At first, Koko and Valen walked in silence. The main reason she'd tagged along on this trip was that she didn't fully trust him and wanted to keep a close eye on him. That, and she needed to get her own supplies. Might as well kill two birds with one stone while Saph and Shylo were secured deep underground.

However, he didn't seem to be as content with silent brooding as she was.

"So…" he began. "How have you been?"

Ugh. "Small talk? Really?"

"Well, it's going to take the better part of an hour to get there. Figured we might as well catch up while we walk. How long has it been since we last saw each other?"

Koko just shrugged; the passage of time meant little to her.

"Think it must've been my wedding, huh?" he mused. "Which was fifteen years ago."

"I guess so." It was just a blip in someone else's memory. Barely there. Had alcohol been a factor? She wasn't sure.

"You were drunk as a skunk bear."

"Was I?" Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him peer at her curiously.

"You don't remember? I didn't think you were that drunk."

Her only response was to shrug again. What was the point in trying to explain it to him?

They walked side by side, a few feet apart, and she had no compulsion to look at him and invite more conversation. But she did hear a soft sight come from his general direction.

"Did I do something wrong?" he asked.

Finally, she glanced over, a little surprised by the frank question. He actually seemed hurt. Those familiar gray eyes pierced her and she quickly looked away. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know... I get the impression you don't like me very much. Not just now, but before. Years ago. Did I do something to offend you at some point?"

Spirits, why does he have to drag up the past? "Not that I can remember. This is just how I am."

"It wasn't always—at least, not around other people. I remember you being so full of life. Ambitious. You used to smile and laugh with your friends. Go out drinking and dancing with them."

Her jaw clenched; she didn't want to hear any of that. Didn't want to reminisce. To hear her past self described that way—by him, of all people—was too painful. "That was a long time ago."

"Yeah. I guess so."

They were both quiet for a bit, then he cleared his throat softly.

"In any case, I'm really glad we ran into each other. It's changed my life. Everything's different, now that I know Kyori's parents are alive and well… Zenya should know her family. I know it's a long way, but I've made up my mind. I'm going to make the journey."

It wasn't a total surprise to Koko, considering their brief conversation from the previous night. For a few moments, she lost herself in the memory:

"Has she ever spoken?" she'd asked him while Saph and Shylo practiced the hand-to-hand moves she'd assigned, Zenya watching them from where she was crouched down in the far corner. Koko wasn't interested in giving Valen a chance to press her for information, but she found that she was unable to contain her curiosity.

"Never. Not a word. Not even baby talk. I don't think she even processes spoken language like we do." He sighed, the soft sound carrying a weariness Koko recognized. "It's been a challenge, but we figured things out together. I came up with a sort of basic sign language and we get by with that. Just simple words and phrases.

"Aside from all that, she doesn't have any learning difficulties. She can dress and feed herself. Take care of her hygiene. And she has a handle on a fair number of complex tasks. We hunt together, which she's really quite good at, and she knows how to prepare the animals for cooking. Bending, of course, is where she really shines."

"Which subskills does she know?"

"All of them."

"All–" She pulled her gaze from Saph and Shylo to look at him, genuinely surprised. "All of them? Even metal and lava? I thought you weren't a metalbender?"

"I'm not. She just learns on her own, without even being taught, and is incredibly strong. It's another reason I've kept her isolated. I…worry that she may lose control if she's around too many people and gets overwhelmed."

Koko's oscillating suspicions about Saph suddenly became weaker than they already were. Here was this child, similar in age, who was a prodigious earthbender. It was worth giving fair consideration to, especially considering the mystery of 'Yin'.

"I'm very conflicted," Valen continued. "Despite what I just said, I don't want her to miss out on life by being shut up here with no one but me. I just want the best for her. And… If I'm being honest, I'd be grateful for a little help."

In spite of Koko's hesitancy to let her guard down with him, it was hard not to empathize. Being responsible for two teenagers had been quite a learning curve for someone as solitary as her. Certainly, it was more challenging than she'd expected it to be. "And I thought Saph and Shylo were a handful..." she muttered.

