Chapter 33

Izara had just spoken to Argo, who would get some good men to help them, and then he would meet her at the east side of the camp. Kazan was the one who showed her the ropes when she was first taken in by her Uncle. Things had been pretty rough before, but her Uncle had no patience for her learning. Kazan had helped her one day when she was carrying the Colonel's heavy armour set from the armoury to the barracks. Since then, they had gotten along. He was an honest man and always treated those around him with respect.

Kazan knew she could fight and was more intelligent than she let on, but he didn't know why. He hadn't pushed her to tell him, but she would have to after this. Since they had become close friends, she had opened up to him, and she didn't want to lose the bond they had developed. She hadn't given him all the details because she didn't want him to feel different about her or even dislike her when he learned the truth. After Argo left to find more allies, Izara returned to her tent and armed herself to the teeth. In the trunk she had transported her personal items in from camp to camp, she had made some hidden compartments holding her weapons. Her swords hadn't been in her hands for any reason other than practice for years, and she had intended to keep it that way. But her friend was more important.

Once darkness had fallen, Izara waited silently in the shadows for Argo to arrive, just in case his actions may have alerted the wrong person. If they were going to get busted, she would go alone. Stealth was her forte, so she could sneak away undetected. Unfortunately, most of the guys they were facing were all incredible firebenders, the one thing she wasn't great at. She would have to hope that no one spotted her, as it would be difficult to defend against fire at night, especially since it would draw a lot of attention.

Luckily, Argo's team showed up unnoticed, and she stalked out to get his attention. He came over and told her that he had enlisted three other people whom he trusted and turned to introduce her to them.

"This is Zorin, Feng, and Lee. They know what's at stake and will say nothing." Argo lowered his voice to just above a whisper. They couldn't risk discovery.

She gave them all a nod, and they returned it. They were clearly confused since they knew who she was and that she wasn't a soldier.

"Let's go." Izara gestured for them to move out using proper Fire Nation army hand signals, and after a moment's confusion, they listened.

Argo took the lead, but Izara kept herself right behind him. The man named Lee was on her left but moved closer to her.

"Why are you doing this? I know you and Kazan are friends, but you're going to get yourself killed. Can you even fight?" He whispered just loud enough for her to hear since their camp wasn't too far away.

"There isn't exactly a market for mercenaries now that the War is over. That's why I'm with my uncle. A girl has to eat."

"You are a mercenary?" Argo turned to look at her over his shoulder.

"I was." She corrected him softly, and that was the end of the conversation. Mercenary was a simple way of putting it, but she would have done anything if she had paid the right amount of money.

There was no more talking besides planning discussions until they arrived at the camp. It was only an outpost set up in a clearing, with a small bunker made from rock and wood. The Supremacists were on watch in each direction, but Izara had already formed a plan on her way over. Fortunately, their numbers weren't too great. About 15 were in sight, but she wasn't sure how many were inside the bunker.

"Lee, Feng. I want you two on the other side. Argo, Zorin, stay here. I'll create a distraction, allowing me to access the building inside. However, if I'm not back in an hour… go back to camp and pretend none of this happened. Got it?" Izara commanded, but Feng spoke up.

"How are you going to get inside?" He asked as Izara lifted the leg of her pants up and pulled a knife from her calf holster.

"Nothing makes a man let his guard down like a crying woman."

They watched in silence as she used her knife to cut a hole in her shirt and one in her pants over her thigh. She sliced through the skin, and the men made a few noises of hushed concern but didn't say anything. Once the wound started bleeding, she pushed against the skin to make it look worse than it was and smeared some of the blood onto her cheek. She also made a few rips in her clothing for effect. After she replaced the knife in its holster, still hidden by her clothing, she messed up her hair with her fingers and did her best to make herself look as dishevelled as possible.

"Keep watch for us. I'm not sure which side of the building we will break out from. And remember, if I'm not out in one hour, go back." Izara gave them all a nod and then headed off in the opposite direction to Argo and Zorin. Before she got too close, she placed her swords behind a tree so they couldn't be seen.

Once she got within earshot, she began calling out for help, limping and crying as she went. She saw that she was noticed immediately, and the men closest to her drew their weapons. They laid eyes on her and lowered them instinctively but didn't put them away. One of them seemed to take charge and walked out to meet her. Feigning injury as best she could, she quickened her pace toward him and wailed loudly.

"Please help me! I-I don't know where I am!" She shouted, doing her best to make a fuss and be loud, ensuring that the chance her companions would be detected was as little as possible.

"What are you doing out here?!" The man who approached her put his weapon away once he could see her better.

