A flickering light began to illuminate the passage to the cavern, accompanied by a gradual rise in the temperature. The two green-and-black garbed Dai Li officers wiped perspiration from their faces, but Long Feng's face bore no beads of sweat; his expression was serene and composed, his eyes closed in meditation. More than two decades of exile had made him a master of waiting, and of listening. It seemed nearly everyone had forgotten him, or thought he was not worth hunting. But since his humiliation by Azula in front of his officer corps many years before, Long Feng forgot nothing.
In submitting to the Fire Princess, he had simply planned to bide his time and coerce the Dai Li back to his side after Ba Sing Se fell to the Fire Nation Army. Just as he had, after the Earth King had arrested him. But Azula anticipated that move, and prevented it by bringing the Dai Li back to the Fire Nation as her personal security force. Long Feng had spent the occupation of Ba Sing Se wondering whether he might be pardoned for enabling the Fire Nation to enter the city, or executed for threatening the Fire Lord's daughter; ultimately, neither happened. He was simply left to rot in the dungeons of Ba Sing Se, apparently forgotten. But Long Feng forgot nothing.
Only a day after Sozin's comet, something unexpected happened. Eight Dai Li officers had silently arrived outside his steel-plated cell, their gauntleted hands clasped behind their backs and their heads bowed in supplication. Two of them held a woman in blue and white blossom-patterned robes, her wrists and ankles encased in earthen manacles.
"We seek to re-enter your service, Grand Secretariat." The leader spoke in a voice barely above a whisper, his eyes hidden behind the wide brim of his conical hat. "We ask only that you lead us out of Ba Sing Se, to use us as you will... until the Dai Li are able to enforce the Earth Kingdom's laws once again."
Sitting cross-legged on the other side of the barred door, Long Feng eyed them with cool suspicion. The officers had been chosen by him personally for their ruthlessness and ambition; they would only come to him if they saw an advantage. "Why now? What could possibly have tipped the scales so far that you would come crawling back to me?"
The officer swallowed. "The Fire Princess… she has become insane, Grand Secretariat."
Long Feng started. Azula, insane? He had never met anyone as shrewd and calculating as himself, yet Azula's lethal cunning had surpassed even his. The idea of her becoming unhinged seemed impossible, much as he would have wished it. "I very much doubt that-"
"She banished us from the Fire Nation on pain of death simply because it took us five minutes to answer her summons, Grand Secretariat." A younger officer piped up; he glanced over his shoulder nervously. "She ranted against plots on her life that had no basis, spoke to visions that existed only in her head-"
The lead officer silenced him with a look, then turned back to Long Feng. " It no longer matters whether Azula is insane or not. According to this woman-" he gestured at the captive "-Azula and Ozai plotted to burn a path of destruction across the Earth Kingdom from Yu Dao to Ba Sing Se, using the power of Sozin's comet; perhaps, they hoped draw out and crush the last of the hidden Earthbenders' resistance. The plan failed, because just as the attack began, Ozai was beaten by the Avatar. Meanwhile, Azula was challenged and defeated by her brother Zuko, who is now Fire Lord."
After a moment to process these tremendous events, Long Feng stood, letting his eyes bore into the wall behind his visitors. "If the dragon's head has been cut off, why have you not devoured the rest of the body? You must know the comet has already faded on the horizon; even here in my cell, I have felt its' heat wax and wane with the number of Firebenders in the city. You could certainly overwhelm the garrison now, if the citizens of Ba Sing Se haven't already done so. You don't need me, and you've already made that clear."
He said the final sentence with an oily sting of contempt; he was still unsure why they had come to him in the first place. But if the Dai Li kept referring to him by a title he'd been demoted from twice, they genuinely believed they needed him.
The leader swallowed and gestured at the two men holding the prisoner, who brought her forward and set her on her knees. "Her organization stormed Ba Sing Se during the comet, Grand Secretariat. It was unlike anything we had seen before. A collection of master Benders and warriors from various nations, united in support of the Avatar and led by General Iroh, the Dragon of the West. The garrison outnumbered them twenty to one and were backed by the power of the comet, but within a day they breached the Outer Wall and had the Firebenders on the run. We arrived just as they were mopping up; we barely managed to enter the city undetected, then captured this one to gain information. It took all of us simply to subdue her."
