The Noble Queen-A Shadow Slave Fanfic

Chapter 837: Breaking Point

It was a long, cold, lonely night.

Noble had a vague hope that at least one of her students had been dropped in the backyard of Ravenheart or at least in the surrounding area. Part of her was sure that her desire to see Tamar, Ray, and Fleur make it safely back would have landed one or all of them close to her home.

That was just wishful thinking.

'Where are you?'

Noble felt for the connections she had made with the last three Sleepers she had spoken to that evening. The essence she had poured into her wish had caused something strange to happen at the time, and the professor had yet to figure out exactly what had occurred.

Locking on to them, Noble was suddenly filled with panic. The connection was not strong enough for Noble to affect the sleepers' emotions, but it did give her a general sense of where they might be.

Tamar, Fleur, and Ray all pulled her in the same direction.

'G-Godgrave?!'

No, that couldn't be correct! The very fact that they were alive meant that they couldn't be there, right?!

If they were, there was nothing Noble could do. Godgrave was both too far and too dangerous for her to be any help.

'Be safe, please!'

She left the trio alone after that, worried about what she might find if she tried again. It took a lot of essence to reach that far anyway. She had to conserve her stores.

Noble sighed. Weren't people supposed to be safer under her care?

'What's up with that, Spell?'

Pushing the troublesome thoughts from her mind, Noble refused to remain idle.

Moving through an invisible list, she pulled on the countless strings connected to her. Some of the students' names she knew, but others were part of the care she had extended to them without even knowing them. The latter was weak, and as Noble pulled on some of them, they broke entirely. While her care for them was genuine, it wasn't really enough to form a solid link. It had no foundation.

The stronger connections sometimes gave her directions, but none of them seemed to be nearby.

'There could be one or more that I never met stuck out here in the wilderness.' Noble reminded herself. So, she persisted.

After her initial shock, the professor did not make any significant discoveries. While that meant that Noble didn't run into any difficulties, it also meant that she didn't have any success either.

She rubbed her head. Saints didn't need to rest often, but Noble was emotionally and mentally fatigued. So as morning dawned, Child of Promise made a final sweep.

'I need to head home. Fort will worry if I don't check in. Nectar?'

Noble's eyes swirled as she recalled her Soul Bloom. The little bee had been located farther south, allowing Noble to cover more ground. Unfortunately, their combined search had come up empty.

'I hope Saint Kai and the other government agents had more luck.'

The longer the Sleepers were out in the Dream Realm alone, the more dire their situation became. Aside from the group on the Forgotten Shore, most Sleepers who were gone more than two weeks never made it home.

As the sun finished rising in the sky, Noble finally made it back to the front gate of Ravenheart. She was relieved to see that it was open.

While she had made a few clandestine trips from the city, including one with Sarai to visit their favorite hermit, Noble wanted to make sure her search for survivors was above suspicion.

After seeing who was at the gate, the teacher had a secondary reason for landing and going through the examination.

"Master Noble. You are out bright and early this morning! No, that's not right. You have been out very late…"

Noble regarded the grey-skinned Saint. "As were you, Lady Seishan. I can see it in your eyes. Have you been out searching as well?"

Seishan chuckled humorously. "The Solstice gives a restlessness to even the most resilient Awakened, I think. While I am not allowed to help my sisters, I see no reason not to use my power to find others who were placed nearby."

Noble was surprised by the princess's honesty. The ladies of Song were supposed to be stalwart and show no sign of weakness.

'She must really be exhausted.'

Either that or she simply didn't care what Noble thought. Whatever the reason, Noble wasn't about to pass on the opportunity.

"Did you find anyone?"

The princess's ruby lips pressed together. "Unlike Saint Kai, I had no such luck. I am half convinced he only sought my help in the search so he could show off his skills. When he arrived at first light and passed overhead, he had three very lucky sleepers on his back."

"Very lucky?" Noble noted the emphasis with curiosity.

Seishan coughed. "Yes, well, anyone who is rescued on the night of their first Solstice would be lucky. Being found by Saint Nightingale himself? Certainly, that person would consider themselves blessed by the dead gods…"

Noble couldn't exactly argue, nor did she want to.

"Do you know any of the Sleepers' names?"

Seishan shook her head. "No, the dragon flew overhead and went straight for the gate. That might not have been the first trip he made, either. Kai is rather determined when he sets his mind to it."

"Aren't we all?" Child of Promise nodded.

'May he have found every Sleeper who entered the Dream Realm last night!'

Noble knew this was a ridiculous wish, but she made it nonetheless.

Seishan held out the flower, and when it didn't wilt, she lowered her hand.

"Welcome back to Ravenheart, Master Noble." The princess put a little too much emphasis on the other lady's rank.

The professor pretended not to notice. "Thank you. Before I go, I was asked to pass on a message to Saint Sorrow, but I have no way to contact him."

"Oh?" Seishan inclined her head. "What kind of message?"

"You may have heard about the attempt on his daughter's life yesterday."

Noble noted that the Saint's emotions did not spike at all. If anything, the princess seemed to expect this development. The professor continued.

"Lady Tamar wanted her father to know that she is fine and will come back soon."

"I see." Seishan's expression was unreadable, but Noble could feel the sadness hiding beneath the surface. "The connection between a father and daughter is indeed very special."

'Seishan is a princess, but like her sisters, she is adopted by the Queen.'

While Noble had lost her dad at a young age, the grey-skinned legacy had never had any father to call her own, and now the desire had been unexpectedly piqued.

The ever-growing mountain of guilt in Noble's heart received a new pile of stones.

"Lady Seishan…"

The princess held up her hand. "I will pass on the message. Thank you for telling me."

Seishan's usual casual air was back in place. The conversation was over.

Dipping her head, Noble passed into the city, careful not to look over the princess's shoulder at the mirror behind her.

The city streets were still in the process of waking as Noble passed through them. She passed the street that led to the Dreamer and continued on her way. At last, she reached her favorite place in the whole wide world: home.

Opening the door, she found her sons and husband around the kitchen table having breakfast.

"I was beginning to worry about you," Fort turned around. The pleasant expression on his face faded. "What's wrong?"

Those two words. How could she answer them?

Looking into the faces of her loving family, Noble could take it no longer.

She had reached her limit. And so, she broke.