"A bird and a bee? Quite a combination." Fort smirked.
"Don't you start!" Noble felt her ears burn. The thought had already crossed her mind, but hearing Fort point it out was embarrassing.
She had hoped that she would not become a bee, and so the Spell had made her a bird and given her a bee sidekick instead.
The Spell was certainly laughing at her expense. The irony!
Ah, the jokes she would have to suffer when people found out!
Thankfully, no one other than her husband would know she was a Saint any time soon.
And few people would bully a Saint to their face, right?
'That doesn't mean they won't be thinking it…'
"So? Are you going to tell me?" Fort raised one eyebrow.
"About the birds and the bees?" Noble's cheeks became even more flushed. "If you don't know by now, there is no helping you…"
"While that is a conversation I would like to have very soon, that isn't what I meant. I meant, are you going to tell me what she does?"
"Oh…give me a moment." Noble shut her eyes, following the process she had taught her students for years.
Suddenly, even with her eyes shut, the world around her was clearly visible.
Only… she was seeing herself!
"Oh!"
Her cry reverberated in her head, offset by less than a millisecond.
"What? Are you ok?" Fort tensed.
"I'm fine, it's just…" Noble held up her finger, and Nectar heeded her silent command to leave it.
The tiny bee flew across the frozen landscape. Noble could see the glistening snow and hear the whizzing wind.
"I can use Nectar's senses—at least her vision and hearing," Noble noted that she couldn't feel or smell anything beyond herself.
That was just as well.
Opening her eyes, Noble continued to be aware of what was happening with the bee, but they took a backseat to her primary senses.
"So, you just became the ultimate spy? You don't even have to be in a room to know what is happening there." Fort mused.
"More like a nosey eavesdropper. I am guessing most of the most important conversations have all sorts of measures to prevent bugs from listening —magical ones included."
If Nectar were caught somewhere she shouldn't be, she would easily be traced back to Noble by a diviner or some other method known only to the Great Clans. Then Noble's goose would well and truly be cooked.
'I'll have to be extra careful.'
Child of Promise recalled her relic. Nectar buzzed back to her mistress.
"Hmmm." Noble examined her little friend.
"What is it?" Fort could sense the hesitation in his wife.
"Don't get me wrong, that is a very cool ability—being able to perceive through these little eyes." Noble pointed to her relic. "But I don't think that is her primary purpose."
When focusing on the runes to discover the secret of her Aspect Legacy, Noble had felt she had stumbled—bumbled?—into finding the ability to view the world through Nectar's eyes.
There was more to discover.
Noble tried again, letting her intuition take over a second time. She avoided the initial urge to take over Nectar's senses and looked for something deeper.
Sparks formed in Noble's hand as she summoned the Zenith. It solidified in her hand, and Noble waited expectantly.
"I don't suppose you could…"
The Soul Bloom released its beelike appearance, returning to a trail of sparks. It raced toward the Zenith, hitting it and coating it with a soft light. Then the light disappeared.
Noble examined her weapon. She swung it experimentally around her body. Then, flooding it with essence, she called forth the poison to taint the blade. The Zenith oozed with liquid instantly, dripping from the tip in a near steady stream.
Fort's eyes opened wide. "Did your bee cause that?"
"No. The blade can always produce poison, but it usually costs me more essence. The edge is sharper than normal, too, which I didn't even think was possible."
The Soul Bloom had enveloped her weapon, making it more efficient and effective than ever before. If it could do that for her Memory, then perhaps…
In a silent command, Noble summoned the Bloom to herself. The trail of light exited the sword and soaked into her chest.
Fort watched the strange occurrence. "How do you feel?"
"That's different." Noble felt a change in the way her essence flowed.
She could control it in a way she hadn't been able to before.
She circulated her essence, monitoring the differences in her body. Her senses felt sharper, her muscles felt mightier, and something in her told her that her bones would be harder to break with this enhancement.
Peeking into her Soul Sea, Noble realized why. The star that had been connected to her soul core was now surrounding it, enhancing its brilliance.
'I guess that is why it has soul in the name. As far as Aspect Legacy Relics go, this one is quite special!'
Before the belt in Bastion, Noble had no idea that things could be bound to one's soul like this. Now she had seen it happen twice in her own sea.
'I wonder if others have experienced this?'
It was very likely they had, but they didn't talk about it.
If something was bound to a soul, it was possible that destroying it would cause soul damage as well. Awakened Warriors did not like for others to know their weaknesses. Prideful bragging could easily get one killed in the end.
Noble, too, would be very careful with whom she entrusted with her secret. Thankfully, the person in front of her was the one she relied on most in the whole world.
"Your eyes," Fort squinted. "They are brighter and more colorful than I have ever seen."
"Oh!" Noble blinked, letting them settle into a more natural blue. "This relic is strange. It's wrapped around my soul and enhancing it somehow. It worked on my sword too. I think it would wrap around any of my Memories, including my armor.
Noble saw Fort rub his shoulders. The heat stored in the Fire Insurance was running out. Noble sent Nectar to wrap around the charm. When the light left her sea, a dull ache formed in her heart. She missed the little bee's warmth already.
The Fire Insurance glowed as the relic wrapped around it. Fort's shoulders relaxed.
"I see what you mean about it being an enhancement. It's an ampl-bee-fier!"
Rolling her eyes, Noble chuckled softly. "I suppose, but even she cannot keep you warm when that heat fully runs out. I should get you home."
Fort nodded. "I don't suppose we could come out here again soon, could we? Just to run more tests and experiments, I mean."
Noble raised one eyebrow at him. "You just want to try flying on the quetzal again."
"That's one of the experiments, absolutely." The man winked.
"I suppose. But not today. I have to recharge that charm, and there isn't a lot of heat around here. Also, the kids will be back at the house soon. We should get dinner ready."
With that, Noble lifted them into the air. They made their way back to the city.
However, this time they would go through the gate. Noble had a mirror that she wanted to see...