Chapter Forty Five

He Who Knows Ten Thousand Things

The monolithic tower stood as a lone sentinel. It rose from the ever-shifting sands as a pillar of majesty. Sokka placed a hand on the stone and was surprised to find it cool to the touch, despite the heat of the desert sun. He glanced over his shoulder at the others, who were talking amongst themselves.

"I'm not going in." Sokka heard Toph's voice carry the short distance from where she stood. Zuko rolled his eyes and began to climb the bison's tail.

"Fine then." Aang said. He leapt skyward and continued speaking as he alighted on Appa's head. "You can keep Appa company."

"And stand watch for the Fire Nation." Katara added as she clambered up the tail.

"Eh, not really." Toph said, "I can't really see much in this sand. Everything's all fuzzy."

Appa grunted in response as he rose. Sokka glared at his friends as he stood at the tower's base. He reached into his pocket, drew out a piece of stale bread, and tossed it at Aang, hitting the Avatar in his left ear. Aang yelped and looked around for the source of the projectile and saw Sokka standing on the ground. Aang grinned at him in chagrin, before returning Appa to the sand. Sokka took a running leap, using Koh's shadow to force power into his limbs. He arced gracefully through the air, flipping once and landing on his sister's foot. Katara's eyes watered and she punched her brother in the neck, before clutching at her foot.

"Oh, Sorry, Katar-argh!" Sokka's apology cut off as his sister's fist connected with his larynx, causing him to choke and splutter, gasping for breath. Zuko stared at the pair of them in outright disbelief, and the feeling of shame rose up in him. How had these bumbling buffoons evaded him for so long?

Zuko shut his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. "Can you two just stop? We have to stay focused, we have no idea what might be in there."

"It's a library. There are books in there." Katara snapped as she rubbed at the throbbing mass of flesh attached to the end of her leg. She unstoppered the water at her hip and began healing the appendage. She wasn't sure if it was broken, but it certainly felt like a squashed melon. She snarled at Sokka, "Why are you so heavy?!"

"No, it might be a library." Zuko said back, "For all we know it could be an old watch tower, or a hideout for cannibals, or maybe some kind of man-eating desert monster has taken up refuge inside." Zuko saw Aang looking at him with an incredulous expression. Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "The point is, we can't say what it is, or what's inside. We have to be careful."

"I'm not heavy," Sokka rasped, rubbing his neck, "I was moving fast and landed on your foot. Anyway, Zuko's right. We don't know what is in there, we have to be cautious." He ended his sentence with a coughing fit. He reached for his own water, and stared Zuko down, daring him to intervene. Zuko just rolled his eyes.

Reaching the top of the spire, Team Avatar stared into the open window. It was dark inside, and only Sokka could see the interior. Aang and Katara looked at him expectantly, and Zuko raised an eyebrow in confusion, as he was unsure what the First Son was expected to do.

"It's just masonry. I can't see any more than that, the tower's too tall." Sokka reported.

Zuko paused and looked at Sokka, surprised. He had been in the process of igniting a fireball for light when the swordsman had spoken. Zuko squinted into the darkness of the tower and couldn't make out a thing.

"How can you tell?" Zuko asked, "I can't see anything."

"Sokka can see in the dark." Aang said, "It's one of his spirit powers." Aang waggled his fingers and made a ominous voice, causing Katara to chuckle and Sokka to roll his eyes.

"How many spirit powers does he have?" Zuko asked curiously, his hand still poised to create a flame.

"It's not important right now." Sokka said, fastening a rope to the window. He tossed the rest of the coil in and began his descent into the structure. As he passed the threshold, he felt a subtle weight settle over him. He climbed down to rope and became morose, and his sorrow increased as he saw the contents of the building.

It was a grand library, perhaps hundreds of times greater than that of the north pole. The space was illuminated with a soft, pale light given off by lanterns that shone without flame. The Library stretched down for countless floors, and Sokka could hardly make out the ground floor without enhancing his vision. Shelves upon shelves of books and scrolls stretched out as far as the natural eye could see. Sokka grimaced as he took in the sight, and a lance of fire seemed to strike his heart. Yue would have loved that place.