"They seem like good kids. They listen to you."

"More or less. Though…Saph can be a real smartass sometimes."

Valen chuckled. "She's what—fifteen? Sixteen? I'd be shocked if she wasn't a smartass every now and then. Zenya also has her own little ways of testing my patience and pushing the boundaries."

"Seems like it would be hard to contain her if she got adventurous. Has she ever tried to go off on her own?"

"Oh, no, nothing like that. Being outside makes her nervous. She has smaller rebellions, though. I can tell when she chooses to ignore me. Or when I do something the 'wrong way', according to her." He smiled and shook his head. "She always makes sure I do it her way."

Hearing him talk so fondly of her had earned just enough of Koko's trust to tell him how to get to Jupa—where Zenya's grandparents lived with the rest of the Beifongs—should he choose to leave the safety of the volcano. The only surprise was that he'd made up his mind so quickly.

"I don't suppose we have any hope of a guide?" he asked wryly while they paced along toward the town.

"Sorry, but we're not going that way." Part of her wanted to suggest they come with her, if only to keep a close eye on Zenya and see if anything manifested. But…she would be safer in Jupa. If they made it there in one piece.

"I know you won't tell me, so I won't ask where you're going, but you should know that I'm incredibly suspicious that one of the children of a certain age in your company could possibly be significant. Why else would you be on some secret mission with two teenagers?"

"Believe it or not, I understand the subtle implication you're trying to make," she said with deep sarcasm, hoping it would mask her surprise. "But you can forget about it. Saph's a firebender and Shylo's an airbender."

Valen turned to her curiously. "A firebender? I figured she was an earthbender. I'm sure I remember her mother being an earthbender, and she mentioned her sister is one, too."

"Her abusive, piece-of-shit grandfather was a firebender. Jojin's father."

"Oh."

"Zenya, on the other hand…" Koko mused. "She's an earthbender. Fourteen. Powerful and learns with ease. Makes a person wonder."

He sighed heavily. "Believe me, it's crossed my mind. But I don't see how it could be true, with the way she is. And I hope it's not. I don't want that for her."

"What parent would? It's a brutal, dangerous burden."

They both went quiet after that. There was no more to say on the subject. Speculation was pointless. Only time would tell, either way.

The rest of their journey was silent until they reached the thriving town of Makapu. Blue sages were everywhere; Koko could practically feel her tattoo burning under the concealer. And while it was unlikely that anyone would recognize her out here, she put the hood of her cloak up anyway to keep her face shrouded in shadow.

It turned out to be a good move because, only five minutes later, they spotted a noticeboard that had a large poster with a pretty good likeness of her. The warning read, 'Extremely dangerous! Do not attempt to engage. Reward for information regarding her whereabouts.' Valen gave her a curious look but she just pulled her hood down a little further and didn't offer an explanation.

The sellers at the market seemed to know him. They didn't call him by name but it was clear that they were used to his wild, unkempt appearance. He did his business quickly and quietly with Koko trailing him and occasionally making her own trades.

"C'mon, it was five pounds of rice for three furs, last time," he said to one of the stall owners.

"Times are tough," the man shrugged. "Big storm took out a bunch of crops last month."

Koko didn't interfere in the haggling, but she couldn't help but consider that they could've got better deals if she could openly play the part of a blue sage. While intimidation wasn't something she often took advantage of, sometimes it was necessary for survival. And she hated wearing concealer. She hated hiding herself. It made her feel like an imposter, like she was trying to pretend to be the woman from her past.

But apparently, she had drawn too much attention to herself lately. They were actively looking for her now. That didn't bode well.

They both finished up a few minutes later and began making their way back to the volcano. The walk was mostly quiet aside from the occasional comment regarding the town and their purchases. Valen didn't attempt to chat with her again about the 'good ol' days', which was a relief.

When they returned to the cave, Koko expected to see Saph and Shylo sitting in the living room—or at least hear them talking or training—but there was only an eerie silence.

