"Don't look so surprised!" Syrce laughed as she tossed a piece of food into the next stall. "Your face was all but screaming that we needed to talk as soon as you arrived. I picked this secluded task so we could converse in peace."
"I see." Noble scratched her nose. She felt a little weird about her face being so readable.
Usually, only Fort and her mother could discern her mood so easily, and the former was only capable of that due to Noble's mood-ring eyes. Just now, the Master's eyes were continuously violet, so Syrce had guessed her reason for coming without any extra help.
Still, it was nice for the Saint to be so thoughtful. Other than the people who had seen the ladies pass, no one knew where they were. They had a moment alone.
"Well?" Syrce interrupted Noble's musings. "Are you going to make me guess?"
"What? Oh, no. Sorry." Noble tried to gather her thoughts. "I wanted to talk to you about that mirror of yours."
"Mirage's Mirror!" Syrce's grey eyes flashed. "The only credit I take is that I pieced the mirror together. Like my sisters, I am but a steward of this place and these people, nothing more!"
Noble was startled by the sudden fierceness in her voice. She hadn't meant to misspeak, but the emotion felt out of nowhere.
"Forgive me. Of course, the mirror and the palace belong to Mirage." Noble backtracked quickly.
"Yes, they do. We cannot forget that."
Syrce adjusted her amulet. Somehow, in her wardrobe change, she hadn't seen fit to take it off. It, too, had once belonged to Mirage. At what point, if ever, would the Saint assume ownership of the priceless treasures?
Noble lifted the crate of fruit and floated it closer to them as they walked among the stalls. She cleared her throat and tried again. "I want to talk to you about that small mirror in your possession."
Syrce's frown softened.
"Ah, yes, I suppose what you saw was pretty spectacular. Do you think it was more or less amazing than the mirror maze and Hall of Imagination?"
'Hall of Imagination? I haven't heard her use that name before. Is that the proper term, or did she make it up?'
Shaking her head, Noble decided not to get sidetracked.
"I would say both experiences left an impression, but I have a few questions."
"Only a few? Well then, please do go on," Syrce's easy manner made Noble feel more at ease.
The harshness was gone, as if it had been blown away by the wind.
"What exactly is the mirror, and what did you do to it in the Hall of Imagination?" Noble used the term that she had heard.
"What do you mean: what is it? It's a mirror, silly! As for what I did, I used my powers to get an image of the Great Mirror. Initially, I thought I might be able to take the whole mirror from its place and move it, but you saw how massive that thing is. Can you imagine?!" Syrce mimed trying to pick up the immovable object before tossing a treat to the next Pink One.
"That would have been difficult." Noble agreed with a grin.
"Yes, I was disabused of the idea rather quickly. The solution was elegant and pocket-sized. The perfect combination!" Syrce nodded.
"Back to my first question, when I asked what the mirror was, I meant what is its function. What do you intend for it to do?"
"That's simple. Save us." The Saint tilted her head.
"That's good, but…how?" Noble persisted.
Syrce furrowed her brow.
"Look around you. My people are back, and the palace will provide a safe haven while we figure out how to push back the darkness once and for all."
"So the hand mirror transports people?" Noble wiped her hand on her sleeve after an enthusiastic Pink One managed to drool on her fingers. "But it wasn't what brought the rest of us here, correct?"
"No, I think only the Great Mirror has that capability. The smaller copy could never control the whole world like that." Syrce tilted her head.
'At least we can agree on that.'
"It might not be able to control everything, but the small mirror healed Drusus. That is wonderful, but very strange, don't you think?" Noble tried to keep the concern from her voice.
"I will not question a miracle. Magic does not always heed logic." The Saint shrugged.
"Yes, but even in magic, there is logic. Do you know the little mirror's limit?" Child of Promise glanced at the Saint.
"I wanted to test it, but Titus would not let me try it on him!" Syrce pouted. "It is fine, though. I will have to use my other means of discerning all of the relic's capabilities."
"Other means?" Noble felt her ears tingle. "What other means do you mean?"
"Silly friend. I did it the same way I found the treasure trove of Mirage's things. Maelys guided me. She and her advisor were most helpful in everything I needed to know." Syrce nodded.
Her face shone with joy at the declaration. Under the radiance of her expression, the chain around her neck seemed to shimmer softly in the dull light of the stable.
Noble blinked, and the light was gone.
"Maelys has been guiding you this whole time?" Noble was confused by this assertion.
She knew that Maelys had sent them on the initial quest to find the shards of the mirror, but the wording felt peculiar. Syrce nodded, happy to share the information.
"Mae might have been stuck on the island, but she did not leave me alone. She sent her advisor to help me. Surely I have mentioned that before." Syrce frowned. "Oh? Have I not?"
"Indeed, you have not. Unless you mean Orrin." Noble wondered if the Shieldbearer had another title.
"I do not mean Orrin," Syrce answered with a secretive grin. "This man is much older than he is. And much wiser."
"I would like to meet this advisor then. Indeed, I am shocked I have not met him already." The floating Master chewed her lip.
"Have you not?" The Saint raised an eyebrow. "He has met you."
The words cause a knot to form in Noble's stomach. She swallowed.
"Then introduce me again. Is he among the men with Lady Mae?"
Syrce chewed her lip. "I suppose I could…"
Just then, the door of the stable opened, slamming against the wall with a force beyond any mundane human. Noble lifted her hand to shield her eyes.
Syrce squinted. "Mae? What are you doing here?"
The woman with coral colored hair stood as the sunlight poured in around her.
How had the Saint found them so easily? They hadn't been gone that long. Had something urgent happened to require such a dramatic entrance?
Her appearance was disheveled as if she had run this way in her Transcendant form and had only recently returned to being human. Mae's expression looked wild as she surveyed the darkened stable.
Finally, her eyes came to rest on the beautiful Master. Maelys leveled Noble with a fierce gaze. Gritting her teeth, Mae's words came out sharper than any sword.
"You need to leave. Now."