Sokka came to the end of the rope, and was impressed to see that it hung only a few feet from the floor of a catwalk that spanned a wide open space in the library's center. He glanced over the rail and found that he could just make out a seemingly small square of tiled ground. The majesty of the building was overwhelming, and the strange effect it seemed to have on his mood made it even more so. He felt like weeping, like throwing himself into the open air and falling to his death. Sokka shook his head and dragged a hand down his face. He had to stay focused, he needed to maintain control of his senses. He couldn't fathom why it was affecting him so, he glanced back up toward the rope and saw the others making their way down. Aang glided down and chatted with Katara, and the two chatted amicably. Zuko looked to be his usual grumpy self. Sokka doubted that they were being influenced in the same way. He licked his teeth and stared idly into the distance. What could be the cause? A random episode of… teenage angst? A delayed effect of a blow to his larynx? Maybe his thyroid had been damaged. Sokka didn't know. He was certain, however, that it could not be allowed to continue. He closed his eyes and reached for the void. Calm suffused him as he entered into great emptiness, the open space that filled his soul felt… like nothing. Sokka blinked and waved his hand through the air. It was thick, viscous even, and seemed to weigh him down as he moved.

A nagging sense of familiarity filled him as if he had suffered this before. He strove for the memory, but couldn't quite find it. It was almost as if he had entered the Spirit World, but… no. It could not be. He had not left his body behind, he had not stepped out from his mortal vessel.

Katara and Aang alighted on the bridge, followed closely by Zuko. The three of them marveled at the splendor of the spirit library. Aang and Katara stared over the edge of the catwalk. Zuko looked around, his eye narrowed as he watched for danger.

"Do you feel it?" Sokka asked, addressing his companions. Before they could respond, Sokka used the hand sign he and the others had designated for silence. He turned his head to stare into the shadows behind him, and saw nothing. He listened carefully, and heard a light clicking sound. He closed his eyes and focused on his hearing, and spoke to the others. "Be quiet. We are not alone."

Sokka listened carefully, hearing the light scuff of something soft on stone, and the click of something sharp on the tiled floors. He turned with the sound until it stopped, and opened his eyes to stare right at Zuko. He couldn't see anything, and the Fire Prince stared at him in confusion. Sokka blinked and it was there.

A great owl, towering over Zuko as it stood behind him, its wings spread as it stared down at the scarred man. Katara gasped and Aang turned his staff on the creature. Before either of them could move, Sokka had drawn his Regret and the glow of moonlight spilled across the floor. Zuko whirled in place and took a step back, igniting twin flames in each of his hands. Before any of them took so much as a step towards the monster, it spoke.

"I am Wan Shi Tong, He Who Knows Ten Thousand Things. You have come unbidden into my domain, and I do not suffer your kind to live."

"Wan Shi Tong," Aang said, straightening, "I am the Avatar, and I have come because I need to know things that I can't learn anywhere else, please allow us to-"

"I care nothing for you, or your quest, Avatar." The Owl said, still glaring at Zuko. He took a step towards him. His shape changed, he moved, and his voice distorted, "I find you in an ill company, it is he that I despise."

Wan Shi Tong bent low into Zuko's face and spoke once more. "You should not have come to this place, firebender. You are not welcome here."


Azula rolled her eyes. "Okay, Rocky."

Suki glared at her. "That only makes me more sure."

"How does that make you think we're not from Omashu?" Ty Lee asked.

"Only people from the Fire Nation colonies say that," Haruhi said. "So, what's the real story? Are you looking for a better life in Ba Sing Se? Hoping to get away from the ashmaker savages?"

Ty Lee looked taken aback at the offensive term, and Mai slouched in her saddle even further. Sugar Foot squawked in merry enjoyment over being ridden.

"So what if we are?" Azula asked. Suki shrugged.

"It's common enough." The Kyoshi said, "Most people of Earth Kingdom descent are treated like dirt. Refugees that spread from the occupied territories move east and settle in new villages or cities. I'm guessing that's why you're looking for your uncle? He moved to Ba Sing Se for a better life?"

"You caught me." Azula lied. "What now?"

Suki shrugged. "Nothing really, but you can get off your high ostrich-horse."

"I have no idea as to what you are referring to," Azula said, lifting her chin disdainfully.

"That! That, right there!" Suki said irritably, "The way you foppishly treat everyone like they're beneath you! It's the most annoying thing ever seen by man or spirit."

Azula glared at Suki. "I do not act foppishly."

Yes, you most certainly do." Sara said.

Azula considered setting the Kyoshi Warriors on fire. She decided against it and said, "Define foppish."

There was a pause, for the Kyoshi Warriors did not know the official definition, nor did they know if it was an actual word. As the silence lengthened, Azula began to smirk in smug triumph, until Akara said, "Foppish: to act in a manner reminiscent of Azula's behavior from the past few days."

