Fort had never liked seeing Rain fight. He even hated it the few times he had seen Noble spar with their daughter using real weapons. It was too much for him.
When Kai had mentioned that Rain was in the ring, the ambassador's emotions took the wheel, rejecting the attempt that Noble made to calm him.
Not even the extra weight in his shoes had slowed him down completely. If his wife had tried to make them any heavier, he simply would have taken them off and planted his feet in the snow. She must have known since she did not try.
Sensing the Ambassador's approach, the crowd parted easily to let him through. And what Fort witnessed had him seeing red.
"Rain!" he cried both from surprise and to warn her of the incoming danger.
Glancing his way, the teen took her eyes off of her opponent. The next moment, she was lying on the frozen ground, her face void of any emotion.
Fort rushed forward and gathered up the girl in his arms. "Rain? Rain can you hear me?!"
Soup lowered the club and went down on one knee. "I pulled back at the last moment. Is she alright?"
Noble flew over the top of the crowd and descended next to her daughter.
Rain was still alive and breathing. That was a good start. A cut above her hairline slowly dripped blood onto her porcelain face.
"Rain," Noble said softly.
The girl groaned, held her head, and groaned again. "I messed up."
"You took your eyes off the goal," Rock agreed. "Even a moment of indecision can be costly."
The lesson had been painfully learned by Rain, so the battle master put it into for the benefit of the observers.
"You never should have been matched up like that in the first place," Fort helped Rain to her feet slowly.
"The Spell doesn't care about size. Neither did Rain," Rock spoke on the dazed girl's behalf.
"The Spell didn't do this," Fort glared.
"The Spell would do much worse," Noble responded gently. She looked at Rain, "We need to get you to the healer's tent."
"I'm fine," Rain took a step and swayed. "Mostly."
Fort pressed his lips together, "I can't believe–"
"That we haven't already taken her to get help. Me either," Noble looped Rain's arm around Fort's shoulder. "It is just up the hill. Thank you for taking her."
"I, uh," the man faltered as he looked at the small drop of blood sliding down Rain's cheek.
He pulled out a cloth and handed it to her.
"Thank you," Rain held the handkerchief to her head with a weak smile, melting what was left of the father's resolve.
"Saint Kai, if you will excuse me. I will be back."
Kai, who had witnessed everything, lowered his chin in understanding. "Take as long as you need."
As Fort headed off with Rain, Noble turned to Rock.
"What happened to just three more minutes?"
"That hit was on the three-minute mark. Without or without the injury, the match would have been finished." Rock told her evenly.
Had it really only been three minutes? It wasn't that she doubted her colleague, but it seemed much longer than that by far.
"I understand." Noble looked out at all of the people staring at them.
Soup had returned to the sidelines, getting a few congratulations from those around him. He had fought well and deserved the praise.
"Are you going to start another match-up?" The professor chewed the inside of her cheek.
Rock shook his head. "I think that is not wise just now. I will have to give more thought to how to arm mudane students. I think I might have some basic training armor somewhere. I can get it when I get back to the Waking World. In the meantime..."
"Ah, look at that. Are those targets over there? Perhaps Master Rock would allow me to give a small archery lesson to anyone interested?" Kai smiled winsomely.
"That would be very generous of you," Rock agreed. "While you do that, I will see if I can scrounge some helmets up from the supplies that are already here."
The two men went to work, and after informing the other instructors quietly of her location, Noble slipped up the hill toward the healer's tent.
One of the reasons Noble had chosen this location was that an Awakened healer had set up shop along with a mundane doctor not too far from the small plain.
The tent would likely be a proper building in the next month or two, but for now, the thick canvas walls would have to do.
Feeling for her husband and daughter, Noble frowned.
Where were they?
Ducking inside the tent, Noble's perception suddenly changed. There were close to a dozen people in the tent that she hadn't even registered. And the air was unusually pleasant, neither warm nor cool.
"May I help you?" A man wearing a worn-out white coat asked her.
"I am looking for my daughter, Rain," Noble said politely to the doctor even though she could now sense exactly where her child was.
"She is with the Awakened Healer by Director Fort's request. I will bring you to her." The man motioned for Noble to follow.
As they passed the middle tent pole, Noble noticed an extra rope tied to it. The gold threads running through it shimmered slightly. "Is that a Memory?"
The Doctor nodded. "My colleague says it is called [Lifeline]. It shields the wearer, or in this case the entire hospital from outside forces."
That explained the neutral temperature and why Noble hadn't felt anyone within. Her senses must have counted as a force of some kind.
'Interesting.'
The doctor pulled back the curtain to reveal the healer tending to Rain. She looked less pale than she had before, as the Awakened's deft fingers ran across the wound repeatedly.
"How's our girl?" Noble asked when Rain looked her way.
"I told you, I am fine," Rain clicked her tongue, then winced as the healer's finger rubbed her brow.
"I think she may have a concussion," the Awakened said slowly. "I have fixed the outer wound, but I would feel better if the doctor checked her as well."
The physician looked at Fort for permission. Noble could guess that the mundane doctor had wanted to check her in the first place, but the ambassador had demanded magical methods instead.
Pursing his lips, Fort nodded. "Do what you need to do."
"Thank you, Dru," the doctor said to his business partner. "I can take it from here. If you will walk Rain's parents back to the waiting room, I will get to work."
Fort was ready to grumble, but Noble took his arm gently. "We will wait for news."
Noble couldn't help but notice the storm cloud over her husband's head. So she wasn't one bit surprised when instead of stopping in the waiting area, he pulled her out into the chilly air. Finding a spot along the outside of the tent, he stopped abruptly and fully faced her.
His face was solemn, and Noble braced herself for the words that Noble wished she wouldn't hear.
"We need to talk."