Chapter 293: Leaving Heartland
By the time we left the church, night had fully descended upon the city, filling the streets and alleys with inky blackness. The last vestiges of gray had left the horizon, leaving the sky a sea of twinkling stars. I gazed up a moment, eyes wandering the depthless vista, searching for something–anything that might indicate Fate was watching.
Korra nudged my arm, her voice soft. "You sure you’re alright? We can find an inn or something for the night, if you’d rather start in the morning."
A fleck of light sliced across the sky, threading between the stars. In the blink of an eye, it was gone, leaving a rapidly fading trail behind, a transitory white smudge against the darkened canvas. A shooting star.
With some effort, I lowered my gaze and found Korra watching me, a look of concern spread across her face. As she opened her mouth, intending to ask the question again, I gently shook my head.
"I’m fine. Just...wondering. If she’s up there, waiting for me."
Korra shifted on her feet and folded her arms, a faint smile teasing the edges of her lips. "There’s someone else waiting for you, too. I wonder how much longer it’ll be before Fable attacks the city on his own, looking for you."
With our soul bond, Fable must have sensed my discomfort, not to mention the divine presence of the god. If I didn’t make it out soon... Images of the monstrous wolf tearing through the streets flashed through my mind, and I paled, a shudder running through my tail. Perhaps it would be better to save my stargazing for later.
Even compared to the late hour of our entry, the city was still and quiet. The night breeze carried the chill of the anomaly, chasing the usual nighttime denizens indoors, leaving naught but a few homeless beggars to witness our passing. The hollow echo of our footsteps amid the silence was disconcerting, and I found my feet growing hesitant, unconsciously softening my steps. Korra made no such effort, strolling along as confident as a queen in her garden. She’d been in a good mood ever since the shard, hiding a gleam in her eye and humming an unfamiliar tune.
I still hadn’t been able to figure out the brown-haired girl. She was quick to anger, yet just as swift to grasp a good mood. It would be days before I regained the optimism I held before meeting the usurper of Fate, yet she seemed to have forgotten it entirely. It wasn’t true, she just refused to allow things like that to get to her. The only time I’d seen a glimmer of what went on inside was when we first met, and she shared the anguish she felt at being betrayed and killed in her first life. And again, when she stormed the Divine Throne, trying to free me.