Laughter, snickering, giggling, a guffaw or two followed. To Azula's utmost irritation, Ty Lee joined in.

"You could tone it down a bit." Mai told Azula, "It's not doing much good."

Azula raised an eyebrow at… was that a rebuke? Mai, rebuke her?! Azula, princess of the Fire Nation, firebender of the highest order, a descendent of Agni himself! The next to sit the Dragon Throne?! Her lip twitched in anger. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to not strike down her insolent, disrespectful, closest friends. Perhaps Mai had a point. Pretend the peasant was not a peasant, don't disdain their very presence.

"Perhaps you have a point," Azula said, maintaining a demeanor of outward calm, throwing in a touch of embarrassment. "I suppose I can be…" She waved her hand in a vague gesture.

"Azula can get a bit awkward around new people." Mai supplied, "She had a very strict schedule growing up."

"Oh," Suki said, "That makes sense. I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot, let's start over and try to be friends."

Azula paused for a second. She would not deign for a moment to befriend such a lowborn Earth Kingdom girl, but she had a role to play. "Of course."


Sokka moved like lightning, moving dozens of feet to stand beside Zuko with his sword held in a high guard. A mighty wind billowed around them and the Avatar was on Zuko's other side, staff in hand.

"We mean you no harm!" Aang said, as Katara joined them. "All we seek is -!"

"I care not for what you seek." The Owl said, his neck stretching and contorting like a serpent, "Humans are hardly welcome in my library, and firebenders are forbidden entirely. He has come here unbidden, and I do not take such violations lightly."

"Great Spirit," Zuko said with surprising humility, "I meant you no disrespect. I have come only to help The Avatar. We need to know things, and the information can only be found here! Please, I did not know that firebenders were forbad to enter your library! I meant no disrespect! Please, allow us to gain the knowledge we seek!"

Wan Shi Tong blinked a slow, ponderous blink. He spoke, "You are a gracious one, and for that, I am pleased, but gracious or not, you are a firebender. Your life was forfeit the moment you entered my library."

Silence fell like mist, and Zuko stepped back. He began a firebending form. Sokka shifted his grip and stepped sideways to flank the spirit, but before they could move more than a few steps Aang spoke. The wind swirled around him, and his voice rang out in the silence.

"No. Zuko is my friend, my teacher, and my ally. He is under my protection. You will not harm him, or any of my friends." As the airbender spoke, his tattoos flickered briefly. Wan Shi Tong cocked his head to the side as he studied the monk.

"Is that so? He cannot remain in this library and remain alive." Wan Shi Tong said.

Aang's face twisted in anger, and it seemed as though battle was inevitable. Then, Katara spoke. "Zuko, maybe you should wait outside. Keep Toph company."

Wan Shi Tong looked at her, and then studied the Avatar. "I find this compromise... Acceptable."

Aang straightened up and smiled. "Great!"

"I don't want to wait outside! I-" Zuko was cut off when Sokka smacked him on the back of the head.

"Fine." Zuko walked over to the rope and began to climb out of the library.

Wan Shi Tong watched Zuko with narrowed eyes until he climbed out of the window they had come through. As the Prince departed, the Spirit turned to consider the others. He cocked his head to the side and spoke.

"The rest of you may stay, though I have stipulations. None of the knowledge in my collection may be used to destroy your enemies. Never again shall I allow my work to be used for such a purpose." As The Owl spoke, Aang and Katara exchanged a look and then glanced at Sokka. The First Son did not so much as blink. Wrapped in the void, he was unaffected by the tension of the moment, as might a great stone be unaffected by stormwinds on a winter sea. He stood as a monolith, still as starlight and barren as the desert sands. An empty vessel, devoid of soul.

"That's fine with us, right guys?" Aang answered, forcing a smile. Katara agreed and gave a forced smile of her own. Sokka tilted his head in much the same manner as The Owl, but said nothing. Wan Shi Tong met his gaze and raised an eyebrow.

"Tell me," Sokka said in a cold, empty voice, "What is this place?"

"...It's a library?." Katara said, confused, turning her statement into a question.

"Yes," Sokka answered, "But it's… something more."

"I feel it too." Aang said, "It's almost like being in the Spirit World, but not quite. I can't put my finger on it."