"Saph?"

Valen kicked his boot off and stomped the ground. She glanced over just in time to see the color drain from his face.

"Oh, no… "

"What?" she snapped, a sick feeling growing in the pit of her stomach. "What's wrong? Where are they?"

He didn't answer. Instead, he put his shoe back on and took off running across the room, down the hall, to one of the bedrooms. It was pitch dark back there so she made a light in her hand and held it aloft.

Zenya's room. It was full of sand, chunks of metal, and rocks—all sizes and shapes scattered across the floor. And on the far side of the room was a hole.

"Saph!" she called again, turning back to the hallway. "Shylo!" But she knew it was pointless even as she did it.

"They aren't here. They must've followed her."

"Then why are we just standing here?!"

Before the question was fully out of her mouth, she was sprinting into the cave, which was low enough that she needed to crouch down a little. What was I thinking, leaving them here with her? she berated herself. Aloud, she asked, "Where does it go?"

"I can't tell. It's long and winding. I–" He seemed to be at a loss for words, and not just from the exertion of running hunched over. "I've never known her to do anything like this before. She never leaves the cave without me."

"That you know of," Koko scoffed.

"I doubt she'd go outside." But his voice wasn't as confident as before. "She's probably just exploring the mountain."

Nearly ten minutes of flat-out running and growing worry on Koko's part proved that hypothesis false.

"Shit…" Valen muttered.

Koko saw the glint of sunlight around the next corner and they quickly emerged into a wooded area. She spun around in a slow circle, searching, and the suppressed fear threatened to blossom into outright panic.

"Saph!"

"Zenya! Zenya!"

"Saph! Shylo!" This isn't happening… This can't be happening… She rounded on Valen in a terrified fury, seeing red. "We were doing just fine until we ran into you! They wouldn't have done this on their own! They know better! How could you ask them to watch her when you obviously have no control over her?!"

In her admittedly flawed memory, Valen had always been mild-mannered and slow to anger. But that wasn't the case now.

"You're really gonna blame me?!" he growled. "It was your idea to come with me into town! Zenya never caused problems like this before! For all I know, Shylo could've abducted her. You refuse to tell me anything about him, not to mention the fact that you're the one with a blue sage tattoo on your forehead!"

His hand suddenly snatched her left wrist and yanked off the wrappings that covered it. The punishment for such a gross violation of her personal boundaries was a swift jab to the face, but it was too late. The mark was clearly visible and she was sure he saw it before she fixed the wrappings.

"Don't ever touch me again," she seethed.

"You're–" He swallowed hard, a haunted look in his eyes as he gingerly touched his already bruising cheekbone. The anger had evaporated; now he just seemed disturbed. "You're a combustionbender…?"

That shocked her. Really, actually shocked her. How could he know so much about blue sages? He'd known exactly where to look, and what it meant. It doesn't matter. Focus on finding Saph. After one last poisonous glance, she began to scan the ground for tracks. Disturbed dirt and leaves led her to a line of bushes. "I think they stopped here," she said, mostly to herself, though Valen was following.

"There's a pond over there," he muttered. "What… What were they doing?"

"They went this way." The tracks became messier, more frantic. It hinted at a chase—running, stumbling, scrabbling. "I think Zenya tried to get away from them."

More faint boot imprints appeared in the dusty soil. It was too hard to put the pieces together. How many were there?

"Can you track them?" Valen asked, desperation in his voice.

"Yes." Probably.

"Surely they didn't go far…"

"They ran into others." Her worst nightmare—well, her worst current nightmare—was coming true. She'd lost Saph. She'd promised Nani nothing would happen to her, and now something had happened to her.

Koko felt numb—more numb than usual—as she followed the faint trail. What she found made her feel truly sick: eel hound tracks. They were long gone. "I think– I think they were taken."

