"What is it?" Noble asked.
Beside her, Nickel and Sarai wore the sa looks of concern.
Theo hesitated. "It's nothing. I really hate to bother you, but sothing is amiss by the gap. I've gotten strange reports but have not been able to investigate yet."
The Queen wanted to ask more, but if Theo had not been to look, she wasn't sure if the inquiry would bear any fruit.
After nodding to her companions and getting affirmation, Noble motioned to her general.
"Show ."
The walk through the town was both humbling and a little encouraging. Many of the structures were broken, but so still stood tall like nothing had happened. The crops in the distance still seed to be in decent shape, mostly because no one had been fighting in that area.
Already, so people were out in the field gathering the fall harvest like they were before the attack. It was weird to see such a mundane task in the middle of all the carnage.
Closer to the palace, the damage was worse. Where Ender had landed, the entire street was obliterated.
'Selfish fool...'
'What?' Nickel shot her a strange look.
Noble ran her hand through her hair. After losing her helt and dismissing it, she never had brought it back for her head.
'Not you. Counsel.'
The man in black shrugged. 'I suppose this would be a bad ti to say I told you so.'
Noble's jaw dropped open.
'You told he was a jerk, not that he was a mind-influencing psychopath.'
The corner of Nickel's mouth twitched. 'I didn't know I needed to be so specific. I assud you would read between the lines.'
As Nickel was the one who had spent the least ti around Counsel, his thoughts had been influenced the least. Noble would need so ti to untangle what she actually felt and what was due to the Aspect of the manipulative protector.
'Next ti spell it out for . Though I hope there isn't a next ti...' Noble covered her nose and held breath to keep out the stench as they passed the worst of the carnage.
The sll of death was everywhere, and the poisonous beetles slled extra putrid after dying.
The few people who were beginning to clean the streets had their noses plugged with cloth ripped from their garnts.
War was ugly. Noble hated it with a passion.
The only rcy was that Ender had controlled the mindless abominations and not people to fight against Noble and the others. Killing innocent people who were under the man's influence would have triggered another kind of trauma.
It was better not to think about that.
Noble cald her thoughts and circulated her essence. Her body was physically tired, but the ti spent taking down the Sentinel horde had given her ti to get back so of her soul reserves.
Feeling a little rejuvenated, Noble tried to focus on the coming task. For so reason, the Nightmare had not ended.
Noble was sure that protecting the kingdom from the Tyrant was the conflict that needed resolving, so what had changed?
A lot…
Nickel had struck down Ender and Noble had thrown him into the abyss.
A whisper of doubt entered her head. Was she sure the man was dead?
Yes, she was positive! Noble had felt Ender's emotions snuffed out.
'Stop making doubt myself, Nic…' Noble rolled her eyes.
'Hm? I'm lost…' Nickel responded genuinely.
Noble frowned. Maybe she really had been just arguing with herself.
Strange…
As they neared the palace, the queen braced herself to see what beca of her dead friend.
The Symncus was no longer there. His entire body had been eaten away by the poison, leaving a pool of black liquid behind in the makeshift glass bowl.
If she was here long enough, she would have to find a way to dispose of the liquid, which was still bubbling, ready to consu anything it ca in contact with.
The proof of that was all around the powdered glass. Any creature that had attempted to taste the Demon before it dissolved had also ended up dying from the poison. So of them had landed in the pool and been eaten away as well. Others had rely a taste and still died but were left intact.
Such a grueso way to die.
Noble was glad Ender was gone so the treacherous liquid could never be made again. All of Counsel's things would be burned including the sorcery book if she had anything to say about it.
Theo looked at the bubbling liquid with trepidation.
Noble forced a smile. "If this is what you were worried about, then I can assure you that you are quite safe as long as you don't touch it."
The General coughed lightly and rubbed the back of his head. He seed to have been lost in so dreadful thought. He blinked a couple of tis before answering.
"You hear that?" he told so of the soldiers nearby who were picking up the rubble. "Don't touch the bubbly stuff. It isn't safe."
The n looked at him confused for a mont. Did he think they were stupid? All but one young soldier saluted and went back to collecting the debris.
The final man stared out blankly, still dazed by all that had happened. His eyes looked devoid of hope, and Noble could feel the sadness in his soul.
Noble could understand his grief. She wondered just how much he had lost today.
He might not even know how much just yet. The General sighed heavily.
Unwilling to chastise the traumatized private, Theo pulled his gaze away from the workers and the pile of poisoned corpses.
He motioned toward the edge. "While I appreciate your advice, Your Majesty, that wasn't the problem that I brought you here for."
"Then what…" Noble hesitated.
She looked down into the abyss with a strained expression.
Instead of looking ominous like it did at ho, it looked…inviting?
Darkness was often considered a form of solace and rest. Didn't she need rest? The nightmare and past day had been so very taxing for her soul, hadn't it?
Kosi was gone too due to her being too trusting of soone she should have been cautious of.
Ender was dead, thankfully. The Tyrant was too. But the nightmare was still not over. It was not enough. It was never enough. She felt very useless...
That is why the darkness was the best place for her. Wasn't it far more welcoming than the unforgiving Nightmare?
Crestfall was broken beyond repair. That didn't matter. It was never the way to freedom. The only freedom was below.
Noble didn't just feel useless…no, she was useless. Wasn't that why she had failed the Nightmare and was stuck here for eternity?
Eternity…without her family. Didn't she miss her family? Maybe Fort and her children were hiding in the embrace of the darkness…
"No!" Noble paled.
She looked at Sarai who had a strange expression on her face.
Even Nickel looked rattled.
"You hear them too, don't you?" The queen looked at her friends. "The whispers?"
The intrusive thoughts at first seed like her own self-doubt. Spell knew how much she had been questioning her choices today alone.
It was the last thought that made Noble realize her consciousness had been invaded.
Her family would never be hidden in the darkness. They were her guiding light ho.
Sarai and Nickel nodded. They had been their own versions of the sa tornt.
Fortunately, they all had the fortitude not to agree with the hateful whispers.
As long as the three of them were still alive, there was hope.
Theo's face darkened.
"Whispers? That wasn't exactly the complaint I got either. Though it might explain the strange reports I have been getting."
"Co on, General. Just tell us!" Nickel was suddenly nervous, which was very unlike him.
Theo nodded. "Of course."
But before he could explain the contents of the reports, the dazed worker who had been cleaning up behind them pushed the Queen aside.
And dove over the edge.
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