Long Feng flicked his gaze in the direction of the prisoner. Although she had a Fire Nation look about her, her green eyes indicated some Earth Kingdom ancestry; perhaps she had been born in one of the colonies. Her dark hair was disheveled, her face bruised and cut, but her gaze burned with defiance. The Dai Li were better at brainwashing than torture, and for brainwashing they would have needed access to the Lake Laogai stronghold, which was presumably still flooded. He doubted they had gotten much from this formidable woman through simple brutality. "What have you learned?"
"Nothing she didn't tell us willingly. Once news came of Ozai and Azula's defeats, the rest of the Fire Army either withdrew or surrendered. The Avatar will be coming soon… and he and Zuko have announced that they will be restoring King Kuei to his throne, once he returns from exile."
Long Feng's face curved into a smirk as he chuckled. "The irony... You're in the same position Zuko's been in, for years. Banished from the Fire Nation, and hunted as enemies of the Earth King. So this is why you've returned to the master you forsook: you're hoping I can help you evade prosecution for betraying your monarch. I'd say you're making the wrong bet, given that I've been deposed by two different factions in the same year, but you're the ones at my cell door."
"You taught us to follow the strong, and avoid association with the weak." The Dai Li captain met Long Feng's eyes for the first time. "What were we supposed to do when two strong leaders vied for our support? Your position was already unstable, and at the time, Azula seemed stronger. We made a miscalculation-"
"One that has now cost you dearly." Long Feng sneered, but he was merely making a show of rejecting them, and they knew it. He had never been one to shirk from an opportunity.
"You as well, Long Feng. If you hadn't, the Avatar would never have been able to expose you... and by extension, us. But here we are, hunted by all sides, in search of a leader-"
"You mean, in search of a way out." Long Feng tapped the side of his nose. "I've only had you monitor the main road in and out of Ba Sing Se, since the Fire Nation never attacked us from another direction. The network of the Crystal Catacombs, the various supply tunnels that helped us withstand any siege… knowledge of that labyrinth, I kept to myself. With good reason, it seems."
"True," The officer nodded, "but the Avatar knows of the Catacombs' existence; he and his friends fought against us and Azula at the reservoir, the day Ba Sing Se fell to the Fire Nation. Even if he doesn't find them again himself, his blind Earthbending companion will."
Long Feng nodded. He felt a twinge of respect for that girl, Toph… Beifong. Her senses and Earthbending abilities had been truly extraordinary, and he had noticed a hard, almost ruthless edge to her in their few encounters. Under different circumstances, she might have made a powerful ally. Now, though she remained an enemy, she was giving him an advantage: the threat of her return was putting pressure on the Dai Li to return to him, before it was too late.
"One question… and this one will determine whether we can escape via the Catacombs, let alone if I will join you. What has become of Joo Dee? I know Azula used one of them as an administrative puppet over Ba Sing Se, but as to the rest..."
The Dai Li captain shrugged. "Azula took a few of them back to the Fire Nation, but she left the rest in the Upper Ring." His eyes met Long Feng's. "I would ask why, but I know better. You are our only chance, Grand Secretariat… and you know that we are yours. If we fall, the Earth King will either raise a new force of Dai Li, responsible to him alone, or abolish them entirely. No one will ever seek you out again."
The former Grand Secretariat chuckled. The threat might be genuine, but the one delivering it was clearly bluffing. "Very well, release me. I have one question for the prisoner, then we'll be on our way."
The younger officer bowed, stepped forward and unlocked the door; Long Feng rose gracefully and strode through it into the metal-lined passage. He paused to savor the moment, then flicked his wrist. The Dai Li gave shouts of alarm as their earthen gauntlets detached from their wrists and flew towards Long Feng, solidifying into a single sphere of rock above his fingertips. He brought this down sharply on the hands of the prisoner with a satisfying crack of shattered bone. A groan of pain escaped the woman's lips as he lifted it again, but nothing more. He was impressed by her fortitude.
"What is the name of your organization?"
Her bound, maimed hands trembled; a quick flicker of flame danced between the ruined fingers, then fizzled out. Long Feng leaned forward. "My officers may not be well versed in the arts of chakra torture- our reeducation technique is usually much more useful- but I assure you, I have read a great deal many more books than them. What is the name of your organization?"
The Firebender's eyes blazed with pain and fury. "The White Lotus."