"Taken?!" Valen choked out. "By who? Oh, Spirits… I can't believe this is happening. How could I have lost her? She–" His voice caught and he pressed his palms against his eyes for a moment. "She's all I have, Kiriko. She's all I have. Please, help me find her. I'm sorry for what I said. I'm sorry… Please, help me."

"Let's get one thing straight," she said in a tight voice. "Kiriko is gone. She died with the rest of her family. My name is Koko." A couple of deep breaths helped clear her mind and push away the fog caused by growing fear and worry. "We need to go back to your cave so I can get our bags, then I'll track them. It's going to be a long journey. If you can't keep up, I won't wait for you."

"Grab 'em, Ming," the blue sage said.

Only a moment later, Saph's upper arm was caught in an iron grip by someone who had materialized behind her. All memories of her hand-to-hand lessons flew out of her head and she just flailed wildly with her free arm, trying to make contact with her fist.

Unfortunately, her efforts didn't do any good. This woman was freakishly strong, despite being fairly average-sized, and the chi sickness was still making Saph feel dizzy and weak.

Shylo was having better luck, having stepped lightly before Ming could grab him. He dodged her a few times but was too slow to avoid a sharp jab to his nose. It disoriented him enough that he stumbled back into the blue sage, who had tossed a semi-conscious Zenya aside and was now binding Shylo's wrists in front of him with a rope. Ming was doing the same to Saph, and not being gentle about it, either.

I can't believe this is happening again… I never should've left the cave. Tears spilled down her face with the realization that there was no escape. They were going to take them to another jail cell and leave them there to rot.

And yet, she refused to allow herself to despair as completely as the first time she'd been kidnapped. Koko will find me again. She will. I just have to be patient.

With that encouraging thought, she wiped her face on her shoulder and tried to stand up straight. It wasn't easy; she would've much preferred to curl up in a ball. The heavy, feverish feeling was impossible to shove aside.

That thought made her heart stutter with a new fear. Which one of them was the plague carrier? Saph looked around frantically and realized there was a third person: a thin woman in rags, chained to Ming.

It must be her. I can't touch her or I might lose my bending forever.

"How are we gonna do this, Seven?" Ming asked the blue sage. "We've only got two hounds."

Seven? Saph wondered. What a strange name…

"We can go three on each."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Your job is to be a handler," Seven said with a growl as he finished trussing Zenya. "Your job is not to question me."

"We won't be able to travel as quickly."

"Doesn't matter. Now let's go before someone comes looking for them."

Koko will find you. And she'll kill you.

A brief walk brought them to two saddled eel hounds. Saph had seen such creatures once or twice—they were the preferred mounts of blue sages—but never up close. They were a lot bigger than she'd thought.

"You take the boy," Seven said to Ming. "That'll be the best weight distribution."

What little color remained in Shylo's face drained—the blood dripping from his nose standing out in stark contrast—and he took a step back. "No… Please…"

Seven ignored his protests and, within minutes, everyone was loaded up. Saph, who was forced to cling to the foul-smelling blue sage, spared a sympathetic glance for Shylo. He was in the middle, in front of the nameless plague carrier, right up against her. Both wore the same dejected expression, though to his credit, he was calm.

It was shocking how fast they traveled. In a single bound, thirty feet disappeared behind them, and Saph felt the tears well up once again. How would Koko ever catch up to them like this, the ground passing in a dizzying blur, for hours and hours until the forest grew dark around them…

"While I fully believe that you could keep walking all night," Valen said, his voice coming out in short gasps, "I, unfortunately, cannot."

"I can't just stop!" Koko spat.

"We're never going to catch up to them on foot. Surely you must realize that."

She rounded on him angrily. "So you just want to give up?!"

"No! No, of course not! But we need to rest. We can keep tracking them at a reasonable pace and hope they stop somewhere soon. If we're half dead when we find them, what good will that do anyone? I'm not a machine–"

"Is that what you think of me, then? A machine?"

"I– No! Spirits…" He rubbed his hands down his face in frustration. "I just meant that you're much more accustomed to this sort of thing than I am, but even so–"

"I told you at the beginning that if you couldn't keep up, I'd leave you behind."