"I don't know what happened to me, but I think I was kidnapped! Please help!" She clutched at his shirt and tripped on purpose, but he caught her, just as she had hoped. It was a perfect opportunity to feel around and see if he had a set of keys, but he didn't have anything on him.

"Here, come this way." He helped her walk through the first line of guards, and just as she'd hoped, they headed towards the small bunker.

They went inside, but Izara couldn't see Kazan or the others around. But she spotted a door with a man guarding it and assumed they were in there. They sat down at the small table and chairs, and she pretended to be in pain and clutched at her leg. It wasn't exactly all faked since it did sting, but she milked it as much as possible.

"Could I trouble you for some water? I have no idea how long I've been out for. I'm pretty sure I was drugged." She asked sweetly and wiped her tear tracks with a trembling hand.

"Of course. Stay right here. I'll get you something to eat as well." He stood up and went out the front door.

Izara didn't let her facade drop but quickly assessed her situation. The door where the prisoners must be didn't appear to have a lock, which was probably why it was guarded. It also had a small opening that served as a window, but she couldn't see anything from her vantage point. The guard had full armour and a helmet, and Izara had an idea. Carefully, she shuffled over to the guard, and he eyed her carefully as she approached.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but would you happen to have a handkerchief?" she touched her face as if absent-mindedly feeling where she had smeared the blood.

"I don't. I'm sorry." He replied in an even and quiet voice.

"That's okay. Thank you so much. It's so kind of you gentlemen to help me." She reached out to gently touch his arm in an appreciative gesture and feigned her leg buckling so she could get close enough to see inside the window.

Kazan was there, and he was looking directly at her in surprise. He and the others were gagged and tied up. Apologising profusely to keep him off guard, she righted herself and put her plan into action. She knocked the guard unconscious with a quick succession of strikes and caught him as he fell. After opening the door, she ran to Kazan, quickly cutting his bonds. She left him her knife and dragged the man into the room.

"Someone take his place. Quickly!"

They sprung into action, and she gave out another dagger, and they began cutting their bonds. With three of them helping, one of them got changed into the armour and took the man's place. Izara returned to her place outside as if nothing had happened, knowing that her escort would return at any moment. It was a few minutes before he came back, and she ensured she kept up her crying act during this time.

When the man returned, she waited until he sat down and placed the cup and a piece of bread on the table before she knocked him out. She dashed over and locked the front door to make sure that no one could interrupt them while they made their plan to escape. It had only been around 15 minutes since she left her group, so they wouldn't be worried yet. She returned to Kazan and his men, who had all been cut free of their bonds, and we're ready to fight. They came out, and Izara offered the water and bread to them, although it was far too little between them all. There were 5 of them in total, 6 including her.

"Okay. I know we aren't going to get out of here without a fight. I've got four more men on the outside, two over here, and two here," she pointed in the direction the others were in. "Now their guard is down for me already. So, I want to try and take down as many as possible before they notice. You guys stay here. Kazan, you know my signal." Izara spoke in a firm tone, and the others didn't question her. They followed Kazan's lead and went with it.

Izara got up, went out the front door, and approached the nearest Supremacist. There were two of them, and the one nearest to her flinched in surprise before she spoke.

"Um, I was told you two could escort me so I can… relieve myself." she sniffled but gave them an awkward smile, and they both nodded after a moment.

Slowly, they walked out into the woods, and Izara remembered to limp but kept talking to the two men the entire time. It sounded like a straightforward discussion for her to figure out more about the area and where she was, but she was trying to get subtle information about them and their forces. They were going towards Feng and Lee if they hadn't moved, so they would handle these two, and she would return to try and get more of them. Spotting Feng and Lee in the exact spot she had left them, she stopped walking before the others saw them.

With perfect acting, as usual, Izara asked the men shyly to turn away while she relieved herself. They did so without question, and she came up behind one, throwing one arm around his neck, her other hand covering his mouth. The other guard noticed immediately but was too shocked to react in time. Feng dropped down from his position and knocked him out while Izara waited for her target to lose consciousness. As he went limp and heavy, she laid him down quietly. Once the men were out cold, she gave Feng a nod and returned the way she came.

When she got closer, she began screaming again, and three other Supremacists ran up to her. Fumbling her steps, she directed them towards where the others were and grabbed her swords on the way since the men were in front of her. When they saw their comrades, she waited for Feng to jump out and Lee to drop from the trees, and they timed it perfectly. Izara kicked the outside of the third man's thigh, causing him to drop down to one knee. With a solid strike to the back of the neck with one of her sheathed swords, he dropped face-first into the dirt.