"Really? I had thought they might have been disbanded, what with the Fire Lords wiping out half the other Nations. It seems there are some sects that hide as well as we do. You are to be congratulated on your… perseverance." Long Feng smiled thinly. "Whom does the White Lotus serve?"
"You already know that."
Long Feng twitched his hand, and the stone ball flew upward, "I'm not in the mood for games. I'm on a tight schedule."
A smirk crossed her features in spite of the pain. "If you only knew what's coming for you… Even with the Comet, the Fire Lord never stood a chance. If the Avatar doesn't kill you or turn you over to the Earth Kingdom officers you imprisoned... he'll just remove your Bending."
Long Feng felt a brief, cold chill on the back of his neck, though he kept his face impassive. "That's... impossible."
"Tell that to Ozai," She spat back, "When you join him in Hell!"
Long Feng knew there was nothing further to be gained here. He gestured, and the stone ball re-shaped itself into a jagged stalactite; another gesture, and it plummeted downward. The Dai Li did not look away, did not react.
"You." He gestured at one of the officers, a stocky man with a brown beard. "Deal with the body and see to it that no trail is left for the Beifong girl to follow us. If I notice any sign of pursuit before we've reached the Serpent's Pass, you'll wish you were her." He turned toward the passageway that led to the military headquarters. "Captain, what is your name?"
"Xi, Sir."
"How many agents do you have active in Ba Sing Se apart from this group, Captain Xi?"
"Twenty remain in the Upper Ring, plus my informants in the Middle and Lower Rings. But three hundred officers are lying in wait beyond the Outer Wall... including some trained in the reeducation program."
Long Feng nodded. "Good for a start. Send two of them to find the nearest Joo Dee, then make for the reservoir in the Crystal Catacombs. We'll make our escape once she is successfully retrieved."
Xi bowed and gestured to two of his men, who sped off down a passage connected to the Royal Citadel. None of them knew why they needed a brainwashed agent to get out of Ba Sing Se; they simply let Long Feng lead, trusting in knowledge that had been long forgotten by their generation. But Long Feng forgot nothing.
Now he opened his eyes as the glow entered the main cavern, revealing the man he had invited to his sanctuary, a man he had clashed against in many battles. The stocky Firebender still walked with an arrogant stride that almost masked the limp in his left foot. A battle scar along his jaw carved a jagged furrow through his silver side-whiskers and beard. Unlike Long Feng, who was dressed in simple black robes, the newcomer wore a flaring cuirasse, greaves and gauntlets of red and gold armor, over a dark maroon jerkin and leggings. His right hand conjured a dancing fireball that illuminated his amber eyes, flickering with manic energy.
"General Takeo." Long Feng rose slowly and bowed; his back was somewhat more bent than before, his long braid and mustache turning gray, but his movements were nearly as graceful as ever. "I must say, I was surprised by your offer to meet- though not as much as your acceptance of my conditions. Even for someone as impulsive as you, I would have thought this too much of a risk, to come alone-"
"Skip the condescending formalities, Mudslinger." Takeo cut him off, his fireball expanding slightly as he spoke. The two Dai Li agents tensed, but Long Feng simply shook his head and sat down again. "Just say what we both know: we're in uncomfortable positions, and we're each able to ease the others' load."
"'Uncomfortable positions?" Long Feng chuckled. "That's certainly one way to put it. Sometime ago, I heard a rumor that King Kuei was requesting the Fire Lord to place some of Ozai's former officers on trial- under the jurisdiction of all the Five Nations- for their crimes during the Hundred Year War. Most unfortunate, that your name was mentioned on that list. I imagine this encouraged you to come?"
Takeo snorted contemptuously. "I know better than to trust you, Long Feng… but as one exile to another, who better for me to confide in? You're right about Kuei and Zuko, though. This is what happens when monarchs listen to their subjects, rather than the other way around-"
"I respectfully disagree. When the Earth King actually listened to me, his lowly subject, he had nothing but order and prosperity for two decades… within Ba Sing Se, anyway. But I beg your pardon for interrupting; we were talking of your unfortunate... conflict with Lord Zuko."
Takeo snorted again, but his eyes burned with malevolence. "That whelp isn't half the man his forefathers were, the way he kowtows to the Avatar. Yet now, he presumes to declare men who bled for his family 'war criminals.' An absurd definition if there ever was one. Zuko's never fought a real pitched battle, the way I have; he hasn't sent men to their deaths for a cause they barely believe in but fight for anyway. He hasn't watched them die and felt the need to avenge their valiant efforts. By what right does he judge me for my actions during the war, when its' outcome gave him everything?!" His fireball flared an angry shade of crimson, but Long Feng did not react. "Small wonder he faced multiple crises within the first two years of his reign!"