"Don't be ridiculous!" A hint of that earlier anger crept into his voice. "I can help you. I can use seismic sense to detect them if they're close, and I'll be good in a fight if it comes to that. We need to stick together, but we can't keep walking until we drop. Please. Let's sleep for a few hours and we can start again at dawn."

Koko just stared at him for a minute. Her whole body ached from the pace she'd set and the worry that gnawed at her gut. How could she stop, knowing that Saph was getting further and further away with every passing second?

But he was right, damn him. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. "Fine. A few hours."

"Thank you."

He practically collapsed onto the ground. There was no thought to find a campsite; they just curled up where they were, a few feet apart and facing away from each other.

But Koko found that sleep would not come to her, despite her exhaustion. She lay there for several minutes, noting that Valen's breathing didn't sound much like that of sleep, either.

A part of her felt a tiny bit bad for how much of a bitch she'd been to him all day. He'd deserved at least some of it, but still… Then again, she'd always been chilly towards him—ever since reaching a certain age. It wasn't intentional, but it was the truth, and she was painfully aware of it. So was he, apparently.

"I'm sorry about your family," she said, thinking about the memorial stones. About his wife and the child they'd been expecting when the comet came.

"...Thank you." A moment later, he added, "Likewise."

"Thanks."

He cleared his throat and she began to worry that she'd made him emotional and was now going to have to lie there and listen to it.

"Not a day goes by without me wishing I hadn't gone on that stupid vacation. We should've been with the others when Zoafu was evacuated." He sighed softly before continuing. "Did you stay with them?"

"No. I was on my way back to Republic City. I didn't find"—She was about to say 'Sherabi' but stopped herself; there was no need for him to know everyone's new names just yet—"Opal and Bolin, or anyone else, until years later."

"I bet they were happy to see you alive and well."

"Yeah," Koko mused, preferring not to think about it.

"Raniq especially." There was a moment of hesitation before he continued. "Are you two still together?"

It had been so long since she'd used that name that it took her a moment to realize he was talking about Nani. His assumption baffled her and she finally rolled over to face him. "Together?"

There wasn't enough moonlight for her to see more than a vague outline, but she could tell that he lifted his head to look in her direction.

"Were– Were you not? Before the comet?"

"No…" What did she tell him?

"Huh. I thought for sure…"

"Why?"

He shifted around to face her better. "When she broke things off with me, she admitted that she was far more interested in women. One woman specifically. Then you showed up in Zaofu. I put two and two together. Just figured you both wanted to be discreet about it."

It was a rational conclusion, she had to acknowledge, and not as far from the truth as it could've been. And yet, it was so unbearably wrong. As much as she hated being forced to think and talk about those days, it bothered her that he was so clueless.

So she found herself saying something she hadn't thought she'd ever admit. But things were different now. She was different. It didn't matter anymore. It was just juvenile nonsense. And past time to set the record straight once and for all.

"She told me you two had broken up, but I didn't come to Zaofu for her." Koko put as much emphasis on that final word as she could, but when he said nothing, she let out a frustrated sigh and steeled herself; it wasn't a pleasant memory. "As luck would have it, I was too late."

"Uh… What?"

The question was followed by a long, painful silence before he continued.

"But– Wait– Oh, Spirits, I'm such an idiot. That's why you acted weird around me? You– You had a thing for me?"

And now she was deeply regretting the moment of honesty. "I was a dumb teenager. I got over it."

He exhaled heavily before responding. "I was a dumb teenager, too."

It was the last thing she expected him to say. She'd thought—and hoped—he would laugh about the ridiculous youthful drama, then drop the matter. But it sounded like he was saying something entirely different.

"What do you mean?" she asked slowly, a little apprehensive of the answer.

"Heh…" There was little humor in the soft noise; more like intense awkwardness. "You would be…appalled to know about some conversations I had with Nik, regarding you."

Koko felt her normally very controlled face go hot—for the second time in two days, no less. Of course, it wasn't all embarrassment; there was some anger in there, too.

