The box opened painfully slowly, and when it did, Noble felt no closer to understanding than she did before.
"This…is your plan to stop the Darkness?"
"Absolutely!" The effervescent Saint nodded.
Staring at the case, the Ascended Warrior wasn't sure what to think. She had expected a weapon, or at the very least a mighty charm. Even a book with ancient spells would have made so sense.
But this?
All that was in the box was a pane of reflective glass. Not even a full piece. The uneven edge spoke to its shattered state.
Noble did not need to glance at Flint. His confusion ran as deep as her own.
"Perhaps you could walk through this plan." The blonde lady scratched her nose.
"I am glad you asked, dearest Bel! For a mont, I thought you had figured it out all on your own!"
The captivating Saint lifted the shard and set the box back in the cart. When she was sure she had her friend's attention, Syrce cleared her throat and explained.
"When the end drew near, Mirage decided to hide many of her things. She scattered them and squirreled them away all across the land, perhaps even in other Realms. But one object in particular she did not want the gods to get their hands on, so she broke it into seven pieces. This is one of them."
"Why not just destroy it if she didn't want it to be recovered?" Noble thought aloud.
"Divine objects are not so easy to dispose of," Syrce chided her friend, "And I think that preserving it may have been an act of defiance on her part. Had Maelys not found the fra, the rest of our quest would have been in vain. Now, with the last piece in my possession, we can finish what she started and bring her ho. So you see, everything is well in hand!"
The lady tucked the piece of glass back in the box and latched it.
'I have more questions than answers,' Noble rubbed her forehead.
"What do the seven pieces make when put together?"
Syrce set down the small chest in the wagon. "Did I not say? How clumsy of !"
The Saint's smile faded. As Noble followed her gaze, she discovered why. The last people in the convoy were entering the gates.
Among them was Orrin carrying Drusus between himself and another soldier on a stretcher. The young guard must not have wanted to be lifted with the wagons.
"I guess we will have to finish this later," Syrce abandoned the cart to check with her second-in-command.
Noble followed after her, ignoring the distracted Flint. That was, until he grunted and tumbled out of the cart.
"Watch it, Blondie!" He cried at her.
The floating Master hadn't realized the tether was so short. She must have unconsciously shortened it when trying to look at the object in his hand.
"I'll be more mindful," she promised with an apologetic dip of her head. Lengthening the tether ntally, she chased after Syrce. Not wanting to be left out, Flint dusted off his tunic and followed as well.
They caught up with the Saint just as she reached Orrin. Seeing the commander coming, the Shieldbearer passed the handles of a stretcher to another for transport.
"Make sure he is placed sowhere comfortable," Orrin ordered.
"How is the boy?" Syrce waited until the stretcher was taken out of sight.
"Drusus is broken physically and ntally. I believe Titus's assessnt was right, and he will not walk again. But I am far more worried about his mind. He needs to go ho to his family as soon as he can." The lines on Orrin's face ran as deep as his concern. He seed like he had aged years since they last saw him.
When Noble had lost people she loved, only the love and concern given by her family had brought her back. It was not surprising that Drusus was floundering under so much strain.
Syrce folded her hands and brought them to her chin. "So rest in the fortress will do him good. But I agree that he cannot remain with us in his current state. In the morning, you and a detail of n will accompany him to the seaside. You will escort Livia's body as well."
"My Lady?" Orrin frowned. "A-are you dismissing from duty?"
"Reassigning you, for the ti being," the Saint waved her hand. "I need to send a ssage to my sister, Lyra. Our plan is almost complete, but I need her to send the other six pieces of the relic to Imagination's ho. I would normally send Titus for that trusted duty, but he is a little tied up at the mont..."
The play on words, whether intentional or not, seed to diffuse the tension in the air.
Orrin dropped to one knee. "I understand. Thank you, My Lady."
Noble could feel how much the man wanted to go ho. While Syrce's reasoning made sense, soone else could have taken the communication to Lady Lyra. Her decision had been made out of kindness as much as efficiency.
"I know you will not let down," the Saint smiled warmly at him. "And your family will be very glad to see you as well. Now, go clean up. You sll like yesterday's refuse."
Orrin rose, bowed, and took his leave in the direction of the waterfalls.
"What about you, Bel?" The Saint turned to her companion. "You made it to the Fortress, just like you wanted. Have you found all you were looking for?"
Noble bit her lip. "Not exactly, no."
While she had gathered more information than she could have dread, her quest to find her cohort had made no progress.
Syrce sighed. "I am very sorry to hear that. What will you do now?"
That was a good question. The group had ant to et in Bastion, not here. But the next best eting location would be any major structure or fortification.
"Are there any other large monunts or famous places where people might congregate? The friends I seek might be there." Noble held her breath.
"The only other place that has many people is by the sea. Would you like to go with Orrin to visit?" Syrce offered with a wave in the direction where the Shieldbearer had gone.
"Maybe. Do you have any maps I might consult?" Noble hoped Flint would help decipher them.
The three retired to a building not far from the gate. It was piled high with depictions of the region.
As Syrce had said, the bulk of the population was by the sea with Lady Lyra.
Yet Noble did not feel the pull to go there, even if it was the most obvious choice.
"Where did you say you were heading, Lady Syrce?"
The Saint pursed her lips. "Tomorrow, we are going to travel to Mirage's forr ho."
"And that is east of here?" Noble pointed to where she thought the ho lay
"Yes, but there are no people there, only monsters. Are you thinking of coming with ?"
'What's going on in your head, Blondie?' Flint looked up from his map with a curious expression.
'I am thinking that the starlight at night has been shooting eastward like a sign. Wouldn't a Daemon's ho be a fortress of sorts?' Noble nodded at the thought.
'That could very well be Bastion by another na. Of course, with how ssed up the geography is here, the city by the sea could just as easily be a Bastion…or neither of them could be!' Flint blew out his cheeks.
'Then we leave a note here and send one to the city as well. Then wherever our group ends up, they will be able to find us.' Noble paused. 'Unless, do you have a better idea?'
Flint's frown deepened. 'If I did, I would have said it by now. I don't like you having the last word!'
Noble smothered her smile. That was as close to an agreent as she was going to get.
"Yes, I do think I will co with you. After all, I cannot drag away your third-in-command while Orrin is away. That is, if you will have ."
"Nothing would make more delighted! A Realm Walker will witness our great triumph! With you to report, everyone will hear of this." Syrce clapped her hands.
Noble nodded slowly. Indeed, if this worked, all of the Waking World would know about it soon as she returned.
"It's settled then."
In the morning, Noble would leave to see a Daemon's ho.
The ho of Imagination.
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