Not waiting for a response, Noble pulled out the [Bread Crumbs] and flew toward the exit.
Thankfully Sarai was able to keep up with her quickened pace.
There was no need to use the map on the way out, which was good.
Noble wasn't sure how good she would be at avoiding the traps with her frantic state of mind.
Though she suspected that with the Heart gone, they were no longer active anyway. When she reached to the exit to the arena, the door was slightly ajar.
The opening was just big enough for a person to slip through.
'One less problem...' Noble pushed through the exit and into the darkened arena. The [Lucent Taper] bathed the room in a dull light.
Kosi was not there.
"Oh!" Noble blinked.
The room was fundamentally altered. The smooth walls were marked with all sorts of scars that had not healed. A few spots were gone altogether.
"Did we come out in the wrong spot?" Sarai stared in confusion.
Noble scanned the walls and shook her head. "No, I think like everything else, the magic of this room was tied to that chamber down there. Without it--"
'Noble! Blast it can you hear me?!' Nic's voice rang in her head.
By his frustration, this was not the first time he had tried to reach her. She must have just gotten back in range.
'I'm here!'
'You need to get out here. We have a problem.' Nickel's voice was urgent.
The Queen tried not to let the man's tone scare her. 'If this is another assassination attempt on Sarai then we have bigger problems...'
'You're going to want to come outside,' came the mysterious answer.
Noble sighed. 'I'll be there in a moment.'
"Slight detour," Noble told her fiery friend. "Nic needs us outside."
"Now?" Sarai blinked.
"That's what the man said." Floating toward the stairs, Noble did not even bother stepping as she hurried along.
Sarai chased after her. "But Counsel!"
"I'm already on it." Noble nodded.
Kosi was not at the top of the landing as she had hoped. It was unlike the Symncus to leave her. Had he fled when the arena lost its facade?
'I hope he is alright!'
Kosi's absence troubled her more deeply than she wanted to admit.
Noble would look for the beloved creature as soon.
"General Theo!" Noble spotted the soldier as she raced through the foyer.
The faithful servant of Crestfall halted the men with him and bowed. "Your Majesty."
"An important relic is missing," she told the general. "I need you to find and detain Counsel at once. He may be in possession of the item! Either way, he has vital information."
Whatever Counsel's involvement, he needed to be located immediately and questioned.
"Check in the library first," Noble remembered that was where they had been studying.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Theo pounded his fist to his chest and turned to face the men with him. His orders were sharp and direct, but Noble did not stay to hear.
She rushed toward the front hall and then under the stained glass window.
Nic was waiting for her in the plaza in front of the palace.
He stopped his pacing, visibly relieved to see them unharmed.
"What took you so long?"
Noble bit back her retort and answered honestly.
"We were under the palace so it took a moment to come. But we are here now. What was so important that you couldn't just say it?"
"Look!" Nickel pointed up.
The ladies stared at the sky but only saw the clear expanse overhead.
"I don't see anything," Noble admitted.
"Me either." Sarai scratched the back of her head.
"And that doesn't bother you?" Nickel asked seriously. He looked up again with a complicated expression.
"You are going to have to spell it out for us..." Noble bit her lip.
She could feel that all around them, everyone was agitated.
"The barrier is gone." The man in black explained. "It flickered a few times before disappearing. That's why the sky doesn't have the shimmering quality to it anymore."
"Your Majesty!" A soldier ran up to her and dropped to one knee. "We have a problem."
"I know about the barrier," Noble answered quickly. Her stomach dropped as she felt the soldier's emotions.
"The men at the city wall...they have seen movement from the mountains."
Without waiting for further explanation, Noble lifted to the sky over the city. Her heart beat wildly in her chest.
Her worst fear was coming true. Off in the distance, barely visible inside the clouds of roiling ash, an army of abominations was leaving its home.
And with the Heart being freed of its cage, there was little doubt that their master would follow shortly behind.
'Just great...' Noble circulated her essence as she tried not to panic.
The creatures were far off. They were moving with an intensity she had not seen the last time, but they would still need some time to travel.
Finding Counsel and the Heart were still the priority.
Returning to the ground, Noble's face was grim.
"They are coming," she said simply.
"And the Lord?" Nickel asked evenly.
"I didn't see him, but he is sure to be close behind. We will deal with it when it comes. There is a more pressing issue. The Heart has been taken from below the city and we think Counsel has it."
"Just great..." Nickel cursed under his breath. "I'll take care of him."
"We need to find him first to question him. If he doesn't have it, we need to know who does. Our main goal must be to keep the Tyrant and his minions from destroying the city!" Noble simultaneously worried about and wanted to strangle Counsel.
What was he thinking?!
Noble's eyes swirled with conflicting emotions as whispers of doubt crept into her mind.
The earth rumbled.
"Again?" Noble shot her friends a questioning glance to confirm her suspicions.
"The earthquakes are getting more frequent," Sarai eyed the ground nervously.
"And more intense." Nickel nodded. "When we arrived, they were barely noticeable. That doesn't bode well."
For the third time that morning, Noble felt her stomach drop. "You mean the earthquakes have been going on this whole time?"
The man in black furrowed his brow. "You haven't noticed?"
"I guess not." Noble rubbed her forehead.
As she was always floating, there would have been no way for her to know that the ground was moving unless she could hear the rumble. Small movements would have been completely unnoticeable to the hovering queen.
Which meant that while Counsel had eaten the earth away with his poison, he hadn't caused the after shocks. Which meant...
Noble balled her fists. 'This day just keeps getting better and better.'
The ground shook more violently, this time visibly shaking the buildings.
Noble turned just in time to see the beautiful stained glass window crack. It shattered.
Pieces of pink and green tinkled down like crystal rain. Noble shielded her eyes as the shards plummeted to the ground all around her.
A teardrop panel the size of her head landed at her feet. Looking at the familiar piece of glass, Noble wanted to cry.
She lowered her arm and eyed the other two with a solemn expression.
"Change of plans. Again. We need to get everyone to the north side of the city. If I'm not mistaken, the earth is about to split in two…"