"I– I mean–" Valen stammered before she could formulate a response. "Spirits, that came out wrong. I mean, Nik was always crass, but I didn't–"

"Trust me, you don't need to tell me about Nik being crass. Some people never change. I'm well aware of his unhealthy obsession with me." But never in a million years would I have included you in that.

"Well, my point is that there were discussions. Spirits, this is so embarrassing. You have to understand, I was young and dumb. And Nik was a bad influence. But…my interest was genuine. I just– I honestly didn't think you were interested in men."

Koko's head was spinning and she didn't like it at all. How could they even be discussing this when Saph, Shylo, and Zenya were out there somewhere, alone and scared and potentially in grave danger?

And yet…he'd somehow made her forget about her worries for just a few minutes. Right now, she needed to rest; there was nothing else she could do to help Saph at the moment, just like there was nothing she could do to change the past. How differently her life might've gone if she'd been quicker.

"You're fifteen years too late," she found herself muttering. "That person—Kiriko—she's gone. I'm not her."

"Right. You said that earlier."

"I meant it."

"Well." He sighed with an air of regret. "It's true for me, too. I'll be the first to admit that I didn't process my grief well. Kyori wasn't a consolation prize. I loved her. I still do. I haven't moved on, and at this point, I'm not sure I ever will." His voice was tight with emotion; he was speaking from the heart. "And I know I don't need to tell you that, but I feel like we've said some pretty honest stuff to each other and I don't want to give you the wrong impression."

Koko couldn't help but scoff. "Don't you worry about me. My life is fine just the way it is—current kidnapping predicament notwithstanding." She meant to stop there, but the absolute last thing she wanted was for him to have expectations for the distant future. She needed him to understand that it was never going to happen. "I don't have the slightest interest in romance, with you or anyone else. Not now, not ever. There's no longing. No pining. Physical intimacy is off so far the table it's buried in the ground. And I'm not naive. I would never expect someone to put up with that kind of boundary."

Her overly honest and harshly delivered declaration was followed by another long pause and she clenched her jaw, silently begging for the end of this painful conversation and wishing sleep would find her. It annoyed her to no end that this man still had the ability to throw her off balance like no one else could.

"You're more than just a body," he said finally. "I hope you know that."

"You know what I meant."

"Yeah. I do. I just… I'm sorry, it's hard for me to articulate myself. Besides the fact that I can barely think straight from worrying about Zenya, I'm not used to talking to people who actually respond. What I'm trying to say—badly, apparently—is that I respect you. I'm really sorry about what I said and did earlier. It was a moment of stupid panic. I do trust you, though. Really. And I know we've both been through some awful shit. I don't think it would kill us to lean on each other a little right now. Be friends, even. That's all I ask."

Koko sighed, but she had to acknowledge that he was right: They needed each other's help. "Fine."

"Good."

And she thought that was the end of it. Drowsiness was finally beginning to creep in, eyelids becoming too heavy to hold open. Sleep was just about to overtake her when he ruined it.

"For what it's worth, you still look good."

Her eyes popped back open but she didn't respond. She just rolled onto her side—away from him—and tried to figure out what had possessed him to say that. Eighteen-year-old Kiriko would've melted into a puddle to hear those words from him, but Koko was merely confused and agitated. Was he admitting that he was still attracted to her, in spite of everything else and in direct conflict with what he'd already told her? Or was he just trying—in some strange, misguided way—to cheer her up?

For her part, she couldn't return the compliment even if she'd wanted to. He didn't look anything like the ruggedly handsome young man that lurked in her memories. Only his eyes were familiar. And it didn't matter that looking at them made her stomach twist uncomfortably; that was just a side effect of the past—once again—haunting her. Trying to chase her down into the present and make life harder. It was unacceptable and she wasn't having any of it.

Just focus on Saph. Find her. That's the only thing that matters.

