The Noble Queen-A Shadow Slave Fanfic

Chapter 807: A Time to Kill

Noble knew she couldn't panic. It wasn't a surprise that the skinwalker was after her. His immediate attack when she arrived at the Stormsea for her voyage to Bastion was proof that he was not fond of her presence.

Child of Promise had witnessed the destruction of that vessel. It was gruesome, and it had been a team effort by those present. In the Jade Palace, too, the Skinwalker had taken on five Saints. Neither time had she seen what finally broke the vessel, but it was clear that a numerical advantage helped significantly.

"If you happened to follow me today, I could really use your backup," Noble whispered to her shadow as the monster neared.

Unfortunately, the outline on the ground remained exactly as it was. As for her other source of help, the sea of dull, grey ash and the thick grey cloud cover gave her no hope on that front either.

'The one time I need a mirror…Just great.'

Noble did not want to wait until the creature came to her. She needed to act now or run.

'Nectar.'

The little relic heeded her silent command and returned to her chest. The Bloom would not be helpful in a battle of strength, and Noble did not want anything to happen to her soul or her bee.

She focused on the Skinwalker, preparing to lift him off the ground. If the Saint could float him to the gate of Ravenheart, she could enlist the assistance that she sought.

The moment she locked on to grab him, Noble screamed.

'No!'

How could she not have seen that coming? Her telekinesis relied partly on a connection between the Saint and the object she was moving.

Somehow, the Skinwalker was using it as a back door to get to her. She felt a cold sensation, like an anesthetic that was about to take hold. Cutting off her Ability, Noble gasped. Her rear touched the frozen ash, sending a jolt of pain through her body. Reveling in the new pain, Noble hissed. This time, her Flaw had done her a favor.

That was exactly what she needed to ward off the monster. Aiming her pain toward him, she felt the cold grip that had threatened to take her retract and then disappear entirely.

The Skinwalker sighed.

"You really should be more inviting towards guests. Now I feel very unwelcome." A wave of hatred accompanied the Skinwalker's pleasant tone.

Noble didn't care. At least the feeling was outside her body and no longer able to invade.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are…" the monster's sing-song voice mocked her. "Are you really going to make me come the whole way?"

With eyes shut, Noble emerged from her hiding place and moved toward the man who beckoned her.

"There you are." The Skinwalker smiled. "I was afraid I would have to chase you. It has been much too long."

He opened his arms, like a brother welcoming a long-lost sister. Noble wasn't fooled. No matter whose face the creature wore, he was still a cold-blooded monster.

"You should have stayed in that dome," Noble felt anger well up within her as she thought about all the citizens of that small town in the Eastern Quadrant. "You've killed enough."

"Yet, here I am ready for more." The handsome man shook his head. "You won't even open your eyes to appreciate my most recent handiwork? How very unsporting of you."

"I would rather keep the battle out here. I like my soul the way it is."

Sparks appeared in Noble's hand as her Zenith formed.

The monster frowned. "Your soul is...different from the last time we met."

Noble wondered if he was viewing her transcendence, the relic, or the Nothing that was mixed into her core. Perhaps it was something else entirely. She had been pretty busy lately, after all.

The Skinwalker chuckled dryly, waving his hand casually in the air.

"No matter. You'll die all the same."

Though there were fewer than a dozen meters between them now, the monster did not seem in any hurry to close the distance. He also didn't seem hesitant, walking at the same measured pace the entire way. He continued to regard the woman with something akin to curiosity.

Looking at the blade dripping with poison, the Skinwalker clicked his tongue. "Do you always bring a sword to a brawl?"

"Why? You are worried about fairness?" Noble tilted her head.

The man barked a laugh. "No."

The Saint raised her sword. "Good."

"Ha! Brash talk from a–"

A wall of grey smashed into the monster's shoulder, knocking him to one side. The Skinwalker had been so intent on taunting Noble that it hadn't noticed the mass of camouflaged fur moving toward him until it was too late.

Now claws and teeth raked at his skin, ripped at his lusterless armor, and clamped down on any part that was small enough to grasp. Nectar might have been too small to help in this encounter, but Helios certainly was not.

If Noble couldn't find a teammate, she would summon one instead! As soon as the Symncus launched his attack, his master jumped into the fray as well. The Zenith expertly cut beneath the visor of his helmet and cut deep into the man's neck. The gurgling sound let Noble know she had hit her mark.

Scraping the blade across the icy soil, Noble completed the cut. Helios opened his mouth to crush the newly freed skull, but not fast enough. The monster's left arm grabbed the echo by the throat and dug into the Symncus's vocal cords.

A strange throaty chuckle came from the body as the hand squeezed. Helios swiped, severing the hand from the arm, yet still the muscles of the fingers did not release their hold.

"Helios!" Noble stabbed the Zenith through the monster's armor, pinning the torso to the ground.

She fled to pry the fingers from her echo's bleeding neck. She kicked the monster's head far from the rest of it to buy herself some time.

The time was barely a breath. All at once, the parts of the vessel pulled together as if they were attracted by a magnetic force. The flesh quickly meshed, ready to fuse as if nothing had happened. The creature gripped her sword and pulled it from his body.

'Well, that didn't work.' Dismissing her blade, Noble lifted into the air along with Helios.

"You ok, boy?"

Leo growled, pawing at his neck. Blood trickled from the torn skin, but the wound could have been much worse.

Noble wished she could open her eyes to give her echo a proper inspection, but she knew that was a bad idea. The only reason that the monster had gone for the echo instead of her was so he could force her to open her eyes and let him in.

The Skinwalker paced back and forth below her.

"Do you plan to come back, or should I find some way to knock you out of the air?"

From her second sight, the Saint could see that her cut had left an impression. The flesh had come together, but it had not fully been able to heal. If she could cut in the right places, perhaps she could incapacitate the monster and carry it on Helios's back instead of floating it.

One thing was for sure.

She had no idea how to kill it.