The Noble Queen-A Shadow Slave Fanfic

Turning her head to shield it from the debris, Noble raised her Zenith, preparing for a fight. She might have left the room, but letting one of the Skinwalker's vessels loose in Ravenheart now that it had been discovered was an unacceptable risk. 

Noble would defend her family and the people in the citadel against the monster at all costs. Thankfully, the sacrifice was not necessary. 

When the dust settled, Seishan and the four Saints left the room like they were going for a summer stroll.

There were cuts on their faces and dented armor that needed to be dismissed to heal, but the expressions of the Song Sisters showed only indifference.

'How can they act so calm?!'

The professor quickly examined them to make sure none had been overtaken by the Skinwalker, and her findings brought her no end of relief. 

They were all still themselves.

The group brushed past Noble as if she wasn't there, engaging in their own conversation.

"I don't know Bin," Death Singer wiped something from her hands that made Noble inexplicably uneasy, "I don't think the runes failed. I think it was just stronger than the enchantment."

"It was playing with us. Sending an Awakened to test our defenses," Beastmaster brushed back her hair behind her shoulder.

"It will think twice before coming again," Mordret picked something from beneath his nails. His uncanny smile widened as he adjusted his torn suit. "If you ladies will excuse me, I will return to my other project. Until then..." 

Mordret did not wait for an answer. Noble blinked and he was gone. She looked for his presence but the only thing she could see beyond the humans and pilgrims was a lone mirror hanging at the bend in the hall. 

Revel yawned. "I have things I should get back to as well," she ran her hand down her broken leather armor. "But first I think I shall shower. I will see you at dinner." 

The other two Saint Sisters agreed and turned down the corner, completely ignoring the floating Master and the two pilgrims who had kept her company during the battle. 

Only Seishan seemed to remember she was there. The grey-skinned woman wiped the blood from her nose and smiled softly. "I will show you out." 

"It's over then. That's good." Noble stated the obvious as she lowered the Zenith to rest on her shoulder. "I am glad none of you were taken. How bad was it?" 

Seishan hummed, amused by the question. "See for yourself." 

The broken door was a testament to the ferocity of the battle. It looked to be made of something ancient and immensely strong, with magic still shimmering within the shattered fibers left behind. 

Inside the room was even worse. The chains were gone and the runes on the ground were marked with deep gashes. If the battle had not taken place on the ground floor, the group would have easily fallen through to a lower level. Instead, the stone was cracked, burned, and stained with colors Noble couldn't name. 

'All of this happened in such a short time?' Noble felt at a loss. 

The two pilgrims that had remained in the room were nowhere to be seen, likely obliterated in the titanic brawl. All that was left was Ginnar's corpse. It was strangely intact for all that had happened to the room. The body lay limply on the ground looking emptily upward. 

There was no hate coming from it--no emotion at all. 

Somehow the Skinwalker's presence had been eradicated. 

"How did you beat it without--?" Noble wasn't sure how else to finish the sentence nicely. 'Without destroying Ginnar's body?'

The other Master understood. She leaned on the doorframe and shrugged. "It wasn't easy. Without my sisters and Clan Song's ally, it wouldn't have been possible at all. It was good they were here today." 

"Very good," Noble agreed. If the Saints looked as battered as they did in such a short time, Noble could only imagine what that creature would have done to her and Seishan alone. 

'Poor Ginnar...' Noble felt compassion for the former government agent. 

He had been at the wrong place at the wrong time. The old man had lived as a Spell carrier for years only to be taken out by the lure of a pretty face. 

How did the Skinwalker select him? 

'It could have been me,' Noble shivered. 

"We should get out of here so the pilgrims can clean." Seishan turned her back on the devastation. 

"But what about Ginnar?" Noble bit her lip. 

The Princess of Song was confused by the question. "What about him? He is a pilgrim now." 

Scraping on the floor drew the ladies' attention. Noble's eyes opened wide as her instincts lifted her weapon from her shoulder. 

But Ginnar's empty eyes continued to look at her without expression as he stood. He dipped down and picked up a leg of the table, tucking it under one arm as he began to clean.

Ginnar was no longer a government agent or a monster. He was a servant of the Queen. 

"Mother will take care of him. Out of respect for the government, I am sure she will consent to keeping him inside the palace and away from where others can see." Seishan tilted her head for Noble to follow her into the hall. "We will leave the pilgrims to their work." 

Noble couldn't fully process what she had seen, nor was she sure that she wanted to. It was weird enough to see people she didn't know serving the Queen, but this? It was another level of strange. 

The only thing separating Ki Song from the Skinwalker was that the Queen hadn't killed her servants, and she used them to help humanity not to hurt them. 

It was a necessary distinction in Noble's mind. Still in a daze, she followed the princess out of the room. 

"I need to speak to the government as soon as possible. I have to let them know what has happened to Ginnar." Noble held her head.

Why was she the one having to bring the bad news?!

"I will lead you to the gateway then." The Princess didn't object. Defeating something as insidious as the Skinwalker would require everyone to be on the same page.

Even if Song didn't want to help with the problem in the waking world, it was in their best interest to at least inform the government of the Nightmare Creature in their midst. 

"I'm sure this has already occurred to you, but make sure the person you inform isn't a Skinwalker." Seishan cut her eyes toward the floating woman.

"I will meet with them in person so I know for sure," Noble promised. Messaging something like this posed security risks beyond just the monster intercepting the communication.

"When you return to Ravenheart, you will do a sweep of the Awakened and the lower city to see if any more creatures are lurking?" Seishan's words were more of a statement than a question. 

"I can start that first thing in the morning." Noble was as anxious as the princess to make sure the settlement was free of corruption—possibly more so. "Do you trust your flower to check those who are part of Clan Song? If not…"

"It will work. I am sure of it. The gateway is down that way and on the left. Safe journey Master Noble." Seishan abruptly turned to leave.

A journey. Hadn't she made enough of those today? Yet it seemed one more was in order. What would her family think?

Her family!

"Wait!" Noble dismissed her weapon and held up her hand. "I don't suppose you could have someone deliver a message for me?"

The grey-skinned woman furrowed her brow. "What kind of message?"

"The most important kind," Noble answered seriously. "I need someone to tell my husband…that I'll be late for dinner."