The Traitor Princess

Chapter 63 - Journey to Bhanti Island

The group was sleeping soundly together near the fountain. Sure, there were rooms inside the actual Temple, but it seemed everyone wished to be close to each other after their happy reunion. Birds were chirping in the distance as gentle rays of sunlight illuminated the stone structure.

Eziri was startled awake by the sound of Appa's growl followed by a loud boom.

She jumped to her feet in an instant, frantically searching the area around her. Aang's staff was raised in defense and it seemed the others were all scrambling awake. Out of the mist beneath the cliff, a Fire Nation air ship slowly rose into sight.

"Oh fuck." Eziri muttered. She grabbed her bag and quickly pulled Sokka's still half-asleep form up to his feet. 

Bombs whizzed through the air and Aang airbent the metal shutters around the group for protection. It wouldn't last long, but it would hopefully give them enough time to escape. Dust and debris fell around them and Eziri yanked a dazed Sokka towards her so he wasn't hit by a small stone.

This seemed to fully wake him up and he turned to his girlfriend in surprise. "Thanks." He said breathlessly.

Eziri smirked at the look on his face and winked. "Anytime, water boy."

"You two are adorable but is now really the time?" Mila exclaimed, watching the couple exasperatedly. Eziri and Sokka looked sheepish as they scrambled to help the other gather the rest of the supplies. Everyone hurried away from the bombs, carrying what belongings they could.

Haru and Toph used their bending to create a large tunnel in the side of the mountain. "Come on, we can get out through here!" Toph gestured to their only escape route.

However, it seemed Appa had no intention of going into the tunnel. Aang tried his best to coerce the bison along but the animal refused. Eziri rushed forward to try and help but Appa remained stubborn. She patted Appa's head, trying to get him to calm down.

"What are you doing?" Aang suddenly asked. Eziri looked up to see Zuko standing near the metal shutters, close to where the bombs kept landing.

"Go ahead. I'll hold them off." Zuko said bravely. "I think this is a family visit." He muttered a bit quieter.

Eziri shut her eyes and exhaled quickly, already regretting her decision when she sprinted forward after her brother.

"Zuko, Eziri, no!" Aang shouted

"Eziri what are you doing?!" Sokka rushed forward, only stopped by Katara's tight grip on his arm.

Eziri ignored the protests of her friends and hurried after her idiot brother, walking right towards the danger. She quickly caught up to him and the pair jumped over debris and fallen rocks in sync. Zuko shot her a disapproving look but there was clearly no time for them to argue. They sprinted to the edge of the cliff and Zuko sent a massive fire blast towards the ship that was launching bombs.

Suddenly, another ship rose right in front of them, their sister standing there with a tight grip on the railing. Eziri looked at her sister in shock. It had only been a few days since she'd last seen Azula but something was completely off. The youngest sibling had a manic look in her eye that the two older teens had never seen before.

"What are you doing here?" Zuko called out.

"You mean it's not obvious yet? I'm about to celebrate becoming an only child." Azula flipped her legs over the railing and sent a blue fire blast right towards her siblings. The older teens were sent sprawling back in a cloud of smoke.

"Fucking hell." Eziri muttered as she forced herself up. Zuko groaned and did the same. "The temple is collapsing!" She shouted to her brother, noticing the cracks forming right beneath them.