Seven were knocked out now, and they could deal with those odds. Without wasting any time, Izara shuffled back to the bunker and got the others ready. Before she went, she approached the two unconscious Supremacists and used her usual tactic. She made a deep cut, severing their Achilles heel on both. They wouldn't be a threat until it healed, and she wasn't a huge fan of killing unless she absolutely had to. She already had enough blood on her hands.

She was ready to get back to camp and put this behind her. It was mentally draining doing all this after such a long time, and she was more than happy to move on. Once they were ready and had taken whatever they could from inside the bunker, they burst out of the front door and began the fight. Argo, Zorin, Feng and Lee rushed to help, and it didn't take long to dispatch the remaining Supremacists. They all seemed to be careful not to use lethal force, and Izara's cuts with her swords were just enough to go through a few layers of skin. Most of her strikes were shallow to ensure they wouldn't bleed out.

Now that they were safe, everyone seemed to subconsciously let out the breath they had been holding. Kazan walked over to Izara, who gave him a lazy smirk in response to his expression of shock.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He raised his voice, but it was a mix of anger and concern.

"You're welcome," Izara replied evenly, and Kazan sighed. She knew he would understand the subtle nod to her past in her gaze, and as expected, he didn't miss it.

"I know, but… You didn't need to risk your safety for me." He answered softly and stood directly in front of her. Since he was taller, she tilted her head back to make eye contact.

"Yeah, I did. You're my friend," She said plainly, hiding the emotion in her voice. She didn't like showing emotion, and she couldn't allow it at this moment anyway.

Kazan smiled down at her, but her attention was drawn by something moving behind him. From a glance over his shoulder, she saw one of the Supremacists moving, struggling to get to his feet. She had sheathed her swords but reached for her dagger, flipped it to grab the blade, and flung it at him, aiming directly for his heart out of sheer instinct. It hit its mark, and he gave a faint groan as the air escaped his lungs before falling onto his back again. Kazan's jaw dropped, but he didn't say anything. It wasn't what she'd wanted to do, but it was too late now.

"Shall we? We need to get back before our absence is noticed," She said to Kazan, who nodded silently.

The rest of them were busy grabbing all of the weapons and supplies that the Supremacists had. Izara retrieved her knife from the man's body and allowed herself a second to apologise silently. Even once the unconscious ones woke up, they couldn't do much. Once they sorted everything out, it was time to return to camp.

Sneaking back in, they went past the guards, with whom they were on good terms. However, Kazan and his group entered separately and went straight to get medical attention for their wounds. They would tell everyone they escaped and not mention her or the others who had left camp to rescue them.

Izara snuck back to her tent, and it seemed like nothing had been disturbed. Everything was exactly as she had left it, and she sighed in relief. Her lazy attempt at creating a false version of herself with pillows and cloth had been discovered, and there was no angrily scrawled note from her Uncle.

Now, she just had to patch herself up and take it easy. Maybe she would feign illness tomorrow, too and stay in bed all day...

###

Zuko didn't move from his desk for quite some time after Kazan left. Although he had said some outlandish things, Zuko knew that Kazan was telling the truth. This answered the subconscious questions he had about Izara. She had never given him a straight answer about how she had learned to fight and constantly changed the subject when they talked about her past.

"So, Izara told me she was a mercenary specialising in spying. She could go undercover to do recon and get information. She could sneak in and steal important correspondence, sabotage equipment, poison food and water supplies, and even assassinate enemy leaders. Breaking out Fire Nation soldiers from Earth Kingdom prisons was common for her. She told me she would have done anything if she was paid enough. Once the War was over, no one needed to hire her anymore, so she had to go to her Uncle to survive."

"Couldn't she have been a security guard or taught self-defence? She certainly has the ability." Zuko asked, still finding everything hard to compute.

"She told me that she believed she might be at risk due to some of the people who hired her being charged with war crimes. They could have had her killed to tie up loose ends. Going with her Uncle was good because she could hide away and keep a low profile." Kazan explained just as calmly as he had the whole time.

Zuko sat back in his seat in surprise.

"I'm not sure if the moniker will ring a bell to you…but she went by it until the War ended. Yoshikage."

At least everything made sense now. It all fell into place, and although Zuko was still worried about her, he knew she wouldn't have gotten into that situation without being confident she could get out. He would have to trust her judgement and hope that she would return. If she was as good as Kazan made her out to be, maybe she would return with critical information on the Supremacists that could finally end the rebellion.

He hadn't heard of Yoshikage, but it wasn't something he had ever needed to concern himself with during the War since he was too busy trying to capture Aang and help bring his father down. He may have to do some research.

Getting intel on the Supremacists sounded great, but Zuko cared far more about whether she returned at all…