Seeing me coming, some soldiers reached for their weapons. A bit humiliating. Somewhat what I expected, though. Not all imperial soldiers have witnessed my tier three beast change.

In spite of their sharp looks and ready weapons, I didn’t end up with a pierced gut. Rumors spread among them like anywhere else. And so, with a word from one who was familiar with my beast form a realization hit them. I was no danger to them or the Imperial Chief Healer under their protection.

With the two female soldiers who came with us, I counted ten. Then there was Lightfeather, the coachman, Lord Wigram, and the two attendants who rode in the carriage with him. No one seemed to be missing.

However, like the two of us, they’ve all seen better days. The soldiers’ armor was covered with dirt and battered. Though unharmed, they were drenched in sweat no worse than the horses pulling the carriage, and even Lord Wigram showed signs of fatigue. If I had to guess, healing and the buffs he provided to the soldiers and me were behind it.

The carriage itself was not spared. There might not have been signs of battle on it, no marks from attacks or claws. After all, a barrier shielded it. Yet the wood of the carriage was smoking. The cause? Runes carved into the wood. The fact that, at one point, they had to get so hot with the amount of mana running through them to set the wood on fire spoke volumes about the intensity of the fight.

“My lord, look who I found,” Lightfeather addressed the Imperial Chief Healer as we got closer. Admirably for his age, he did not sit in the comfort of the carriage but talked to the coachman. They discussed something about horses and Lords inability to heal their injuries: I didn’t want to listen too much. It was rude.

“Ah, good to see. I thought we’d lost you both,” Lord Wigram said as he turned to us, not hiding his relief. “We most certainly have a lot to talk about, but first, let me...”

“I’m good,” Deckard said, stopping him. “Check her out.”

As much as I wanted to argue that I was fine too, he wouldn’t understand my growls. Nor was it wise to omit the fact that I no longer had [Inner Perception] among my skills. While my regeneration should have taken care of any issue, I might have had some outside its capabilities, like a stone stuck in my kidney or something. And so, letting the best healer in the Sahal Empire do his job was the sensible thing to do.

“Do you have news of Colonel Gill?” Deckard asked even before the Imperial Chief Healer had a chance to tell me what was or wasn’t wrong with me.

“The man survived, but they had some casualties. They should be meeting us here soon,” Lord Wigram said as he straightened up and put his hands away from me. “You’re surprisingly fine, Miss Grey. If I didn’t know better, I wouldn’t have thought the northern eagle had even touched you.”

Well, that much was true. The eagle didn’t really touch me, mostly thanks to Deckard, and so, while I thanked him with a nod, I gestured to my mentor. My inability to speak in my tier three beast form was getting really annoying.

“You did better than I expected.”

He merely shrugged at Lord Wigram’s praise. “I was just doing my best, like everyone else.”

“True, indeed. So how did your northern eagle fare? It wouldn’t have taken much, and the one that came after us would have gotten through the barrier.”

“Dead!”

That gave the Imperial Chief Healer pause, and Lightfeather even whistled faintly in awe. “You?”

He smirked at her. “I’m good, but not that good, Major. I just brought it down from the sky, and the mossbears took care of the rest. That’s when Miros showed up.”

“You saw it up close?”

“Her,” I corrected her with a growl. “Her name is Zeew.”

“Fuck me! You talked to the Miros?”

“Talk?” Deckard laughed before I could answer the bewildered Lightfeather. “She basically talked that bird out of killing us.”

“So they were after you?” Lord Wigram asked, casting a glance at me. “Didn’t I tell you to stay out of trouble, Miss Grey?”

No. This mess was not something I would let him pin on me, so I uttered a disapproving growl that even he understood.

“It’s more complicated than you know,” Deckard said in my defense, but amused by my manner. “Your expedition to Esulmor was also a target.”

“That is disturbing,” said Lord Wigram, pondering the implications of such a fact.

I, on the other hand, was considering whether to undo my change or stay in my beast form. Not being able to tell him my part was killing me.

“Let me be blunt. It is not hard to understand why they came after you, my lord. But why target Grey?” Lightfeather asked, glancing at me. “Besides her looks, what’s so special about her?”

