Previously, on A viper-lizard's tales : Suki's execution is stopped just in time by Sokka's boomerang, and the Gaang separates to take on Azula's forces - Katara, Jet, and Aang are on the Appa Defense Mission, Zuko and Toph head to free Iroh, with Toph building walls to keep Azula from the rest of them, and Sokka goes for Suki. Suki herself disables one guard and fights another, while Sokka takes on the executioner in a one-on-one swordfight. He manages to win, but is heavily injured and loses consciousness.

A. N. : Today's title was brought to you by ancient Greeks, whose animal sacrifices involved bones being burnt to crisps as part of the gods' share in the sacrifice. No warnings for this chapter, as far as I'm aware, just, y'know, some fighting, some angst, nothing too unusual. We're just taking a small step back in time, to see what the others were up to while Sokka was doing his thing.

Uncle is so close.

Zuko can see him, hands and feet bound, muzzled – they muzzled Uncle ! – and held down by two members of the Home Guard and it feels like Zuko could just – reach out and touch him –

Azula breaks through Toph's wall for the second time. The Dai Li agents take advantage of Toph's distraction to renew their assault, and Zuko ducks under a flying stone hand, cuts the air above Toph's head with a heated dao to protect her from the raining sharp rocks, takes a step back in pain when a shard manages to lodge itself into his hand – fuck, that's a step he'll have to regain if he wants to reach Uncle –

He takes two steps forward in defiance, kicks flames at the nearest agent he sees, only managing to singe his clothes slightly, but – the agent retreats a bit too quickly, not noticing the pillar of earth shooting up diagonally from the ground until it's too late for him and the earth slams into his side and sends him flying across the courtyard.

Judging by the sound of the impact and the pained scream that escaped the man, Zuko doubts they'll have any more issues with that one.

Toph shouts at Sokka that they'll be fine, and Zuko runs towards Uncle, uses the length of the pillar as a stepping stone to twist his body and avoid the rock hands in his way – one grazes his cheek, but he's already changed directions – he puts his foot against the wall opposite to him to slow down and avoid breaking his back when bouncing, throws himself forward and lands with a roll, past the pillar and the Dai Li, closer to Uncle than he's been since Ba Sing Se.

The two guards look at him like they don't know if they really want to fight him or not, but Zuko doesn't have the time to let them make their choice – he advances, avoids a fire punch from the left, blocks another one from the front, ducks under the still extended arm and elbows its owner in the face. He doesn't want to kill him, won't, if he can avoid it, and so when the guard stumbles backwards, Zuko doesn't use his blade to end him, rather follows him close and repeats the elbowing, this time striking the throat – the guard bends forward then, and Zuko slams his fist on his head, pommel of the sword hitting the skull with a dull crack.

Zuko turns to face the other before the unconscious body hits the floor. The guard who's still standing takes a step back, then steels himself and sends a powerful fire kick in Zuko's direction – he didn't do that earlier, maybe to avoid hitting the other guard on accident – but Zuko has his daos at the ready, uses the blades to disperse the flames, takes control of a few stray sparks, leads them around his body the way he's seen Katara lead her water dozens of times, strengthening them with his own chi before sending them back to the guard as flames that the man stumbles into blocking – Zuko hears a sharp yelp of pain, smells the burned skin and – focuses, focuses on the task at hand and on Uncle –

He steps forward, takes in the way the guard holds his right hand close to his body, and doesn't stop advancing. Zuko's daos slice through the air, low, unrelenting, forcing the guard into continuously stepping back if he doesn't want to lose a leg, unable to attack, until his calf hits the stairs of the stage and he startles for an instant, just as Zuko's foot strikes his side, crushing his burned hand between the kick and the man's ribs.

The guard chokes on a scream, falls backwards, and his head hits the sharp end of the stairs. He doesn't get up, just whimpers weakly. Good enough.

Zuko sheathes his swords as he hurries to Uncle. Toph is handling the Dai Li for now, but she'll need to use her metalbending to take off Uncle's handcuffs. In the meantime, Zuko will take care of that spirits-damned muzzle and allow Uncle to help, if only with his breath of fire. Now if his hands could just stop shaking !

There are three lanners holding the muzzle to Uncle's face, and each one feels like it takes an eternity to undo and Zuko's hands won't stop shaking – the first lanner opens – and he hears rocks breaking behind him and grunts of pain and he knows Toph will be alright but what if he takes too long and the Dai Li manage to outsmart her – the second lanner resists a bit and Zuko wants to tear it apart, but it finally opens and he moves on to the next – the ground shakes under his feet and his hair rises as static fills the air and he needs to be quick –

The third lanner snaps in his fingers right as lightning breaks through Toph's wall once again.

Zuko steps between Uncle and the open wall, tells him to go to Toph – he doesn't have the strength to look at Uncle's face, not after leaving him behind in Ba Sing Se, not after landing him in this situation, instead stares straight ahead as the dust settles and Azula appears.

Something feels a bit off with her, but Zuko can't quite figure out what it is. She stands with the same assurance as always, eyes glaring fire daggers at him as she spits out his name – Zuko, traitor to the Fire Nation – and she raises an arm slowly, deliberately, fingers twitching in a way that doesn't look quite right for her – her eyes take in the world outside the wall – Zuko takes the basic stance, feet stable, left arm raised –

Azula drops lower, arms circling around her as the air crackles, then shooting forward –

Zuko is ready. He takes in the lightning, welcomes it – the raw power of it nearly makes him lose his focus, how can Azula handle it so easily – it flows through him and he guides it like he guided those sparks earlier, through his arm, through his stomach, to the other side and –

Azula looks terrified.

Azula looked terrified from the second Zuko caught sight of her, looked like she lost sleep over – over –

The lightning reaches for the sky, far above Azula's head.

Azula doesn't move.

The wall rises again.

There's a bitter taste in Zuko's mouth.