Chapter 29: The Fire Beneath
The sun had barely lifted past the ridgelines when Prince Zuko stepped out onto the inner balcony of the command hall, flanked by Ensign Lee to his right and Hinaro just a half-step behind to the left. The morning air still carried the scent of sea brine and scorched wood residue of the battles fought just days before, now seeping into the very bones of the province.
The harbor below still bore fresh scars. Gaping holes along the lower dock planks had yet to be patched. Soot-colored stains remained on stone and steel. Supply lines now slithered through the streets like arteries, bustling, noisy arteries. Fire Nation engineers, civilian contractors, and military officers shouted over one another to coordinate. Zuko paused a moment to observe. Repairs were ongoing, but the soul of the province was restless.
Hinaro leaned slightly toward him as they walked.
"There's still structural weakness along the southern hold of the waterfront," she said quietly. "If a battle breaks out again too soon, it'll collapse under artillery fire."
"Noted," Zuko replied. "We'll make sure that front is reinforced before dusk."
They passed two guards at the entrance of the command rotunda. Each straightened at the sight of the Crown Prince. The heavy iron door creaked open, revealing a dark-stone chamber illuminated by hanging red lanterns and one low-burning hearth. A massive rectangular map table stood at the center, carved from marble and inlaid with brass, etched with topography, troop symbols, and siege marks.
There, hunched over the maps like a wolf ready to pounce, stood General Rulo.
His presence dominated the room, not by sheer size, though he was tall and thickly built but by the coiled stillness of his posture. The general was a man of fire and patience, an unusual contradiction. His armor was blackened at the edges from years of use, the crimson of his sash faded, but there was nothing dulled in the way his dark eyes locked onto the trio as they entered.
A few aides scurried off from the side benches. The moment belonged to leaders now.
"Crown Prince," Rulo said without bowing, his voice rough like gravel. "I was told you'd be arriving."
Zuko stepped forward, chin high. "General Rulo. Thank you for seeing me this early."
Rulo's eyes flicked to Lee and Hinaro, assessing but not greeting them. He gestured with a single hand to the side of the map table.
"We're out of time. You're just in time."
They took their places.
Rulo didn't waste words. He pointed to several markers near the southern edge of the Nan-Hai border, black figurines with faded green brush marks.
"Fong is moving north-west. Reports say he's massing a full brigade east of Ganmen Cliffs. We have maybe four days until they strike again. Five if they reroute through the hills."
Zuko folded his arms. "Have the reinforcements arrived from Omashu?"
"Just under three hundred troops," Rulo answered. "The rest are still en route. King Bumi sent earthbenders and infantry, no cavalry or heavy artillery of any kind as far as we can tell."
"No cavalry?" Zuko asked. "Odd, given the terrain."
"Not odd," Rulo grunted. "Strategic. He wants to test how we respond without tipping his full hand."
Zuko leaned forward.
"So the Avatar is there. Omashu is fully aware of this province's importance."
Rulo gave a tight nod. "Confirmed. Scouts intercepted transmissions from the outer city wall. The boy Avatar has been formally received by the King. The morale of the earthbenders with the Avatar in their corner is sky high."
Lee scribbled a note. "That would explain the sudden call for caution among the Earth Kingdom patrols."
Rulo raised an eyebrow at the ensign but said nothing.
"The boy is more dangerous now," he said instead. "He has allies. A legend guarding his flank. And the populace rising behind him."
Zuko remained quiet for a moment. Then:
"I still believe we can push Fong back if we act decisively."
"You'll get your chance," Rulo said. He pointed toward another section of the map. "Tomorrow evening, a firebender unit will arrive under Admiral Kuvak's banner. They'll land at Northport and push inland. That gives us an opening."
Zuko's fingers hovered above the brass piece marked Ganmen. "We trap them in the valley?"
"That's the idea. But they'll smell it if we're not subtle."
"Then we let them come to us. Show them disarray. A fractured front. They'll take the bait if they think we're scattered."
"A classic misdirect," Rulo said. "High risk. But effective."
They shared a look.
Something passed between them, an understanding that came from bleeding together on the same soil. Rulo had doubted the boy prince before, but no longer. Not after Nan-Hai.
Not after that duel.
Lee, meanwhile, reached into his robe and produced a scroll. "As requested, sire. Updates on the northern naval fleet. Admiral Kuvak's division reports full restoration of all ships. All operational and arrival expected within 24 to 30 hours."
Zuko nodded, taking the scroll and quickly scanning it.
"Good. And what of the pirate vessel?"
Lee hesitated.
"Uncertain, Your Highness. Scout ships observed it drifting to the south again. It hasn't made port, nor sent emissaries."
"Then it remains a phantom. Let's keep it that way," Zuko said, carefully not meeting anyone's eyes.
Zuko stepped closer to the map. "What about evacuation plans for the coastal towns? If this drags into a full campaign, civilians will be caught in the crossfire."
Rulo sighed. "The council in Shui Harbor refuses to leave. They think this is just another skirmish."
"Then make them understand," Zuko said. "Use whatever means possible to convince them. But this is our province now. And I won't have its people standing in my way."
Rulo nodded once, silently approving.
The meeting wore on another half hour. Discussion of food logistics. Water filtration. Rotating troop schedules and artillery resupply. A young soldier, a lieutenant under Donji's wing, entered with updated casualty figures from the previous battle: fifty-two more have died, a hundred and eight still injured.
"Too many," Zuko muttered under his breath.
"Better than it could have been," Rulo offered.