Long Feng curled his lip slightly. Takeo's arrogant personality, his absurd blood-and-honor rhetoric and his atrocities against the Earth Kingdom were hard to ignore, but he had already stated the obvious: they were much more useful to each other alive. "And yet, Zuko has had peaceful rule for almost twenty years, since the last uprising. From what I heard, all the perpetrators were arrested-"
"Then you clearly don't have any reliable informants in the Fire Nation Capital." Takeo shook his head. "Not surprising, really; Earth Citizens would be spotted there from a mile away. The last insurrection was confined solely to the Capital City, but it threw Zuko's government into chaos. A number of vigilantes rose up attempting to defend the city against a group of "malevolent spirits" known as Kemurikage, who had kidnapped the children of several powerful noble families. Zuko's supposed lack of action led to protests, then riots. What he never realized was that some of those vigilantes were working with the Kemurikage the entire time. They were ex-members of the "New Ozai Society", a failed underground movement intended to put Zuko's father back on the throne."
Long Feng was interested, despite his distaste for his guest. It was true, his information on the Fire Nation (and the Fire Lord in particular) was limited. He knew the least about Zuko of the Avatar's allies, having never encountered him personally.
Takeo continued. "After the children were rescued the Kemurikage fled, and most of the New Ozai members were arrested. A few escaped and came to me, seeking sanctuary. I control a large fortified encampment directly north of the Fire Nation, and I've concealed them there ever since. Unfortunately, Zuko's agents have recently discovered my actions. It's for that reason that Zuko's finally trying to convict me. He knows I'm a war hero in my own country, so he couldn't give my head to the Earth Kingdom without causing uproar, until he had proof that I was harboring traitors to his rule." He scoffed. "Even when he acts ruthlessly, it's for the sake of the so-called balance that the Avatar keeps whispering in his ear."
"Well, if our enemies hadn't failed to act ruthlessly for so long, we might not have been given this opportunity to regain our power and influence." Long Feng twitched his finger, and a chunk of translucent crystal detached from the wall, broke in half and sculpted itself into the rough shape of two cups. "Would you care for some tea?"
Takeo nodded and seated himself across from Long Feng. He gestured, and a tongue of flame extended from the fireball, igniting the logs stacked beneath an ornate jade teapot that hung between them. "I'll admit, you've hidden yourself well over the years, Long Feng; even if I'd been looking for you, I'd never have found you. I've tried to follow your lead and keep my head down myself. Since the Fire Lord's always away, building that "Republic of Nations" in the colonies, I've been left in peace until now, and I'm not without support. Besides my garrison, a number of of Ozai's former favorite officers have come over to my side."
"And, the pressure that's driving them to join you?"
"The Avatar, of course. Him and that damned Waterbending whore of his, Katara. They've both put pressure on Zuko to round up the Southern Raiders for what they did to the Water Tribe; Yon Rha has already died in prison. Once the Raiders were dealt with, it was only a matter of time before other Nations started making complaints to Zuko, and so the other branches of the Fire Nation's military were purged as well." A smirk crossed Takeo's scarred face. "Zuko wouldn't touch me, ordinarily. My status as a war hero aside, the fortress where I'm sheltering the fugitives is built on Air Nomad soil. All Fire Nation fortresses on other nations were supposed to be disbanded after the war ended, but since the Air Nomads are extinct, no one's enforcing that decree in their lands. Zuko secretly left some of the forts intact and garrisoned so that he could keep the other nations at an arm's length if another war occurred; not a bad strategy, really. But now, he's afraid to challenge me openly without revealing the forts' existence to the Avatar."
"If you already have such a strong position, why, may I ask, do you need me?" Long Feng kept his face blank, but he was chuckling inside. Takeo's confident bluster would have hid his desperation from most, but for all his knowledge of the art of war, he knew nothing of politics. Long Feng had been playing that game his entire life, and now, as always, he had read his opponent within moments.