“If I understood correctly, they considered her their lost chick.”

Lightfeather gave Deckard a confused look, then the realization hit her. “Ah, her mutation, of course. The northern eagles, especially Miros, are known to be strict with their baby chicks. Unable to hunt, death. Fail to learn to fly, death. Come to think about it, I’m surprised they let you live, Grey.”

“Well, they both tried. Luckily, I had mother mossbear on my side. A long story short, the Miros no longer consider me their chick.” I said back, knowing that only she would understand the growl.

“Esu thinks of you as his pup, the Miros as their chick, you talk like one of the beasts, and I can sit down with you over hot tea and chat. It’s like my wet dreams have come true.”

“Temper your excitement, Major,” the Imperial Chief Healer warned her. “I don’t need to hear about your fantasies.”

Leaving Lightfeather be, he stroked his beard, watching my wings flutter. “As exciting as this fact is, I’m afraid we’ll have to discuss its implications later. Given the situation, you both should be aware that I made a deal.”

“You let mossbears expand the forest, we know.”

“Miss Grey’s credit if I’m not mistaken?”

Okay, I’ve had enough of this. I simply couldn’t talk to people this way. No matter how demanding my tier three beast change was, staying in it wasn’t worth it when I had [Behemoth] to carry some of the load. No matter how much danger we were in, this was just unbearable when there were so many people several times stronger than me around.

“Yeah, mother mossbear told me,” I confirmed, testing my fangless teeth with my tongue. It was nice to be human again.

“Wow, and I thought I’d seen a fair share of crazy shit. Wish I could do that.”

The two men present were not as impressed by my change as Lightfeather was. After all, it wasn’t the first time they’d seen me going through one.

“As impressive as I find you talking to those beasts, and make no mistake, seeing Major Lightfeather talking to mother mossbears was extraordinary, I’m more surprised you’re not outraged about the deal, Deckard?”

“Oh, I was.

“He really was, but...” I said and stopped short. This was not the part for me to say.

“You didn’t tell us everything, did you?” Lord Wigram asked as Deckard took his time and raised an eyebrow when he took out the Silencer. “Is that necessary?”

“It might upset the mossbears,” Lightfeather voiced her concerns about the use of the magic tool.

“What I’m about to tell you might piss them off, so...” Deckard replied and activated the magical tool, willing to take the risk. Once the invisible bubble that blocked our voices to anyone outside of it surrounded us, he took a deep breath and sighed. “Okay, you may have noticed that mossbears and the eagles have suddenly stopped fighting.”

“Don’t tell me it’s also thanks to Miss Grey.”

“She had her part in it, but no. The mossbears and the eagles, Zeew, to be precise, have reached an agreement.”

“An accord,” I piped in. Accord was the right word. Honestly, I don’t know why it mattered to me.

“When they stopped fighting, I was concerned about that. What kind of...accord?”

Deckard paused, gathering his thoughts. “Regarding why they’re here in the first place. You see, neither Korra nor you were the main target...” he told them about my mind mage theory. Unsurprisingly Lord Wigram was not happy to hear that they were involved again. It indicated that they were no longer afraid to show their powers, to reveal themselves. However, he did not let that cloud his judgment.

“Well, what did this woman see in mossbear’s mind?”

“Seed in Esu’s possession.”

“Seed? Are you fucking with us? This was not some kind of instinct-based behavior, Deckard. We all know that. They had a reason, and if it wasn’t us as you say, it must have been a damn good reason. They must have seen that it would benefit them, so a seed...sorry, Grey, but you must have heard wrong.”

I returned Lightfeather’s look, knowing full well what she was talking about. It didn’t change what I heard, though. Even Deckard didn’t let her outburst faze him; quite the opposite. “I wish you were right, Major. I really do. But if it’s the seed, I think it is. It gives those beasts a damn good reason to pick a fight here.”

“I heard them well. The northern eagles have come for the seed.”