Finally, they broke ranks.
Rulo saluted stiffly. "You've grown into something dangerous, boy. Maybe it's time the Fire Lord starts seeing it."
Zuko didn't respond. He simply turned and motioned for Lee and Hinaro to follow him out of the chamber. The steel doors closed behind them with a thud that echoed down the long corridor.
As they walked, Lee glanced up at his prince.
"So the counteroffensive begins tomorrow?"
Zuko exhaled slowly.
"Yes. But we'll need more than fire and swords to win this."
He looked up toward the overcast sky, clouds beginning to gather.
"We'll need shadows. And misdirection. And a reason."
***
Far from the dust-choked winds of Nan-Hai, across the yawning blue maw of the sea, an island rose from the ocean like a forgotten tooth. It had no name on any map, not anymore. Its once-stamped designation had long been stripped from the naval records, struck through in black ink and quietly erased from memory. But to a few, it remained known, whispered in shadows, spoken only among those who still served the Order.
The surf hissed against jagged black cliffs as a small vessel neared the southern shore. Its sails were muted grey, its hull low and narrow built not for confrontation, but stealth. Upon its deck, six figures stood, cloaked and silent, their eyes fixed ahead as the silhouette of the island loomed larger.
Former Lieutenant Tau stood at the bow, his hood drawn low over his brow as the first rays of sun struggled through the morning haze behind them. He did not look back at his team. He did not need to. These were operatives like him, loyal to the same unseen master, survivors of the Order's culling, handpicked after Zhao's fall to operate without question.
The vessel creaked as it docked against a crude wooden jetty, aged and rotting in places, but still intact. No welcome party awaited them. No torches, no banners. Only the keening call of seabirds and the soft rustle of jungle canopy beyond.
Tau was the first to step onto the dock, his boots pressing into the old timber. Behind him came his five: the woman with the half-mask and twin butterfly blades, the enormous firebender with arms like stone pillars, the twitchy one whose fingers moved like ghosts in the air, the wiry one with the dual dao swords, and finally, the shadow walker, the quietest of them all, whose feet made no sound even on rotting wood.
One of the others, Dao, the twin-bladed one, spoke first. "Are you certain this is the place?"
Tau nodded without looking back. "Commander Zhao brought me here once. Years ago. Said the man we were to contact was... unreliable. But powerful. Said he was fire the world forgot how to control."
"Then why are we here?" Dao asked again. "Why go looking for someone who never wanted to be found?"
"Because," Tau replied, stepping off the dock and onto the jungle path, "he wants to be found now. He's been waiting. Waiting for the war to end. But now that Zhao is dead... and Zuko's star is rising... the board has shifted. The Order needs a new piece."
The path was almost gone, swallowed by foliage and creeping vines. But Tau remembered it well. It twisted inland, leading to a clearing shaped like a crater. At its center, the jungle broke, and a lonely wooden cottage rose from the earth like a wound stitched over in vines and branches. The structure was large, built wide rather than tall, with odd curves in the walls that suggested it was grown as much as it was built.
They approached in silence.
Then the voice came.
"Step no closer or I'll reduce you all to ash."
It wasn't shouted. It was spoken. But it carried weight. Force. As if the very air thickened with the sound.
Tau stopped. Raised both hands slowly. "It's me," he said. " Lieutenant Tau."
No answer.
"I brought others. They're operatives. From the Order. Assigned to me."
Still no response.
"They're loyal."
A rustle above. Movement in the trees. Leaves shifted, and there, perched high on a massive branch, cross-legged as if lounging on the back of a dragon was the man.
He wasn't what most would expect.
He was lean, almost wiry. A thick, braided beard wrapped his jaw like armor, with flecks of silver throughout. His eyes were sharp, wolf-like, watching every movement. He wore no shirt, only a vest made of stitched leaves and rough cloth. His trousers were reinforced with leather at the knees, but they too were patched from years of survival. A satchel of vials and dried herbs hung at his side, and across his back was a long black iron staff, etched with glyphs worn smooth by time.
The jungle had made him part of it.
"Where is that fool of a commander, Zhao?" he asked. His voice was unreadable.
Tau lowered his hands. "Executed. Prince Zuko uhm… we underestimated him."
The man's eyes didn't flinch. "What about you?"
"I was spared, lost all my rankings. I was called by the council. Brought back into the fold. They gave me a team."
"And the Avatar?"
"Escaped. With the Earth Kingdom. The Fire Prince let him slip through, or so it appears. For what, only he knows at the moment."
That seemed to draw a reaction. The bearded man shifted, dropping down from the tree with casual grace. He landed in a crouch, then stood tall. Even from a dozen feet away, his presence was undeniable.
"And so now... you come to me."
Tau nodded. "I came to find you. I realised what the commander was waiting for.."
The man paced forward, each step slow and deliberate. He studied each of Tau's operatives with piercing eyes. "Does the Order know you're here?"
"Yes. I believe they do."
"Then they've chosen sides," the man murmured. "And that means the time for hiding is over."
He walked past Tau, pausing only once to glance at the sky.
"Zuko has played well. Zhao underestimated him. Many have. But the Order knows better. They want the flame watched... and steered."
Tau turned to follow. "Is it finally time for what you told me that day sir?"
The man looked over his shoulder, and for the first time, a faint smile tugged at his lips beneath the beard.
"I didn't stay here for peace. I stayed because I was waiting for the fire to get interesting again."
He gestured toward the jungle behind them.
"Come. We have much to prepare. It is about time I take back what is rightfully mine."
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