The kettle began to whistle. A young woman stepped out of the shadows, the tea utensils in her hands. Her dark hair fell around her face in sheets, and she wore a green scarf stamped with the Earth Kingdom insignia. Her mouth was turned up in a cheerful smile, yet the rest of her expression was alarmingly blank, her eyes clouded over and staring as she removed the kettle and began to prepare the brew. Takeo leered at her for a moment, then seemed to lose interest and turned back to his host.
"We both know my weakness, Long Feng. I'm a man of action, of directness. I don't work in the shadows, like you. I draw attention to myself too easily. To challenge the Fire Lord now, before I have enough Warriors at my disposal, would be suicide. But I can't keep waiting forever, either. Sooner or later, Zuko will bow to pressure from his allies and come for my head. You have far greater numbers than I do, and you have stealth. I... need a team of your best Dai Li agents, to gain me what I need to stall Zuko, for the final clash."
"And… what could you possibly gain that would stop the Fire Lord from wiping you out?"
"A bargaining chip, or two." Takeo smiled slightly, tugging at his beard. "Zuko's impulsiveness is fed in equal parts by his compassion and his temper. Trigger the right nerve, and he'll fall straight into the trap, just as he did the day Ozai burned half his face off."
The young woman rose and approached them with a pot of jasmine tea, which she offered to Takeo first; he thrust his cup at her without looking away from Long Feng, barely acknowledging her with a grunt.
"Thank you, Joo Dee." Long Feng bowed his head as she filled his cup. "Your talents, as always, are impeccable and greatly appreciated."
"I am pleased to be able to render service to the Grand Secretariat." Joo Dee replied in a quiet monotone, her eyes never blinking.
Takeo gave Joo Dee a curious glance, his fireball expanding to illuminate her face. "Oh, she's one of your sleeper agents, is she?"
"Formerly." Long Feng shrugged. "Over the years, I have used her to rally various scattered factions of the Dai Li together, and to recruit new ones. Now, though we remain in hiding, our numbers are nearly as great as they were during Iroh's Siege."
"Impressive." Takeo's eyebrows raised slightly. "Must be hard to hide that many from the Avatar, the Earth Army and the White Lotus, though."
"We are a bit stretched thin at the moment, it's true. Rest assured though, the new generation of Dai Li have been trained to adapt and operate in virtually any environment. They may be distinguished as Earthbenders when working in other nations, but their allegiance to me remains hidden. All those who might be recognized, such as the officers who delivered Ba Sing Se to the Fire Nation, remain here, waiting for the right moment to strike." Long Feng allowed his lip to curl into the slightest smirk. "The question is… is this the right moment to strike, General Takeo? You've made it clear what you stand to gain, should I make an alliance with you, but you haven't mentioned how that alliance benefits me."
"Resources you don't have, for one thing." Takeo sipped his tea. "The Earth Kingdom's technology is hopelessly behind ours, and has been for decades, even with imports from both the Fire Nation and the United Republic. When the ceasefire came after Sozin's Comet, I came away with quite a bit of war material, which I had the good sense to keep off Zuko's records. Tundra tanks, observation balloons, even a few ironclad warships that I tucked into a fjord not far from my encampment. I could certainly add some of these weapons, to your arsenal. They'd give you an edge or a bargaining chip, depending on how you plan to deal with the Earth King... and you might form your own designs, in the future."
Long Feng conceded that point. With the Earth Kingdom lagging behind in an increasingly industrial age, having access to superior weaponry would certainly help the Dai Li's cause. "Anything else?"
"Nationalism could become a factor." Takeo grinned. "After all, it worked for you and the Earth King every time we attacked Ba Sing Se; the populace always rallied together against the foreign threat, and sent us home with our tails between our legs. If we orchestrated some kind of mock clash between our forces, without revealing the involvement of the Dai Li-"
"It would undermine both the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom governments, perhaps even trigger another war." Long Feng nodded, smiling. "In any case, the chaos would pave the way for my coup... and for whatever you have planned for Zuko. Challenge him to an Agni Kai, perhaps? Burn out his other eye and stick his father back on the throne?"
Takeo let out a raspy chuckle. "It won't be me that's challenging him to an Agni Kai. As for that disgrace Ozai, he might have been strong before, but even if the Avatar hadn't removed his bending, he's well past his prime now. There's a third party I'm bringing into our plans, the only one who might challenge Zuko's claim to the throne."
In spite of the heat from the flames and tea, an icy chill passed down the back of Long Feng's neck. He lowered his cup, fighting to keep his voice calm as a frightful possibility crossed his mind. "So... you've found some pretender to claim Zuko's title and serve as your puppet?"