“They don’t even eat seeds. For fuck’s sake, they’re meat-eaters. What good would it be to them?” insisted Lightfeather on the ridiculousness of what Deckard and I were telling her. However, she did not know one important thing, and it did not escape Lord Wigram. “There’s more to that seed, isn’t there? Is it referring to something else? Does it have a different meaning among the beasts? It’s the meaning that matters, isn’t it, Major? That’s what you said.”

“Yeah, but...” she wavered, wondering if it was possible for the northern eagles to eat the seeds after all.

Deckard put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her train of thought. “Based on what Little Beast here has told me and what I know...I believe that...there is a...World Tree growing in the middle of Esulmor.”

Utter silence fell on our invisible bubble as if somehow the magic had been inverted. Both Lord Wigram and Lightfeather had looks of shock on their faces, and it took a while for one of them to speak.

“A-are you sure?” Lord Wigram asked, his voice trembling. He looked so shaken that I considered asking him if he needed to sit down.

“As I said, it’s just my assumption. I wanted to check it out with you since...I only know what little I’ve heard about the World Trees.”

The Imperial Chief Healer nodded, stroking his beard to calm down. “Then tell me what we know.”

“Wait, are you both seriously considering it might be a World Tree? The ones so closely guarded by elves?” Lightfeather blurted out as she came out of her shock.

“Don’t worry, Major. I have my doubts too, and so does Deckard. So let’s hear what they have to say first.”

At Lord Wigram’s behest, my easy-going mentor more or less passed the word to me. After all, I was the one who relayed to him everything he knew about the seed. Or, more accurately, a seedling now.

***

“I know more conscious plants than just the World Tree and dryads...” Lord Wigram said after listening to me. “...but none of them would elicit the reaction from the beasts you described. The more I think about it, the more I have to agree with Deckard. And as unlikely as it sounds, there really does seem to be a World Tree growing in the heart of Esulmor.”

“Is that really possible?” Lightfeather asked, her stubborn refusal of it withering. “You know, I don’t know anyone who has actually seen the trees. It’s basically just legends and stories you can hear people passing around.”

“I was once on the shores of the land between the roots. Even from there, it was impossible to miss the World Trees that grow in Itane. I assure you they are real. The question is, how did the seed get here, and how was Esu able to grow it to awakening without anyone noticing at all?”

“Is it really that important to know how the seed got here and how it grew? Shouldn’t you be worrying about what to do after it wakes up?”

“No, no, Miss Grey. We need to know how this happened.”

“Okay, I’ll bite. Why?”

He gave me a weak smile. “Let’s assume it’s the World Tree, and it gains consciousness. At that moment, it will connect through its roots to the consciousness of the other trees. The other tree will know it’s growing here. The elves will know, and you can imagine they’ll demand an explanation of how that is possible. It could quickly end up with a war with them, and Sahal can’t afford that.”

“Are they that strong?” I honestly had no idea.

“It’s hard to say how strong they would be that far from their trees. However, I think it’s a fair assessment to say one kingdom poses little threat to the Empire.”

It wasn’t hard to see what he meant. “There are ten of them, though.”

“Yes, ten currently feuding kingdoms, with no interest in what happens outside of Itane. I cannot say how they will react to this situation. In the worst case, they could unite in a war against us.”

“Is war inevitable, then?” He certainly made it sound that way.

“Oh, no. Depends on how everyone approaches it. Therefore, it is necessary to know how the seed got here, how it is possible that it grew, and if it gains awareness, how that came to be.”

“I can’t think of any way humans or any other race could have smuggled the seed out of Itane,” Deckard said. “Those pointy-eared bastards would start accusing everybody the moment any of them went missing.”

“Although a colorful name for elves, which I would refrain from using in their presence, I have to agree. They won’t let anyone near their World Trees, and the fruit is like a national treasure to them.”

“What about the beasts?” Lightfeather pitched. As her shock wore off, she was surprisingly thoughtful. “How do they control the beasts?”

“That is a good question, Major,” admitted Lord Wigram. “I don’t think they are that thorough. However, to my knowledge, once the fruit starts growing, it is guarded day and night by sentries.”

“You know that for sure?” Deckard asked, wondering how he knew such a thing.