Saph was about to pass out from exhaustion when the rocking movement of the lithe animal underneath her came to a sudden stop. Her nose was filled with the rank body odor of the man in front of her, since she'd slumped forward into him.

Strong arms lowered her to the ground but didn't bother to do anything to prevent her from collapsing in the dirt. Zenya landed next to her a moment later, somehow still sound asleep, and Saph wriggled closer in the hopes that the contact would be comforting for both of them.

There was an odd sound nearby that she couldn't quite place at first, tired as she was, but a minute or so of listening led her to the conclusion that they'd stopped next to a river. The light was fading fast—only the shadowy trees around them were visible until Seven made a fire.

Waterskins were passed around and Saph drank greedily for a few seconds before remembering Zenya.

"Hey, wake up." She shook her shoulder, only receiving a soft groan in response, then tried putting the water to her lips. "C'mon, you've gotta drink something."

Only a little went in, but her mouth did seem to recognize the moisture and instinctively swallowed it. That roused her enough for her eyes to crack open, followed by tears spilling from them. A plaintive whine started up and her shoulders began to shake.

"It's okay," Saph soothed, not believing her own words in the slightest. It was hard to comfort Zenya with her hands bound—not to mention her own fears that they would never be rescued—but she did the best she could. "Just drink some water. Here. Not so fast, you'll spill it everywhere."

Seven and Ming turned out to be a taciturn pair, rarely speaking to each other unless absolutely necessary. Ming took care of the woman chained to her like she was a dog she didn't care overly much for, leaving Seven to deal with Saph, Shylo, and Zenya. He tied their ankles with more rope before doling out a scant meal of jerky.

"You people need to learn how to feed your kidnapping victims better," Saph snapped, unable to stop herself. All it did was earn her a sharp kick on her thigh.

"Saph!" Shylo exclaimed.

"Keep your mouth shut, kid, or you're next," Seven warned him. He leaned over Saph with a cruel snarl. "And if this food isn't good enough for you, then don't expect to get any more."

Despite her exhaustion, sleep refused to come. Her leg hurt terribly, though she thought it was probably just bruised, and the ground was hard and cold. Zenya snuggled up next to her, which helped a little, and seemed to fall back asleep almost instantly.

Ming and Seven also fell asleep quickly, clearly not concerned their captives would get away after securing the ends of their ankle bindings to a nearby tree. Saph certainly didn't see any way to escape, at any rate—not without her bending.

That thought immediately made her look over at Shylo. She felt awful for him. Was his bending gone forever now, since he'd touched the carrier? But in the firelight, she could see him wriggling around strangely. What was he doing?

A loud snore issued from Seven and Shylo froze, but the blue sage just rolled over and remained asleep. Saph turned back to Shylo and they locked eyes, then she noticed a small leather case on the ground next to him.

He had some trouble opening it with his hands tied but was eventually able to withdraw two thin pieces of metal. Saph didn't have the slightest idea what they were for and just watched with curiosity as he got to his knees and slowly made his way toward the plague carrier.

The raggedy woman lifted her head and Shylo put a finger over his lips. He glanced nervously to the side where Ming was sleeping; Saph could see his hands trembling. Then, very cautiously, he took the metal pieces and stuck them into the locking part of the shackles on the woman's ankles.

He's picking the lock…!

It was a skill he had yet to reveal, which Saph thought a little strange. There was a lot she still didn't know about him, apparently. But she couldn't help but wonder what he was trying to accomplish. Even if the woman managed to run away, it would take days for anyone's bending to come back. More than likely, they'd hunt her down or arrive at their destination before the chi-blocking effect wore off.

Still…Saph had to concede that she didn't have a better plan. At least he was doing something.

The lock suddenly clicked open; Shylo looked at it in surprise as if he hadn't expected his plan to actually work. Slowly, carefully, he and the woman removed the chains, trying not to make too much noise with them.

Next were the ones on her wrists—the ones that were connected to a sturdy belt on Ming's waist. Saph glanced at her fearfully; they were so close to her. It would only take the slightest noise or jerk to wake her up.