Takeo laughed again. "Oh, she may be our puppet, but she's no pretender. I believe you're personally acquainted with Zuko's sister, Princess Azula?"
Instantly, Long Feng felt all his composure slip away; his crystal cup slid from his hand and shattered on the cave floor. He was back in the Throne Room in Ba Sing Se. His head was bent; all he could see as she seated herself on the Earth King's throne was her feet, clad in green and black boots. But he had never forgotten her icy, contemptuous gaze, her mocking response when he submitted to her:
"You've beaten me at my own game."
"Don't flatter yourself. You were never even a player."
"Ah, so you do remember her!" Takeo slapped his knee, grinning again. He was clearly enjoying Long Feng's discomfort. "As it turns out, Azula was the one leading the Kemurikage uprising against Zuko. Zuko never revealed her involvement, but the New Ozai fugitives told me the whole story. She and her cohorts- mostly escapees from a mental asylum- vanished after the crisis ended, and hadn't been seen in eighteen years. Then, about the time Zuko was prosecuting the Southern Raiders, Azula contacted me, with the idea of putting her on the throne and ending the supplication of the Fire Nation to the Avatar's decisions. After my harboring of the fugitives was exposed, of course I found her proposal attractive. We have met several times, and she seems eager to take action."
Long Feng stood up, his expression grim. "You have no idea what you're dealing with, Takeo. Azula is a master manipulator. For all you know, she is plotting to usurp you once Zuko is beaten-"
"Just as she usurped you in Ba Sing Se, after she captured the Earth King." Takeo cut him off with a raised hand. "I can understand why you wouldn't trust her, Long Feng, and rest assured, I don't either. But I am willing to make use of her. Her bloodline, her Firebending and her... other talents make her the single most deadly weapon we can use. You and I both lead through a combination of respect and fear. Azula inspires more fear than anyone we know… except perhaps her father, in his prime. But what gives us the advantage is her mental state. She burns hot with wild rage, not cold and calculating as she once did; all her focus is on Zuko's-"
"It's because she's supposedly insane that she is beyond our control!" Long Feng snapped. "Besides, she has little reason to trust or work with me."
"Oh, please. You didn't break her father's power, or steal her one chance at the Fire Lord's crown. As I was saying, all her rage is directed at Zuko, the Avatar and their allies." Takeo stood up. "Azula needs us in this plan, even more than we need her. Her Kemurikage allies deserted her over the years when she made no further attempts to attack Zuko, and this has only fed her bitterness toward him. Alone, she is merely an exile, but if we back her she may become the key to our restoration to power. You'll see what I mean, when you see her face-to-face." He held out his hand. "I'm afraid I must bring her your answer directly from this meeting. Of course, you're in a better position to refuse than I, since no one is hunting you. Unless I revealed your location…"
The two Dai Li agents immediately raised their arms, and slabs of earth and crystal erupted through the floor, trapping the Firebender's lower body before he could move.
"With that in mind, perhaps my safest option is to remove you, here and now." Long Feng replied coldly, looking directly into Takeo's eyes.
"Perfectly true." Takeo shrugged, unfazed by the death threat. "But... even though your refusal seals my doom, you would have missed your best chance to strike. You're a patient man, but by the time the next opportunity rolls around, you won't have the energy or the drive to take it. The ravages of age may be softer to benders than to ordinary folk, but we're not immortal. For once in your life, Mudslinger, take a gamble, before your time runs out." He kept his hand extended.
Long Feng paused, thoughts racing through his mind. Despite his irritation at Takeo catching him off-guard, he quickly realized the outcome should remain the same. He had already known that this was a risky plan, one that could jeopardize everything he had re-built over the last two decades. He knew it was not his nature to leap into the dark, as Takeo often did, but he had chosen to accept this risk precisely because his enemies would not expect him to... if they even knew he was still alive.
He flicked his wrist, and the earth restraints crumbled to dust. He cautiously grasped Takeo's hand and shook it, both of them letting go quickly.
But as Takeo bowed and began to limp back up the passage, the one unexpected variable came back to Long Feng's mind: the involvement of Azula. Whatever anyone said about her supposed insanity, the Fire Princess had always been dangerously unpredictable. He'd made the mistake of forgetting that the last time he confronted her.
Now, Long Feng forgot nothing.