Wan Shi Tong gazed at Sokka, his avian eyes filled with suspicion. "It does not surprise me that the Avatar sensed it, but how did you come to know this? Are you Spirit…" The Great Owl's eyes filled with distaste. "Very clever. Bringing the firebender to distract me, that one of his may go undetected."

"What?" Katara asked, "One of whose?"

"The Face Stealer." Wan Shi Tong flicked his eyes to her for an instant, and then returned his attention back to Sokka. "How much power has he given you? It appears that you would have gained near nothing, else you would not be able to bear the spell of misery on this place."

"Spell of misery?" Aang asked, looking around as if he might see it. "I don't notice anything.."

"You would not. As the Avatar, you are both human and spirit. There is no bond, you are one. The Spirit Bound, however, would be so overcome with grief and misery that the mere effort to stand would seem an insurmountable challenge, they would wither and die as summer grass under autumn's chill. It is a precaution to keep the other great spirits from meddling in my affairs. La especially likes to play his little jokes. He has sent more than one champion here to vex me. After four millenia, I still find glitter on occasion. He is why I have built my library in the desert, when once it stood on a cliff by the sea."

"You still have not answered me." Sokka said, his voice seeming to echo as if from afar.

"This library is my domain, and as such exists in both the physical and spirit worlds. In this place they are not separate, but the same." Wan Shi Tong said.

"If that's true, then where are all of the spirits?" Aang asked, looking around as if to spot one hiding behind a shelf.

"That brings us to my second stipulation. To be allowed entry and perusal of my archive, you must provide an addition to my collection. Any knowledge that I do not already possess shall grant you entry. It is seldom that new discoveries are made by the spirits, and there is little in that realm that I do not know."

"Uh…" Aang said, looking at his friends for ideas.

"Ooh, here!" Katar drew out her own wanted poster and presented it to The Owl. Wan Shi Tong examined it and nodded. Taking her lead, Aang drew out Sokka's poster. Wan Shi Tong stared at it in amusement. "Sokka: the Stupid Genius. How imperial."

The Owl let his eyes fall on the First Son. "And what do you bring to my collection?"

Sokka pulled Zuko's copy of Fire Lord Sozin's On Heat and Motion, which the new combustion bender had found in a side pouch inside of his pack quite unexpectedly, and handed it as tribute. Wan Shi Tong's eyes flashed for a moment, but returned to their original outlook so quickly Sooka would have thought he had imagined it, had he not dwelled with the space of perfect clarity.

"I find your offerings acceptable. You may search through my collection, and my knowledge seekers shal attend and assist you as needed." As he spoke, he gestured with a wing and three foxes appeared as if from nothing. Each of the foxes dipped their head and trotted over to stand at the feet of one of the members of team avatar. "I hope you find the knowledge that you seek."

As he spoke, Wan Shi Tong spread his wings, and with a mighty gust he leapt into the air and was gone.


Azula, her friends, and the Kyoshi Warriors had entered the village of Putao two hours past, and after making use of the baths, Azula and Suki went into town for supplies and news. Putao was a neutral town despite its close proximity to Ba Sing Se, at less than a day's journey from the capital. As a neutral town, it acted as an information hub from all sides of the war. Messages and rumors blew on from all the distant corners of the earth, carried as if by wind.

Azula stalked along beside Suki, and the two didn't speak much. Azula stopped to examine and examined a message board, and frowned as she read allowed, "Wanted: The One-Eyed Dragon, also known as the banished Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, for treason and treachery to the Dragon Throne."

"One-Eyed Dragon? But he has both his eyes…" Suki trailed off as she spotted a notice bearing the crest of both Water Tribes. An image of Sokka was present on the poster, his eyes cold and distant as he wielded a white sword. Her eyes widened slightly and read the poster as Azula had, "Chief Hakoda of the South and Chief Arnook of the North have agreed to unite the tribes into a single nation, under the leadership of the First Son, henceforth known as the Long Mind of The Waters, Master of The Moonlit Sword, and Living Soul of The Sea. All hail Sokka, Emperor of The Water Tribes."

"What?!" Azula exclaimed, pushing Suki out of the way. She read the notice several times, before accepting it as fact. Her uncle had spoken the truth, and she was shocked by how the news had spread in the course of a week and a half.

"That's… amazing." Suki said, "I knew he was the First Son, but now he's the Emperor of The Water Tribes… And he's kind of an idiot."

Azula snorted despite herself. For yes, Sokka was kind of an idiot.

