Noble recalled the runes of her Memory.
[The Other's Voice]
[Three noble sisters ruled the land in their own way. When the first was called to a distant shore, the third noble girl reigned with logic, while the other noble fought the voice in her head. When the sound became too much, the second noble separated herself from the voice yet found herself connected to it still.]
It had been so long since she last paid attention to the words, but the description came flooding back to her.
Could it be?
'I had always taken the word other to be referring to the noble woman, but what if it was talking about the voice instead? Not a second voice but the voice of an Other!'
Three noble sisters. That easily described Maelys, Syrce, and Lyra. If that were the case, then Syrce was the one struggling against voice.
Suddenly, all the moments of Syrce answering questions that hadn't been asked and all the quiet muttering made sense.
The commander wasn't just quirky and talking to herself, as Noble had assumed.
She was talking to someone. And there was only one that the voice could possibly be.
"The Advisor!"
Syrce blinked at the sudden shift in conversation. "What about him?"
"He's an Other!" Noble glanced at her cohort. Seeing their confusion, she continued. "Why do you think none of us have seen him? He is just a voice. An Other's voice, which only Syrce can hear."
Noble turned back to the Saint.
"That's right, isn't it?"
Syrce's emotions spiked as a war went on within her. She covered her ears. "I need to think!"
"Bel!" Helie called to her friend with gritted teeth.
Cracks formed in the rocks around them. Helie struggled to keep the wall around them intact, and the barrier around them began to crumble. Aether reinforced the structure with one of his unsteady starlight nets, and Roan called forth a Memory to further strengthen the fortification.
The cracks slowed, but did not stop.
Their time alone with the Saint would end all too soon. Noble's mind spun. Where was the voice coming from? The description said she had separated herself from the voice somehow.
They needed to sever that connection now. But how?
In the darkness, the amulet glowed softly.
Of course!
'The necklace is a relic!'
Noble had assumed it had come from the treasure trove in the mountains, but what if that wasn't the case? What if it were the guide that the real Maelys had sent to help her people find a safe place to live?
Hadn't Syrce referred to the relic as her helper? It wasn't just an assist. The thing had contained the literal instruction manual, or at least the being that was giving her the information.
Each time it shimmered, Syrce's emotions spiked. It was less noticeable in the daylight, but just now in the interactions with Maelys, the connection was undeniable. The necklace was not only communicating with her. It was influencing her!
'Let me help you think clearly...'
"Calm down," Noble cooed. "Look at me. It's going to be alright."
When Syrce lowered her hands from her head, Noble seized the opportunity.
The necklace lifted from the Saint and flew into Noble's hand. She threw it at the ground and used her powers to make the Zenith as heavy as she could.
Then, with all her strength, she smashed the pommel of her sword into the precious stone.
"No!" Syrce dove, but Noble moved the amulet and sword beyond her grasp.
She struck the stone a second time, then a third.
A small fissure appeared on the surface of the amulet. Mist like that which had come from Flint's body leaked out, filling the air.
It was just as Noble had thought. Mirage had not made the necklace. The fact that Noble could damage it so easily was proof of that.
Most likely, it had been a gift that had been meant to influence the daemon. And if it had been intended for a divine being, then how much more potent would it have been in persuading a Transcendant one like Syrce?
The result of the release was catastrophic for the stone. No longer holding whatever had been inside, the necklace rippled and then shattered.
The relic was no more.
"He's gone!" Syrce gasped. She reached for the pieces of the chain, but they dissolved into nothing. "H-he's gone..." she repeated more calmly.
She took a deep breath, the first deep breath Noble had seen the woman take since arriving at the caravan.
But the momentary calm was short-lived.
Helie fell to one knee, and the stone wall finally gave way. The fact that the three Masters had been able to keep out the Saint for half a minute was nothing short of a miracle.
That miracle was over, and now a white bear slowly transformed back into a human form.
"Syrce, are you alright? Did they hurt you?" Maelys's voice was full of concern as she ran forward to her kneeling sister.
Noble looked around. Dozens of pairs of eyes watched them from the shadows. The Others from the gate had breached it at last and had found them. So why weren't they attacking?
It had to be Syrce. As long as the commander did not deny them, they would behave in her presence, or so Noble thought. What special hold did she have over them that they wanted so badly to have her approval?
That was a piece of the puzzle that Noble had not quite figured out.
Whatever the reason, they stayed back from the scene, quietly observing with tense expressions.
Noble watched too. She had given the truth, but was it enough?
The floating Master tensed, ready to fight or flee.
"I am not injured, Mae." Syrce smiled weakly as she disentangled herself from the other woman's hug. "It's like that time when we were kids, and mom thought we broke that blue vase when really it was knocked over by one of the servants. She was very upset, remember?"
"I remember," Mae nodded.
Syrce stood, her expression becoming wistful. "Do you remember what mom said? Mistakes happen. That's all this is. Just a mistake."
"A mistake," Mae agreed easily. "Bel made a mistake."
"I made the mistake," Syrce's eyes welled with tears.
"What do you mean?" Maelys furrowed her brow.
"I wanted it so badly. I ignored Lyra's message and every instinct because I wanted you here so much." The commander pressed her lips together.
"And I'm here now." Mae smiled sweetly. "So what is wrong?"
"The vase was green. And my elder sister broke it, not the servant. I took the blame because I didn't want you to cry. Maelys would have remembered. It ate at her more than she would ever admit."
Syrce shook her head.
"Ceecee…" The coral-haired woman clasped her fingers together.
Syrce held up her hand. "And yet I am willing to overlook it all. My heart cannot let go of my sister. I love you, Mae."
"I love you too." The Other reached forward and wiped the tears from the younger sister's face.
Syrce hugged Maelys, holding her close. Peering over Mae's shoulder, Syrce looked at Noble with grim resignation on her face.
At that moment, Noble knew the choice had been made. Her heart clenched as Syrce shook her head.
"I'm sorry…"