The minutes ticked by. C'mon. C'mon. You can do it. She held her breath, fully drawn into the caper.

Ming suddenly rolled over. The chain pulled taut and Shylo fumbled his lockpicks. Had they broken? Saph suspected they were delicate. What would happen if the others woke up and found half of the woman's chains off?

Shylo had a stricken look on his face, head turned to stare at Ming, who at least appeared to still be sleeping. Then very slowly, he looked down and started feeling around in the dirt and dead leaves.

It seemed like an eternity that he searched. Saph's anxiety—not to mention the effects of the chi sickness—were beginning to exhaust her and she lay back down to wait. But try as she might, sleep would not come.

Zenya still slept, curled up next to her, and Saph looked at her through heavy-lidded eyes with some envy. It would be nice to be unconscious, temporarily oblivious to the danger and fear. Did she dream? Surely, she must.

Once again, Saph considered the similarities between her and Yin. It was uncanny, really, when she took the time to think about it.

And Zenya was an earthbender… A really good earthbender…

Is it you, Yin? Have I finally found you? Is this why I'm here? Are you…the Avatar?

It was true that Zenya had taken to her quickly and seemed to trust her, yet Saph couldn't claim to feel that same deep bond she felt with Yin. Zenya was mysterious and difficult to understand. What went on in her head?

With those thoughts swirling around her mind, Saph dozed off, only to occasionally jerk back away before slipping away into a fitful half-sleep once again.

"Seven! Wake up!"

The angry voice jolted her back to full awareness. By the time she forced her tired eyes open, Seven had bounded to his feet in a panic.

"What?!"

It was hard to see much, with the fire down to embers and the nighttime darkness still deep.

"She's gone!" Ming yelled. "The carrier! She's fucking gone!"

"What?! How?!"

"I don't know!"

Seven turned his fierce gaze on Saph, Shylo, and Zenya, the last of whom was now awake and whimpering against Saph's side.

"One of you did this!" he growled.

For his part, Shylo was doing a good job of acting like he'd just woken up. Although…maybe he had. Saph wondered how long she'd been asleep. Maybe the woman had gotten a good head start.

"I don't see how they could have," Ming said, her expression saying how much of a moron she thought Seven was.

"The little one is a metalbender. She must've figured out how to bend even with the carrier here."

He advanced threateningly and Saph did her best to pull Zenya closer—as much as she could while tied up, anyway.

"Don't you think she would've escaped if she could bend?" Saph argued, desperate. "She's just a terrified kid! Look at her! She can't even talk. She doesn't understand what's happening to her." The words spilled from her mouth unimpeded, though she doubted they'd do any good.

"This is ridiculous," Ming said. "The locks haven't been bent. See?" She held them up to his face.

"Then how did they get unlocked?!" Seven thundered.

"I don't know!"

They argued a little longer and Saph tuned it out. She was too scared to risk glancing at Shylo, worried it might give him away. Instead, she focused on trying to comfort Zenya, who was shaking like a leaf, no longer crying but sniffling softly.

"It'll be dawn soon," Ming said finally. "I can track her then."

"Fine. But if you're not back by noon, I'm leaving without you."

"What?! You can't carry all three of them on one hound."

"No need," Seven said with a shrug. "It would be nice to get the cash for all three, but the girl's the only one the higher-ups want, and I can't risk letting her bending come back. She's too strong. I'll just toss the other two in the river and be done with them."

Saph felt the blood drain from her face. Why hadn't she considered that possibility? A glance at Shylo told her he might be thinking the same thing.

"Hey, now!" Ming protested. "I didn't sign up to kill no kids! Just turn 'em loose if you don't want to take them. I tried to convince you to just leave them, in the first place."

Another back-and-forth ensued, this time Saph feeling like her life was hanging by a thread. Petrified. In the end, they didn't come to any agreement other than to hold off on any killing until they knew whether or not Ming could locate the carrier.

And so…Saph settled in to await the new dawn with a bottomless feeling of despair pulsing through her.