"How long would it be, Commodore?" one of the soldiers asked.
"About a year at minimum. After that, rotation is possible."
"And would it be possible to…"
The next hour was spent answering the crew's questions. Of course, I could have simply ordered them—but we'd been through too much together to toss people around like that just to satisfy my own "whim." And at first glance, without knowing all the details, my "cunning plan" really did look like exactly that.
In the end, the idea of being paid their usual wages to relax on a tropical island with the object of their affection—interrupted only by standard training and the occasional "assistance to the local population within the framework of allied relations"—took firm root in their minds and sparked a surge of enthusiasm. No one refused, and I could, with a clear conscience, give the order to prepare the raider that would carry Kori, a couple of her father's officials, and my "vacationers" to Kyoshi.
The warriors received somewhat more detailed instructions. They were tasked with instilling discipline in the girl, as well as acquaint her with the island's customs and way of life, so that the newly appointed "Agent of the Herald and Representative of the Fire Nation" (capital letters mandatory!) wouldn't make a mess of things.
With that pressing matter resolved, I set off with a clear conscience toward the stables my father had mentioned — to sort out the matter of ground transport.
Surprisingly, there were no issues with the lizards. They were expecting me and were more than happy to provide the animals. Why wouldn't they be, if the purchase was going through government procurement? Fifty omnivorous, hardy, and fairly phlegmatic beasts cost five hundred gold—a small fortune. If it had been my own money, my inner miser would have strangled me on the spot, regardless of past service and bonuses. As it was, no such tragedy occurred.
Once the handlers had delivered our future mounts to the barracks, I turned to another urgent task—planning the detachment.
I had exactly ten Kyoshi warriors left, including Suki, and all of them would unquestionably be part of the escort. As for benders… a dozen firebenders would be useful, just in case. For "aggressive negotiations," so to speak. It didn't matter that I could carve through a hundred average fighters on my own; without benders in my retinue, certain overconfident individuals simply wouldn't take me seriously.
Ideally, I would have liked to balance things out with a couple of earthbenders, but when I asked, Morishita could only spread his hands. Yes, there were earthbenders in Yu Dao—perhaps a hundred, maybe even two—but they weren't willing to fight their "fellow countrymen," even if those countrymen were "politically misguided." Defending their city if it came to that? Certainly. But going on the offensive? Unfortunately, no.
Besides, there were no earthbenders in military service—every last one of them was a civilian specialist. I wasn't about to conscript them by force.
So: ten Kyoshi warriors, ten firebenders, and about twenty fighters. That seemed about right. One squad would be made up of my own proven veterans; the other could be assembled from the local garrison—men who had come from distant colonies or traveled across the continent. In short, they'd serve as guides for the detachment, with the added benefit of combat support.
Preparations took the rest of the day, but by the following morning we had said our goodbyes and set out.
By rough estimate, it would take us a week to a week and a half to reach the Northern Air Temple. The journey itself wasn't particularly long, but the final stretch passed through mountainous terrain, and our speed would inevitably drop. Besides, along the way we would pass through various villages, towns, and outposts that I was, ostensibly, obliged to "inspect." And simply showing my face—accompanied by a group of Kyoshi warriors—wouldn't hurt either.
***
The first couple of days were calm—one might even say dull. The outskirts fell under the jurisdiction of Yu Dao and experienced no particular problems. The residents of nearby villages were happy to offer lodging and food to the Herald, and they were genuinely pleased by our visit.
In a settlement with the rather on-the-nose name of "Sanatorium," they even offered us a full-fledged spa complex for a purely symbolic fee—and again, without any ulterior motive. Well, not quite without one, but it was more along the lines of important figures of the Fire Nation are staying with us rather than let's grease the inspector's palm.
Honestly, I would have gladly stayed there for a couple of days—the girls clearly wouldn't have objected either—if not for the nagging sense that time was slipping through my fingers. By my reckoning, the Avatar could "thaw out" at any moment. I didn't know the exact timing, of course, but judging by the ages of the key players, things should have already been starting to move. So lingering in towns and villages longer than necessary for inspection purposes wasn't wise.
Still, it wasn't just the "Sanatorium" that treated us to a pleasant respite. A small village not far from it proved just as welcoming—especially since a traveling circus happened to be performing there during our visit.
There wasn't much to inspect in a place that didn't even have a garrison, but it was a good opportunity to restock supplies and tend to the riding lizards. So I decided to combine business with pleasure. Or rather, I sent the sergeant off to handle the logistics while I turned to Suki.
"Would you do me the honor of accompanying me to the circus, my lady?" I offered her my hand.
"With pleasure, my lord," she replied. Though a second later, dropping the noble-lady act, she added, "Can we bring the other girls too? None of us have ever been to a circus before."
(End of Chapter)
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