In a huff, Noble flopped on the extra bed in Syrce's wagon…or pretended to from the air. She didn't need any more pain on account of Flint tonight!
Syrce was still out securing the camp. She would be for a little longer, most likely, leaving Noble to her thoughts.
And her thoughts were many…
After speaking with Roan and Aether once Flint had departed, the remaining cohort members decided to get some rest and regroup in the morning. They still needed to find Helie, and the situation with Flint had put them in the wrong mindset to form that plan.
'The situation with Flint, Hmph!'
That man was more infuriating than an itch she couldn't scratch.
The Spell had a cruel sense of humor, linking her with him through the tether.
At least now it was over.
He had called her so many names, insulted her, treated her as useless, and even set her on fire. And he was the one who wanted nothing to do with her!
Hot tears stung Noble's eyes.
'How could he?!'
The question was born of indignation, but caused her to pause. The tether was broken; there was no doubt about that. And Flint hadn't shown any sign of physical pain when leaving. Despite the few advantages, the man had been trying almost nonstop to break the bond with her. She had been doing what she could to help to no avail.
And then, when they had least expected it, the chain between them was unceremoniously broken.
'Good. Let him hitch himself to some other unsuspecting person!'
Is that what Flint had done? Had he finally figured out how to move the tether?
No, Noble didn't think so. She had felt the connection detached, encouraged it even. Both of them were free.
"Congratulations!" Syrce burst into the wagon with a wide grin.
Noble sat up and smiled weakly at the Saint. "Thank you. It's not every day I get the chance to let completely loose and decimate a horde of Nightmare Creatures."
"What? Oh that. I suppose that was nice too." Syrce waved her hand dismissively.
Noble blinked. Where was the fanfare? Where were the praises for her heroic actions?
"You saw what I did, right?" The floating Master furrowed her brow.
"Yes, I saw. The whole camp saw. I doubt they will talk about much else for quite some time. You know you did well, do you really need me to confirm it?" Syrce tilted her head curiously.
"Maybe…" Noble answered sheepishly.
The Saint's adulation had been overwhelming, but now the absence of it was disappointing.
"Fine, you did well, Bel." Syrce patted her friend on the shoulder.
'I finally do something truly noteworthy, and she shoulder-pats me like a child. I don't think I'll ever understand her.'
Noble shook her head. "If you weren't congratulating me about the battle, what had you so excited?"
"What else? Flint! I saw him with his belt flung over his shoulder. It looks like you are free of him!"
"Free…yeah…" Noble shrugged, her melancholy returning.
That answered the question once and for all. Flint was not connected to anyone.
'At least he won't cause drama for anyone else.'
The Saint's smile faltered.
"I feel like I'm the only one who is feeling joy about this development. What happened?"
Child of Promise knew she should feel happy, but she was too upset to experience the relief of her newfound freedom.
She looked at her curious companion. Who better to share her burdens with than an ancient Saint who would take her secrets with her when the Nightmare ended?
Noble sighed. "Titus and I had a disagreement. He thought it was alright to get drunk and set the world on fire, and I…didn't."
"Ah, is that what this little spat is about?" Untying her hair, the Saint began brushing through it. "And here I thought it was something serious."
"You don't consider being set ablaze something serious?" Noble's jaw dropped.
"Why should I? That wasn't even the first time today that that has happened to you." Syrce shook her head. "And between you and me, the dragon did a much better job. Titus paled in comparison. I don't know why he bothered."
"You don't understand," Noble blew out her cheeks. "He doesn't want anything to do with me. He is done being my friend…or rather, he was never my friend in the first place."
"Are you sure about that?" Syrce's mossy hair shimmered in the uncertain light of the lit candle. She looked even more otherworldly than usual.
Her stunning presence gave Noble pause. She took extra time to consider the words.
Flint had never been friendly, but Noble had always tried to treat him like a friend.
Still, there were moments where he had been kind, selfless even.
But did that make them more than acquaintances? Was Flint even capable of having friends?
"I'm not," Noble answered honestly.
"It seems to me an acquaintance or even an enemy would not have you quite so upset as you are now." Syrce tapped her chin. "I would hope you would be at least this upset if I told you we were no longer friends."
Noble shook her head.
"You wouldn't do that because you are a nice, caring person. Flint is, quite frankly, a first-rate jerk."
"It sounds like you have made up your mind then. It's good that you broke the connection then." The Saint smiled brightly.
"I broke the connection?" Child of Promise felt a knot in the pit of her stomach.
Syrce giggled. "You know, for someone who is so in tune with others' emotions, you really have been slow with this. Before he left, Orrin figured out the key to the belt. I didn't tell you because I wanted you to have the satisfaction of solving the problem yourself. I am glad to know you weren't playing dumb to keep Titus by your side. I should have known you weren't intentionally rejecting his request."
"Rejecting his request…I am not following." Noble felt like she was playing chess with only a quarter of the pieces.
But then she remembered the tug at her soul right before Flint had stormed off. Noble had embraced the release. Was that what it took to break the bond?
Noble pulled at her chin.
"You look like you have figured it out. It takes both of you to disable the belt." Syrce tapped her forehead.
"But Cook!" Child of Promise remembered the original recipient of the bond.
"Cook had no soul core, so she had no way of accessing whatever Titus was anchored to. He could only move the tether, which is what he did in the end." The Saint leaned back on her bed, quite satisfied with her explanation.
The words took some time to sink in. She had been unwittingly holding Flint captive.
"I could have released him any time. You are saying all I had to do was accept his request earlier? But…before tonight, I hadn't gotten a request like that." Noble sat in that truth for a moment.
The corner of Syrce's lips curved upward. "Oh? That is interesting!"
It was confusing, Noble wanted to correct her. Flint had railed against her since the moment they met.
"If he had wanted to be free as badly as he said, why wouldn't that kind of request have come automatically and constantly?" There was only one reason Noble could think of. "He doesn't hate me!"
After feeling the man's emotions constantly for a week, Child of Promise had let her anger and frustration skew them. She had come to believe that all of his negative feelings were due to her presence. But really, there was another equally likely explanation.
Flint was unhappy with himself.
And based on the evidence of the relic, this was more likely the case. Noble had treated him like a person, and that is why he had never truly wanted to part with her.
It wasn't until she pushed him away that his usual instincts kicked in.
Which meant…Flint was wrong.
He was her friend. And as long as he was her friend, the situation was salvageable.
Using her emotional sense, Noble sought out the curmudgeon. Her heart broke a little.
He was no longer angry or petulant. He was devastatingly sad.
"Oh!"
Syrce lay down and shut her eyes. "Sounds like you know what you need to do."
"I do. Thank you, Syrce."
Noble sent the man some comfort from across the expanse.
She knew he had told her not to do such a thing, but her heart would not rest until she had at least tried.
Surprisingly, he seemed to accept her gift. That was promising.
Noble settled in the air above her bed and prepared to get some rest. She would speak to Flint in the morning and work things through.
There was only one problem.
In the morning, Flint was gone.