“The elves made no secret of it when we met. Quite the opposite. They wanted us to be aware. You see, just so we know we had no chance of getting the fruit.”

“Could be an old one,” I suggested.

“Can you elaborate, Miss Grey?”

“The plants are remarkable. Some only turn green for a few days a year when conditions are right. It’s the same with seeds. If stored right, they can last for years, waiting for the right time to start growing.”

Lord Wigram rubbed his beard, nodding. “There’s something to it. The appearance of the seed here could not have been a recent event.”

“Exactly. How long does it take those trees to grow strong enough to wake up?” Strange as hell to think that a plant could wake up, I know. But what was weird here on Eleaden differed greatly from what was considered weird on Earth.

“I’m afraid I’m not able to answer that. To my knowledge, no other World Tree has gained consciousness since the first ten. And that happened thousands of years ago, even before elves settled Itane.”

“I still don’t understand why they didn’t try to grow more.”

Lord Wigram chuckled. “Oh, Miss Grey. They tried and failed every time.”

Now he had my attention. “The reason?”

“As far as I know, they don’t know themselves. It is very difficult to get the seed to grow in the first place and apparently impossible for the seedling to gain consciousness. I was told that when it was supposed to happen, the seedling withered away every time. Our sources say the elves eventually reached the conclusion that Eleaden simply could not bear the weight of another World Tree.”

“So, the seedling here in Esulmor will eventually wither away.” In a way, this revelation made me sad. I was looking forward to seeing World Tree in full strength.

“If that happens,” Lightfeather said, frowning. “...we’re in a real mess. As I understand it, this beast truce insists on the accord that the tree wakes up. If not, and the tree withers, who do you think will get blamed first.”

“Us humans,” Deckard said the obvious.

Honestly, despite my status among the mossbears and Esu’s benevolence, it wasn’t hard to imagine the dwellers of this forest turning on us, including me. That would mean a painful end for me under the flesh-eating moss. No, thank you.

Better not to think about the moss and come up with something to avoid that gruesome end. But try as I might, I couldn’t figure out how to talk Esu out of killing us if it came to that.

Instead, my thoughts kept drifting back to the World Tree. What the Imperial Chief Healer said about a possible limit to their number on Eleaden was nagging at my mind to the point I voiced my stupid concern. “What if the tree really wakes up? What if it gains consciousness? Would that mean one of the old ones will wither away?”

“...”

“Fuck!”

“I’ll be damned!” Lord Wigram added his profanity to Lightfeather’s silent gulp and Deckard’s swearing. The first time I’d ever heard the old healer use those words. “What you’re implying, Miss Grey, would be even worse and most definitely bring the elves to our borders.”

“Doesn’t leave us much breathing room, does it?” remarked Deckard and looked at Lightfeather and me. “Maybe it would be best if you two talked a way for us to get out of here before it all goes to shit.”

“It would,” she agreed, shaking her head. “...but that’s not going to happen. We’re not leaving Esulmor until Esu decides. That’s what I was told.”

“Are you willing to give it a shot, Little Beast?”

I didn’t answer him straight away and looked at the mossbears around us, at the mother mossbears grouped at the other end of the clearing. “I can try. However, I have a feeling that I won’t be able to convince them to let us go, either.” Not to mention I didn’t really want to. To do that, I’d be giving up my training and essentially being Esu’s pup.

“I’m sorry to say it, but if the seedling of the World Tree were to wither, it would be better for Esu to take his anger out on us than to sow it on the entire Sahal.”

I couldn’t believe what I had just heard him say, and I wasn’t the only one. Even Lightfeather didn’t seem to like the prospect of what he was outlining. “Let me get this straight. You want us to die here to ease his wrath?”

“I don’t like it any more than you do, Major. However, I must remind you...”

“No, no, don’t get me wrong, my lord. I’m ready to die whenever I come here. I just didn’t expect it to be like this.”

He gave her a weak smile. “Let’s hope. There is still a good chance that everything we know about World Trees is wrong, and the seedling will gain consciousness without one of the old ones withering away. Otherwise, we have a new war on our hands one way or the other. Either with the mossbears and quite possibly other beasts or elves.”