"It is lovely to finally meet you, Lady Mae," Noble bowed deeply.
"The pleasure is mine." Maelys touched her sister's arm lightly. "She is everything you described."
"I know!" Syrce touched her amulet with a smile. "Isn't it wonderful?"
Noble coughed lightly. "And all these people. They came with you?"
The elder sister nodded. "They are my men that returned with me from across the sea. At least those of us who made it."
Maelys's face turned sad, and Syrce wrapped her arm around her sister. "Now, Mae, you mustn't blame yourself. All of that is in the past, and we will move forward together."
Mae smiled softly. "I am glad you fixed the mirror so that I could be here. Your presence makes me feel better already."
'Ugh, all this mushy sentimentality is worse than the stuff covering the ground. How do you women stand it?' Flint turned his head away.
'I will take warm, kind words over spilled blood any day,' Noble countered. 'But I do think we could find a better venue for it.'
Clearing her throat lightly, the floating woman took a small scoot forward. "Excuse me, ladies. I hate to interrupt, but if we aren't needed, perhaps we can move to a less...pungent location?"
All around them, the soldiers were beginning to congregate.
Sycre became aware of the growing number of eyes on her. Hadn't she just chastised her sister by reminding her that she was in charge?
"Ah, yes, that is a wonderful idea, Lady Bel." The mossy-haired Saint addressed the crowd. "Collect the shards and rinse away as much of the liquid as you can. We don't need to have the stench drift towards camp."
"Yes, My Lady!" the group answered in unison. Dividing up the work, they set about the tasks assigned to them.
"Ah, and there are Aurelia and Aether. Just in time!" Syrce waited for the final two Masters to approach. "You both know Lady Mae."
Aether bowed deeply. "I was pleased to make her acquaintance when I went in search of help."
Helie hesitated for the briefest second before dipping a small curtsey. "It is good to see you, My Lady."
Helie's confusion was understandable. Noble would have to fill her in later.
"Ah, Aurelia, I hardly recognized you!" Maelys smiled. "It is good to see you."
"Yes, yes. Everyone is happy to see everyone." Flint's face was more sour than usual. "But could we please go be happy elsewhere, perhaps with a stop by the river so people can wash their feet?"
The two sisters looked at one another, clasped hands, and nodded.
"As long as Mae is with me, anywhere is the right place to be. Let's go." Syrce pulled the elder sister in the direction of the river.
"Ah, Ceecee, you always know the perfect thing to say!" Maelys followed obediently behind. The soldiers who saw them parted ways and bowed as they passed. The two women were their hope for a better future. It was no wonder they were treated with such reverence.
All around them, the world was covered in the yellow liquid of the Drifters. It dripped from the branches, unexpectedly hitting Maelys's arm as she passed underneath.
Syrce clicked her tongue. "You should be more careful!"
Maelys shook her arm. "Yes, I will try."
As they neared the muddy bank, the group found a clear spot to get a drink and rinse themselves.
Already, some of the blood from the Drifters was seeping into the river. Avoiding the soldiers who were collecting the water to wash the rest away, the group began to rinse anything on their bodies that was affected by the stench.
Maelys dabbed at her elbow and then wet her hair. Although she had been in her polar bear form when she had fought the shark, it seemed some of the blood had remained in her pink locks when she turned human again.
Noble watched the caustic liquid run from her hair and travel downstream. The small stream looked like it had been infected by a pathogen, making Noble shiver.
"Do you think this will affect the water supply?"
"I don't think there is any cause for worry," Syrce answered after a moment of thought. "This stream is one of many that lead to a larger tributary. And even that doesn't go close to the settlement by the sea. Imagination's home is upstream of this location. Both Lyra and we should be safe, don't you think, Mae?"
Mae scratched her arm. "I agree, of course! And we don't even know if the liquid is harmful if ingested. I don't think it is a problem that we need to add to our list."
"If you say so," Noble shrugged.
In the waking world, water pollution was a very real problem that had to be constantly assessed. But that had been caused by years of disregard for the environment, not from the strange blood of Nightmare Creatures.
'But you are scratching your arm like it itches…' Noble responded silently.
'My arm doesn't itch,' Flint answered, raising one eyebrow.
'Not you—Lady Mae. That's the same spot she was just washing off after some blood dripped on her from a tree. At the very least, it is an irritant. But Mae was too quick to agree with Syrce.' Noble furrowed her brow.
'And that bothers you?' The surly Master glanced at the irritated spot on Maelys's arm.
'A little. Maelys is both exactly what I pictured and nothing like it at the same time.' Noble hid her confusion behind a neutral expression.
'What do you mean?' Flint was genuinely curious.
He hadn't expected the lost sister to be a Saint, but in hindsight, that made some sense. The woman had traveled across the water to find knowledge hidden by a Daemon. That wasn't exactly something a mundane or even a regular Awakened person would be able to do.
'Maelys is fierce and loyal. She is beautiful and powerful. But I guess I didn't expect her to be so…obliging? Except for when Syrce directly confronted her, Lady Mae has immediately agreed with anything her sister has said. I just figured Maelys would be more of a leader.'
'Because she is the eldest?' Flint pursed his lips.
'No. Because, according to Syrce, Mae was the one who took charge and set up the expedition across the sea. That required courage and a will that is not easily cowed.' Noble watched the coral-haired sister tug at her sleeve to hide the rash. 'But the Mae I see is weak and would agree to almost anything Syrce says.'
'Couldn't it be because she missed her sister and doesn't want to upset her now that they are together?' Flint offered.
Noble looked at the pair of sisters. Flint's reasoning was oddly insightful.
Was that how he behaved when Steel returned from a long time away?
'Maybe,' Child of Promise conceded.
Oblivious to the discussion, the rest of the group were finishing their wade in the water. The younger Saint laughed.
"I think you still have something on your chin, Mae," Syrce pointed to her own face to indicate the area.
"Ah, you are right as always," Maelys rubbed her skin to clear the spot. "I don't know what I did without you!"
Noble frowned. 'Still, something doesn't seem quite right. Mae seems completely dedicated to pleasing her sister. It's weird.'
Flint shook his head as they began their trek back to the camp. 'Heh. So that's what's happening here.'
'What do you mean?' Noble frowned.
'I may not be an expert on emotions, but the explanation of this situation is simple.' Flint tilted up his chin. 'You're jealous!'