Noble had said to wait, and she meant it, but she had no idea exactly how hard that would be.
Part of her expected Sunny to come racing across the landscape in order to tell her the good news and gloat. Rain's awakening was in large part his achievement too, after all.
Though Noble never would have said it aloud, she fully believed that this would be the moment that the long-lost brother would make his triumphant return and finally introduce himself to Fort. Maybe they wouldn't be able to have a meal just yet, but surely a small celebration could be managed!
However, as the morning marched on and breakfast came to a close, no shadowy messenger came. The boys headed off to school, leaving the couple to make a decision about how to spend their day.
"I'll work from home today. I have no reason to go in since Teddy brought my work by. Are you..." Fort watched his wife shake her head.
"I sent a message with Teddy that I will not be at the Academy today."
Noble knew that it would put her terribly behind after just catching up, but nothing would get done in the waking world anyway when her mind was here. More than that, the new Provost hadn't taken a day off in a week.
'If I keep that up, it will set a bad precedent.'
So while Fort settled in to work at the kitchen table, Noble hovered over the couch and tried to read a book that had been sitting on the end table for ages. Her eyes barely skimmed across the first few lines before her mind began to wander.
'I really shouldn't be so impatient. None of Sunny's incarnations are in Ravenheart as far as I know, and I've no idea how long a trip like that would take for someone like him.'
She blinked, focusing on the page with all her might.
'Maybe he isn't on his way yet because he is making sure that Rain gets to a citadel. Yes, that must be it...'
While Sunny was likely able to spare an extra body—Noble had no clue how many incarnations the Saint had at his disposal—he probably didn't want to share the news until he had a full report.
Noble turned the page, deciding that maybe the introduction was just too slow to catch her attention. Chapter one would be sure to get her mind off things. A paragraph later, a thought occurred to her.
'Hm, I could track down Master Sunless in Bastion if it really came down to it. Julius would deliver a message for me without hesitation. Mom said he visits that restaurant anyway…'
Noble discarded the idea.
'No. It will not only raise questions that I'm not ready to answer, but it's also less efficient than just heading south and seeking out Rain myself.'
The mother was reasonably certain that she could reach Rain within a day if she flew at top speed. Sooner if she could get a Saint to take her straight there.
However, the Saint of Sorrow was here in Ravenheart, and Noble doubted he would make such a detour when he hadn't gone searching for his daughter before.
'Tamar...' There was something Noble hadn't really considered before.
If Tamar was with Rain as Noble believed, then had the girl seen the transformation take place? What had natural awakening even looked like? Perhaps it didn't manifest like anything at all since the change was internal. Or maybe it was like the birth of a star, too glorious to behold.
Noble herself had witnessed Counsel become a Master in her second Nightmare. However, that experience was unique, and Noble doubted very much that Rain's had involved crushing a cursed orb.
'I wish I could have been there...'
Tamar likely had been, though, and Noble was very curious what the girl thought about the change. That was assuming Tamar had witnessed it at all. At that time of the night, Tamar could have been sleeping.
If she had been, would Rain have told her about it when she woke?
Noble's mind raced. If Tamar did know, would she tell people as soon as they were safe?
Fort and Noble had been very tight-lipped about what Rain was attempting, both for her safety and others, but if that secret got out prematurely...
'The Sovereigns and the war!'
They would be very interested in this development if it meant bulking up their army without losing people to the Nightmare Spell. Since "Rani" had no backing, that would place her in a very precarious situation.
She would be at the mercy of whoever got a hold of her first. Noble's book slid out of her lap and onto the floor.
"Fort?"
"Go." He responded.
"What?" Noble furrowed her brow.
"You've yet to read more than half a page. Normally you would have been halfway through before I even got done with my first document. Not that I am faring much better than you." The ambassador looked up from his trade report.
Noble picked up her book and placed it back on the end table. "If Rain tells people what happened and they believe her..."
"It can cause a whole lot of problems. I have been thinking about that as well. The timing is not ideal. I think it is time to bring her home. The Sovereigns' eyes are pointed elsewhere. She is no longer in danger here." Fort nodded firmly. "I'll write up some excuse to send you south. We can get our stories straight when you return, but under no circumstances should we let the Supremes know about what our daughter has done. At least not now."
Noble understood what he meant. Since Sunny was against both the Sovereigns and the loss of life in a senseless war, he would be staunchly opposed to his sister being used to drag more people into the fray.
Yes, home was where Rain needed to be. There was no doubt in Noble's mind about that.
The couple made some hurried plans as Fort drew up the paperwork. Because of her rank, her tendency to travel high in the air, and her ability to remain virtually undetected, it was unlikely that anyone would know that she had gone at all. However, if on the off chance she was stopped by someone who could cause her trouble, Noble would have a reasonable explanation for her expeditious travel.
People were growing more suspicious by the day. Neither Noble nor Fort wanted to get labeled as a spy.
That would not just be bad; it would likely be detrimental to their health.
So even though the couple wanted to act immediately, they knew the importance of being careful as well.
After many minutes, Fort handed over the paper with his signature, and Noble stowed it in her storage Memory.
"This request to strengthen supply lines has already gone out to all the citadels through the normal channels and will likely reach them before you ever get there, but most people won't know that," Fort explained.
Noble nodded. "Thank you. I know what to do."
"Be safe." Fort kissed his wife deeply before releasing her with a determined gaze. "And get our girl."