Suki noticed the snort and smiled slightly. It wasn't much, but it was a start. Azula was a good fighter, and Suki thought she might yet be persuaded to join her team.

"So, what is it like in the Fire Nation colonies?" Suki asked, as they resumed their walk to the market.

Azula shrugged. "Not too bad, really. The food there is better than anywhere else I've been."

"Really? Is it all Fire Nation food?" Suki asked.

Azula, having never had anything other than Fire Nation cuisine and travel rations, said, "Yes. The Fire Nation have dominated the Earth Kingdom in all ways, be it war, culture or cuisine."

Suki bore a look of great sadness. "It's awful, I know. I can't imagine what it must be like for you, having to live under the boot of those tyrants. Have you ever even had Earth Kingdom food? Read any of our stories? Do true, proud Earth Kingdom folk sing our songs in secret?"

"I- No." Azula said, just as a small hoard of children raced past them in the street, chased by one boy in an ill-fitting black cloak, which he likely took from his father for the game they were playing. Suddenly the boy drew two sticks and shouted, making the other children stop and face him.

"Beware!" Shouted the boy, "Abandon all hope and quake in fear! Draw tight the rope, his blade is near! 'Someone save me!' the brave man says, 'Cometh nigh The Rez!'"

As one, the children shouted, "Cometh nigh The Rez!"

The group scattered in all directions, fleeing the boy in the cloak, obviously playing the part of The Rez, although Azula didn't know what that was.

Suki laughed at the sight of the children playing, and upon seeing Azula's confused expression she said, "This is what I mean! You haven't even heard of The Rez, have you?"

"No." Azula rolled her eyes. "What is 'The Rez'?"

"It's a fairy tale, a story about The Shadow Knight, also called The Rez. There's even a sort of poem about him. I- hold on, I think I have a copy-" Suki began digging in her bag and pulled out a small book entitled King's Dark Tidings. She opened the book to the first page and handed it to Azula. The Princess of the Fire Nation looked disdainfully at the small book. Suki looked at her expectantly and Azula began to read. *1

At the hour, on the morrow, not with certain sadness, woe, or sorrow, Prey ye never see him coming, never feel thy heart's hard thrumming. May ye never mind the missive, forbidden song unsung in writings – In dark and devilish dirge, "Come I to thee with King's Dark Tidings," Fall to dream, thy breath deceased, dance with sylph, a soul released, But 'twas day! – with bright and luminous halls – no shadowed walls! Knight of Shadows, ruler's summons; ride thee swiftly, bear no sightings – "Kingdom calls," yon mark says – "Cometh nigh, the Rez."

"How quaint," Azula said as she returned the book. Suki blinked at her in disbelief.

"You've never even heard of it? The Rez? Brother to the Earth King? Elite assassin?"

"Never in my life."

"Of course not." Suki said, "The Fire Nation marches in, destroys our homes, and erases our culture, even down to the stories we tell our children. Even a make-believe story is burned away. And for what? Does anyone know why they burn and pillage and murder? I don't think they even have a reason."

Azula stared at Suki for a moment, baffled. Was the Kyoshi so ignorant? Was that pathetic, backwater island so isolated that they didn't even know the purpose of the war? Azula decided it was her prerogative to enlighten the warrior.

"Fire Lord Sozin started the war of enlightenment to share the greatness of the Fire Nation with the other, more primitive nations of the world," Azula said.

Suki stared at her unblinking. "Seriously?"

"Wha- Yes!" Azula said, "That's what they teach us in schools-"

Suki cut her off. "That doesn't make any sense! Share their greatness with the other 'Primitive' nations?" She used her hands to draw quotations in the air, "I'm sure that the Air Nomads were super impressed by how advanced the Fire Nation's method of burning them all to death was."

"I'm not surprised that's what they think, as it's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

Azula said nothing, but silently realized that Suki had a point, it was… a poor reason. If that was truly the purpose of the war, then it was wholly ineffective. The other nations didn't hold them in high regard. Quite the opposite really, even the mention of the Fire Nation was met with scorn and contempt. The Fire Nation was truly hated the world over when once they were loved and admired if King Bumi's testimony was to be believed. In fact, she had once read of a tournament of games in which all the nations gathered to compete in good faith, and many first-hand accounts claimed that the Fire Nation had been the nation to found the games in the first place, and it was mostly sports created by her country that were played the world over. Other historical accounts had claimed that Fire Nation goods had been in enormous demand before the war, their art and music traveled to the distant corners of the earth. These things gave validity to the Mad King's claims. Where the Fire Nation was now hated, they had once been loved. It made Azula question her father, her grandfather, and her great-grandfather. A crack was wrought in her conviction that day, and a sliver of doubt took residence in the gap.


