'What else do WE have to lose? Well, they, unlike me, NOTHING!'

At least those were the words on the tip of my tongue. This time, thankfully, my brain was faster than my mouth, stopping me before I could say something I would regret.

Sure, Ward, his Shadowbreakers, and those damn mind mages were all after me, eager to have their own cores. Yet Elira and Vara? They weren’t much better off. Sure, there was a slim chance they might let them go because they would fear Rayden and the empire - albeit with, shall we say, altered memories. Odds were, however, they’d get killed just to shut them up, turned into slaves like me, or even worse, made into thralls. Honestly, I wouldn’t put it past those mind bastards to have those two assist them in their efforts to figure out what made me tick and accept the beast core.

The thought sent a shiver through me, so I pulled Sage closer and tucked us deeper into my wings.

"Grey?"

'Elira? Did she have anything else to say to convince me to tell Harcon about my core?' Well, there was no need. My mind was already made up. She trusted Harcon to make the right decision, and I found no lies in her words. Vara had her doubts - but mostly because she couldn’t forgive the guy for walking out on the Castiana City Guards. Can’t say I was much better off; the pain from his fire was still seared into my memory.

Yet, spilling the truth about the core felt like our only shot.

"Yeah, I know. I just..." As usual, doubt chipped away at my resolve, forcing me to stall. "... please, just call me Korra."

Yeah, stupid, I know. Like, who cares if she uses my first or last name? But considering the shit we were in, together, it just didn’t sit right.

"Oh, um, alright." Definitely not what she expected to hear.

"Way too quick on this one," Vara joked with a strained laugh, catching the blush on her friend's face. "Took her weeks just to call me by my name."

"Don't listen to her, Gre—uh, K-Korra," Elira stammered, quickly correcting herself. "Anyway, you should..."

"I know, Harcon."

"That too, but I was talking about your hair," she whispered, nodding toward Sage.

'Oh, right, the scent trail.' To be honest, I doubted the usefulness of it considering the wagon seemed to stick to the road so far. Anyone tracking us, if there were any, just needed to stay on the main route. Still, to be on the safe side, I took a deep breath, then, since I didn’t have claws, yanked out a few strands of hair from the tufts of fur around my wrist.

Like hell was I going to do that to Sage. I already felt crappy about shredding her hair with my claws before, plus her hair was too long to use, anyway.

Not gonna lie - I wish I could say I didn’t make a sound, but damn, it hurt like a bitch. The fur clung to my skin like it belonged there, way more stubborn than any other hair I have got. Then, eyes watering, I bit into my fingertip, let the blood soak the hair, and, keeping an ear out for the right moment, slipped it through the crack in the floor.

With that done, I took a deep breath and stretched my hand out to Elira. "Pass me the ring, please."

"Y-You still there?" As an experienced Union Ring user, I focused my question on the metal tool now on my finger. Then, being the ball of nerves I was, I braced myself for the answer, dreading it.

"Of course I am," Harcon replied, a hint of a chuckle in his voice. "Or were you hoping I'd end up like Stom?"

'Huh?'

"The i-illusionist?" I perked up, listening hard. But with the wagon rumbling, hooves thudding on the road, and half a dozen breathless gasps, finding the one belonging to him proved beyond me.

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"Yeah, haven't you noticed he's missing?"

"N-No... I guess he didn't run away?"

"Rather, he wasn't able to run any further. Ward's people took care of him. I'm guessing they used his body to throw the ‘hounds’ off our trail."

'So he's dead.' I couldn't say I felt sorry for him. If anything, I felt a bit of warmth in my chest. It kind of ticked me off too - I wanted to be the one to settle my score with him. Nevertheless, not what I wanted to talk to him about.

"Well, that's... unfortunate," I said, failing to get the sarcasm out of my inner voice. "I-Is... Is what you said still true?"

"That depending on what the reason is for the mind mages going after you so hard, I'll decide what to do?"

'Fucker!'

"That you'll help us."

"Again, it depends on the reason. But yes. Look, despite what you may think, I keep my word."

"O-Okay… s-so, you know what mages desire and beasts have?" I can't say I was proud to go with the riddles, but I just couldn't bring myself to tell him directly about the core.

"Funny, are you telling me you have a beast core?"

"Y-Yeah, in my belly."

"Hold on. You are actually serious?"

"Yeah, I'm. I have it. Dungreen shoved it in there while the bitch was watching."

"...and you survived it?"

"Obviously."

"Ha ha ha. B-But that... that… Fuck! That makes so much sense now. All those years in hiding, yeah, this is definitely worth sticking their heads out for. Hold on, surviving the beast core is one thing, but... can you use it?" His earlier bravado vanished; now, his inner voice shook with a mix of fear and excitement.

"Kind of."

"What does that mean? Can you or not?"

"I’ve barely had it for two weeks. Haven’t really had the chance or the desire to learn how to use it. Plus, I'm not a mage - I can't control my mana."

"I see..." Harcon replied, not hiding his disappointment.

"B-But when I shift, the beast - well, instinctively I know how and I can. I've used it," I said, on edge, waiting for him to respond.

"I see. Make sense," he said, his voice surprisingly chilly as he stopped mid-sentence. "Traiana's tits! I'm such an idiot. Ward, that bastard! He swore he didn’t know why mind mages were interested in you, saying they forbade him to dig into it. Tons of money and a noble title in Arid, my ass! He wants the beast core!"

Right, that’s what Elira and Vara figured out too.

"W-What about... What about you?"

"That's the question, isn't it?" he said, his inner voice dripping with uncertainty. "I could try sucking up to him, and who knows? I might get a core for myself."

'Shit! Guess Elira misjudged him.'

"BUT... judging by their desperation to get you, you were definitely a one-hit wonder. They need you to figure out what they did right. It could take them years."

Just the thought of spending years locked up in some dark cell, likely strapped to an operating table, made me shudder so hard that a whimper slipped out. My mind raced, though. I needed to come up with something - anything - to convince him to keep me from falling into their hands.

"If... if they ever figure it out."

"What do you mean?"

"Fae, a Fae was involved."

"Fae? Tits! You’re one of the Lost, aren't you?"

"Y-Yeah."

"Fucking Fae! If they have their hands in it, then it might just remain a pipe dream."

'Huh? Really? Was it that impossible?'

"They obviously don't think so."

'The bloody hell, Korra?! Shut up! Don't you want him to help you escape?'

"No, they don't," Harcon agreed. "Quite terrifying - I mean, the thought of a mind mage with their own core. How big is yours?"

"Like... like a pea."

"Pretty small - but if they figure out how to implant a bigger one, or make it grow - Sahal might not make it this time. Look, I’ve already given it some thought, and I can't face them straight on alone. As such, our best chance is Esulmor."

'Did he say Esulmor? We are going to Esulmor?'

The question was already dancing on my tongue when the realization hit me hard. "S-So, you're going to help us?"

"If that's the way you want to look at it, yes - what I intend to do is do my best to ensure you don't fall into the hands of mind mages. Stupid as it sounds, I don't blame the Empire or Rayden; I hate my sister, but mind mages are right behind her on the list. NOW; how much do you know about mossbears and the Lord of the Forest?"