'Other?'
Noble was confused by the Spell's words. It hadn't given a rank or a class for the mirror creature or indicated whether it was noble or profane. It had hesitated, as if not exactly sure what it was called.
Was 'Other' its actual name or just a classification the Spell gave like when it said unknown?
Either way, Noble had never heard of this happening before in all of her research. That chilled her to the bone.
"That wasn't Titus," Noble finally answered Syrce's cry. "That was a monster—an Other."
The Masters beside her were concerned by the name, Helie in particular. Syrce shook her head.
"What? Have you gone mad? How can you not recognize someone who is an old friend?" Syrce pressed her hand against the wound in the man's chest, but it was no use.
"He attacked her," Aether blinked in disbelief. Had the Saint not seen it?
"H-He wanted to protect the mirror from being stolen. The stone was j-just a threat!" The Saint seemed to be playing the scene over in her mind, trying to make sense of it.
Seeing her friend's pain, Noble lowered her sword. She knelt beside her friend.
"We found Titus—the real one. That beheaded body with the woman was your third-in-command. The person in your arms is just a copy."
"That cannot be! You are mistaken." Syrce stared at the empty eyes of the man in her arms. He had been difficult to get along with at times, but he was a good fighter with a strong heart.
"We all saw it, my lady." Roan nodded.
"No, it was another trick by the Empire!" The mossy-haired Saint vehemently denied it.
"There is no Imperial plot here. I know you don't want to hear this, but those assassins who have attacked me came from the mirror." Noble tightened her arm against her body to contain the relic.
She could almost swear some power was trying to burst forth. It would have to pierce the fabric before it could hurt her, so she would have a split second of warning before needing to react. For now, she was safe from that danger.
There were enough other problems that Noble could not take comfort in that fact.
"From the mirror? I know I threatened to bring Titus through the mirror to help him, but I did not do it! Unless you count Quintos, none of the people who have attacked have been summoned by me!" The Saint had seen the faces of the assassins, as marred as they were, and she was certain they had not been among Maelys's soldiers.
"I am certain they came when the mirror was unattended. Either they have a mind of their own, or something is directing them." Noble frowned.
There was another option. Having seen the face of Titus change a moment before he attacked, Noble now wondered if the beings could shape-shift.
"No matter how it is happening, we need to speak to the Advisor to see what he knows. And we need to do it now. All of the mirror creatures are descending on our location as we speak, and I'm not sure what they will do when they reach us." Noble felt the Saint's emotions spike.
"All the mirror creatures? You don't mean..."
The floating Master bit her lip. "I wish there were an easier way to say it, but your sister–"
"Ceecee?" Mae's timid voice broke into the conversation. "What happened?!"
Noble tensed, and the rest of the cohort silently reached for their weapons.
The elder sister gasped. "Flint? Flint! What happened to him?"
Her face paled as her hand came to her mouth.
Noble stood slowly and raised her Zenith.
"Stay back."
"I don't understand." Mae continued forward. "We must get him inside and get a doctor!"
"He's dead, Mae." Syrce continued to cradle the man's head without looking up.
Noble blocked Mae's path, her sword raised to the level of the woman's neck.
Mae regarded the blood dripping from the sword with wide eyes.
"Did you kill him, Bel? He was your friend! How could you do such a thing? Sister, we must stop Lady Bel. She has lost her mind!"
"Lost my mind? Which one of us sent her entire army after a person simply because they felt threatened? You can stop looking over your shoulder for them, Lady Mae. They will be here as soon as they figure out how to breach the palace gate. I locked them out when they followed me." Noble narrowed her gaze.
"What is she talking about?" Syrce furrowed her brow. "You sent people after Bel?"
"Only a couple of scouts. That was how we knew she had left!" Mae held up her hands. "Now we need to get Flint out of the street. People will start asking questions. We should discuss this in private."
"Shall we head to the gate and see who is there? Or have you already dispersed them?" Noble would not let the claim go unopposed.
"I would never!" Mae's voice broke.
"She would never…" Syrce repeated absentmindedly.
Noble gritted her teeth.
"The real Maelys wouldn't, but this Other? In a heartbeat. Please, Syrce, I need you to believe me. This is not real. She is not real. Your advisor…"
"Ha! Not real? Do you hear how insane Bel sounds? I'm here right now. I'm here for you, sister. I worked so hard to return to you. Don't separate us again!" Mae's eyes welled with tears.
"You are here," Syrce nodded slowly. "Of course you are here. Here is where you belong."
Maelys smiled softly. "Come back to the room and..."
"Look!" Helie pointed at Flint's body.
The once solid form faded, first turning intangible and then collapsing entirely. Black wisps curled through the air and moved toward the folded cloak. Noble wielded her sword to block them, but they passed through her blade and the cloth unaffected. The dark mist returned to the place where it had come.
"You see!" Noble motioned to Syrce's now clean hands. "He was just like the assassins. Maelys was trying to hide that fact by calling you away."
"I was not! I was looking after my sister!" Maelys vehemently denied the claim.
If only Syrce could feel the way the monster's emotions spiked! She would know the lies for what they were without a doubt.
But the commander did not have that power.
"I am not like him. If monsters are coming out of the mirror like Bel claims, we must examine it together. You and me, just like always." Maelys pleaded.
"You and me," Syrce grabbed her amulet and repeated.
Noble felt the Nightmare slipping from her fingers.
She didn't want to kill Maelys's copy without Syrce's understanding. Killing Flint had been too easy. Noble doubted Maelys would be so quick to conquer.
The commander would react, and Noble doubted it would be in her favor.
Right now, the person she needed most was behaving little better than a parrot, repeating Mae's words.
Four Masters against two Saints was terrible odds for the cohort, no matter which way Noble looked at it.
"Yes! You and me together," Mae repeated as she took the commander's hand. "Together we can fix everything. Come with me and…"
Noble felt frustration, anger, and helplessness build up in her—both hers and the members of her cohort.
The emotions burst forth like a whirlwind around her. They threw back Maelys, separating her from leading Syrce by the hand.
"Enough!" Noble stepped between them. "Can't you see she is lying? You heard the foreign voice come from Titus. I guarantee that if I make her angry, the same voice will come from her as well. But you must fight it! You have to see the truth. Focus on me, your anchor."
Noble sent out comfort and anything she thought might bring the Saint some clarity. Syrce blinked. "Bel."
"Ceecee!" Maelys tried to interrupt, but Helie placed a wall of earth around the group to block her out.
Syrce glanced away, "Mae!"
Noble took her hand.
"The Other is fine. Focus on me: Lady Bel, your dearest friend. The one who helped you and would never want to hurt you. Listen to my voice. Ignore the Other's voice and…"
Noble stopped short. Whatever she was going to say flew out the window as she processed what she had just said.
The answer had been there the whole time.
'The Other's Voice!'