Ba Sing Se, was that the Dai Li excelled at leaving no trace. They'd always appeared without warning, and vanished just as quickly once their business was complete. Just like those Earthbenders who had attacked Hira'a...
"Of course." He muttered to himself. Always the clever gambler, Takeo, to set the stage for an entire war just to gain a tactical advantage. No wonder the Dai Li had known exactly where to attack in the Fire Nation, where they could provoke his rage the most.
"Takeo... has Earthbenders working for him?" Tianze looked stunned. "He despises Mudslingers, especially after all the losses he took around Ba Sing Se-"
"Never say never with Takeo." Zuko shook head. "He saves his ruthlessness for anyone who won't bend to him, but he'll make use of almost anyone who has something to offer him. And for a faction of turncoats like the Dai Li, turning them into allies would be easy."
"It would also explain how he escaped." Ryoko took the tassel from Suki and examined it. "The escape tunnel under Omori wasn't created through mining technology alone. The sides had too smooth and precise a finish, Earthbending had to be involved. Besides, the further underground you go, the greater the dangers of magma and extreme pressure, the same as around our Caldera Cavern."
"Can Earthbenders manipulate magma?"
"I'd never say it was impossible." Suki shrugged. "Firebenders can create or remove heat; Waterbenders and Airbenders can change the temperature of their elements at will. Earth might be a more rigid element, but who's to say a skilled enough bender couldn't change it to liquid form? More importantly, where did that tunnel lead to, before they sealed it up behind them?"
"Well, we know who to ask." Jee glanced grimly in Nishi's direction. At Zuko's gesture, the guards brought him forward and set him on his knees in front of the other commanders; he tilted his head back, gazing up at them with an expression that was either dazed or bored.
"Where'd your master flee to, Ashura spawn?" Tianze growled. Nishi gave him a contemptuous glance, then spat a gob of blood onto the old general's beard. Tianze went red with fury, backhanding him across the face.
"Don't waste your energy." Suki shook her head. "Force won't make him talk-"
"I can be very persuasive." Tianze snarled ominously, conjuring a fire-dagger over his free hand.
Atsuro glanced quickly at Zuko. "Torture is against the rights of Fire Nation citizens-"
"This man forfeited his rights as a Fire Nation citizen the moment he stabbed us in the back, you up-jumped nonbender!" Tianze whirled on the air fleet commander, his sunken eyes blazing. "By every law of war, there's nothing to stop us. He would have done the same to any prisoners he'd taken from our army- if he'd bothered to leave them alive!"
"Tianze has a point." Ryoko piped up. She was staring at Nishi, her expression cold, her brown eyes full of vengeance. Suki looked alarmed, but didn't speak. The smile had vanished from Nishi's face, but he didn't look frightened; on the contrary, his face was hard with resolve.
But Atsuro stepped forward and grabbed Tianze's wrist as he brought the fire-dagger towards Nishi's eyes. "I can't let you do that, General Tianze." He glanced at Zuko, his rounded face pale. "Fire Lord, I beg you: rein this in, before it becomes something we'll all regret."
Zuko glanced at Jee, expecting him to join the protest. To his surprise, the Admiral simply shrugged. "It's not the worst option we could take, Zuko. We know Takeo has the Dai Li, which makes him more dangerous than ever, but we don't know where he's fled to. If Nishi's knowledge helps us save lives, both Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation, after all the ones he's taken from us today..."
Zuko was surprised- and a bit repulsed. Even Jee, the most trusted and honorable member of his military inner circle, was willing to turn a blind eye to torture for the sake of the ends. Yet, for a moment, he felt tempted as well. After everything Nishi had done with Takeo to undermine the Fire Nation and put them on the path of war, after all the lives this battle had cost, a little pain was a small vengeance. As Nishi had said, there were those for whom the cause meant more than any pain; he might put that theory to the test.
He glanced back and forth from Jee to Atsuro, then finally shook his head at Tianze. "We don't need to find Takeo, thanks to Suki's warriors. The Dai Li tassel gives us the means to open dialogue with the Earth Kingdom again, and stop the war before it starts. If I can make King Kuei and the Council of Five understand who's been pitting us against each other, it could lead to collaboration-maybe even an alliance, sometime in the future. If our enemies are hiding in Earth Kingdom territory, we'll need the Earth King's resources and permission to pursue them. Do you really think torturing prisoners is going to gain his favor, especially since some of the people we're after are technically Earth citizens?"
Suki nodded approvingly. Tianze scowled, wrenching his arm from Atsuro's grip. "No one has to know-"
"They do." Zuko cut him off. "I'm through hiding this incident from the people. After we inspect this escape tunnel and demolish Omori's ruins, I'll return to the Fire Nation and reveal the entire incident to the press; the soldiers who died today will be properly mourned and buried with military honors. At the same time, I'll make a public apology to King Ariq and an offer of reconciliation to Kuei. Nishi will be imprisoned, tried publicly in the Capital, and executed like the traitor he is."
"Well, doesn't that work just perfectly." Nishi spoke suddenly, his voice dripping with scorn. "Once again, Zuko, your indecision between trust and ruthlessness has lost you everything."
"I'm not the one who's lost, today." Zuko stared down at him for a moment, then turned away. "You and Takeo threw everything you had into your little gamble to kill me... and you both came out failures."
"Oh, I disagree." Nishi's tone became almost gleeful. "I might have failed in killing you, but you think your death was Takeo's main objective? He always keeps more than one iron in the fire, because he always sees the bigger picture. You'll see, when you get back to the Capital."
After a pause, Zuko turned slowly back to him. "...If Takeo's trying to stage an uprising in the Capital, he'll fail at that, too. The Home Guard outnumber him ten to one."
"An uprising? Nothing so dramatic. Takeo needs stealth to get what he's looking for. The one variable in his plan he doesn't have yet, the thing that secures his future... and yours." Nishi grinned maliciously. "That's what he really needed the Dai Li for, the attack on Hira'a was just a distraction to stretch the Home Guard thin. And, since Takeo can guess who you've hidden in the Caldera Cavern...well, the Cavern's defenses have never been tested by Earthbending before."
A flash of terror shot through Zuko's veins. He stared straight through Nishi, paralyzed.
It had never been his life Takeo was after.
The adrenaline finally kicked in, and Zuko turned away. Faintly, as if underwater, he heard himself ordering Tianze to secure the ruins, collect the dead and then return to the Fire Nation, but he couldn't feel his mouth moving as he spoke. His long legs propelled him rapidly towards the airship, Atsuro already barking at the crew to prepare for takeoff. He felt, rather than heard, Jee and Suki close behind him, trying to ask what was wrong, but he couldn't answer. His breath was coming in short, sharp gasps, in perfect time with the names racing through his head.
Mai. Tomoru. Kiyi. Iroh. Izumi.
He would have to endure the terror of uncertainty until he got back to the Capital... and then, learn whether Takeo really had taken everything from him.