They reached the main stronghold of the palace without Noble having to destroy anything.
Though in hindsight, she should have just flown Flint directly to the castle instead of ushering him along the trodden pathways.
What was done was done. When the man finally went inside the keep, Noble forcefully shut the door behind him.
"Want me to seal it with earth?" Helie offered.
Roan gave her a weary smile. "I don't think that is necessary. He has shown off his skills. I think he is satisfied enough with his performance to wait until dinner before coming out again."
"He is continuing to move away from the door," Noble confirmed. "I could barely feel him when I closed the door, and now I cannot feel him at all."
'Hm, I know a few people who would be quite interested in ensuring that level of privacy.' She mused. Divine creations were far more secure than any government facility.
"Good," Aether heaved a deep sigh. "I hope the gentleman can get some rest and come back more himself."
"Is that your polite way of saying 'good riddance'?" Helie smirked.
"Master Flint is better suited to a straightforward disposition. There is a limit to how many gentlemen should be in a cohort." Aether frowned.
Noble wasn't sure if that was true. She had only ever been in one other cohort, and Nic had certainly been the straightforward type.
Not that Roan and Aether were dishonest. They simply lacked the bluntness that Flint had in ample supply.
"I think a little break will do us all some good. Back to work?" Noble watched the others nod.
"We should also stake out our spot for the night. I don't know about all of you, but I think I would prefer one of the outer buildings to anything inside the main keep tonight." Roan retied his blue scarf.
"If it comes down to it, I would rather sleep under the stars than in there," Helie eyed the doors with suspicion.
"Agreed," Aether smiled, happy for a change that involved one of his favorite topics.
"I will see if we can find a safe indoor space first," Noble rubbed the back of her neck.
She would stay outside if she had to, but the safety net of a ceiling was more appealing than the open air.
"Fair enough," Roan nodded. "We will see what is available and meet back for the evening meal."
"What should we do if we see Flint before then?" Aether frowned.
"If that man is foolish enough to come out again, then there is no helping him," Roan rubbed his face with his palm. "So we will hope he stays put."
Heading halfway down the hill, the four Masters parted ways, each aiming for a particular unfinished task.
The number of workers meant that the initial unpacking in their new home was nearly complete. What would come next would take weeks, months, or—in the worst case—years to establish a fully functional settlement.
But for now, the few tasks remaining for the day would soon be completed. Therefore, Noble did not feel a sense of urgency to make it down the hill. Even the idea of finding suitable sleeping quarters, as Roan had suggested, was not highly motivating. While she had not slept peacefully the night before, she had gotten enough unnatural rest to make it through another day or two without sleep.
So Noble's floating steps remained unhurried to join the soldiers. Now that Flint was suddenly a model citizen, did that mean she was a lazy loafer in response?
It didn't matter.
She would do as she pleased with the momentary respite. It wouldn't last long, most likely.
Noble tried to keep her mind from reflecting on how she had gotten this far. She tried to empty it of all things and just be. But each time she rooted out a thought, a new one took its place. It was like digging in wet sand.
'Ugh, how does Fort do it?!'
Her husband could come home from work, and if he wanted to, he could stare into the fireplace without hardly blinking. When Noble asked what he was thinking about during those moments, he always responded, "Nothing."
The worst part? He meant it!
Who can really think of nothing?! Noble decided that she could not. So she shifted her thoughts to something that she could safely speculate on.
'I wonder how close Orrin is to reaching here...'
Syrce was sure that her Shieldbearer was already on his way a few days ago. Depending on the size of his army and how fast they could travel, it was possible they could be here in less than a week.
Less, if the man came alone. And much more if he decided to bring Lyra and the whole seaside with him.
'I suppose the last one would be easy to confirm or deny with Drusus. If he brought everyone, then that young man would have been on the trail when Syrce dragged him through the mirror.'
Noble rounded the corner and heard voices in the distance. Her pace slowed even more.
'It is a shame that Syrce couldn't bring Orrin through the looking glass. I did have a lot of questions for him. Maybe it wasn't that he refused to answer the call. Perhaps he was in a strange place that the mirror could not reach. If so, that is a shame. He will just have to come the long way. At least he doesn't have to deal with that horrible horde of Nightmare Creatures that the scout mentioned.'
The floating woman stopped. A terrible thought crept into her head.
'What if the reason Syrce couldn't locate Orrin is because he ran into a different gate and succumbed to the creatures there?'
Maelys had cleared the area closest to Bastion, but she had not gone all the way to the coast. Even if she had, new gates could open any time and ambush humans unawares. Noble had been a victim of that herself before.
'What if Orrin is dead?' Noble didn't want to believe it.
She struggled to feel him with her Kingdom Keeper attribute, but their connection was just not strong enough. Sometimes Noble could feel her family across Realms, but she had a deep and abiding love for them.
That level of feeling would never be present for the dutiful Shieldbearer.
'I do hope he is alright.' Noble wished him well and hoped it would be enough. Until she heard otherwise, she would believe firmly that he was alive and well.
'How did I even manage to get off on that grim line of thought?'
Noble shook her head. She had meant to give in to a lighthearted speculation and had instead found a morbid end. Too many of her thoughts ended in the worst-case scenarios.
That was probably why she was still alive, though—she could anticipate the worst and avoid it. That was one of the skills the Nightmare Spell had taught the inhabitants of the Waking World.
They were never safe.
'It seems like the same holds true for this world.' Noble shook her head.
For at that very moment, she was attacked.