Ash. Rows and rows of burned out shelves. An entire wing of the library burned to ruin. Sokka looked upon the destruction wrought within the great library and felt nothing. He stepped forward into the ruined section of the archive and inspected the piles of crumbled cinder. He dug through it, despite the darkness of the ruined wing. There was nothing, no scrap of parchment remained unburned, save that in the display case in the entryway. Sokka turned from that place and walked silent throughout the blackened halls of the devastated wing of the library.

He came upon a room fashioned to look like the sky. In its center, there was a set of dials representing days, months, and years respectively. Sokka set the date he had found on the scrap of parchment in the display

He did not walk alone, for ever out of sight lurked the great owl, watching, waiting, spying. Sokka stopped and drew his Regret. The blade glowed with the soft white light of the moon as he spoke. "I know you're there. I can hear you."

Wan Shi Tong stepped into the open and inspected Sokka with a disgusted look. "I know what you seek. Despite your lies, I have not been fooled. I know you mean to use my archive to destroy your enemies."

"Yes." Sokka said, as if the issue was of no consequence.

"I shall not let you. Never again will my collection be used for such a purpose."

"You will," Sokka said, leveling Regret at the spirit. Wan Shi Tong's eyes locked on the blade and filled with curiosity. He stepped towards Sokka and inspected the sword as if he felt no danger at the threats of the First Son.

"You haven't a chance at defeating me." The Owl said, "Despite the remarkable sword that you carry. I can see the mark of two great spirits. Tui and Koh. However, did you find such a thing?"

"I made it," Sokka said, eyes never leaving.

"Is that so?" Wan Shi Tong asked. "It's fascinating the way that it stores light, absorbing it through Koh's mark and storing it within the blade. I wonder what other properties it may have. It shall make a fine addition to my collection."

Sokka abruptly lowered his sword. "It belongs to me."

"That matters little. You shall not leave this place, for I am taking my knowledge back. You will dwell within my library forever more." Wan Shi Tong spoke as he spread his wings.

"I cannot defeat you." Sokka said, "But he can."

"The Avatar is not fully realized, he does not possess the strength to best me here, in my domain." Wan Shi Tong began to beat his wings, causing dust to billow through the air.

"Not Aang," Sokka said, and as he spoke he took up Koh's mantle. His shadow lengthened and writhed across the ground. It stretched and bent unnaturally until it surrounded Wan Shi Tong.

"If I call him, he will appear." Sokka's voice grew distant, and it twisted and warped like cloth in the wind. "In this place where the spirit and physical worlds overlap, he can reach us. It is the nature of our bond."

Wan Shi Tong's eyes widened, and for a moment they held an echo of fear, and were soon filled with the roar of fury. "You would call the Face Stealer, in hopes that he defeats me? I, He Who Knows Ten Thousand Things?! I, the keeper of knowledge both known and lost!?"

"Yes," Sokka said. "You're afraid. Terrified. You hide behind your anger, but I can smell it on you. You know that should I call him, he will strike you down."

Wan Shi Tong scowled. "Collect your companions and get out"

The knowledge spirit spun in place and was gone. Sokka listened carefully but could hear nothing of him. He began to seek out Aang and Katara when he heard a faint rumble, nearly the sound of distant thunder. He channeled more of Koh's Shadow into his hearing and listened. He could hear Aang and Katara flipping through their tomes, looking for secrets to aid them, and he heard in the distance, outside the library… fire. The rumble of an explosion, sands shifting unnaturally. Shouting. A battle outside the library.


*1

An excerpt from the poem at the start of Reign of Madness, Book two of Kel Kade's Kings Dark Tidings. The scene regarding The Rez is a reference to that series. I highly recommend it to all of you, I've gone through it on audible seven times this year. It's my most enjoyable series to date.

Author's Note:

Hello all

I hope you're doing well. I've had a bit of an eventful month. Work, relationship, too much work, no time for relationship, relationship ends. Girl gets in car crash hours later, is fine. Spend hours in hospital waiting with her and her parents. Wild day.

Anyway, I hope that you like this update, though I'm not 100% satisfied with how the end turned out. I'm sure its a shock to see an update in less the 2 months after the last

Please comment. It makes me write faster lol

Charlemagne OR WHATEVER