Rejoining the caravan happened close to the base of the cliff.

Unlike when Noble had fallen from the sky, no one seemed surprised by their appearance or that they had a third member in their company.

Their commander had clearly informed them of their impending arrival, for the group moved over to let them float by the carts.

Well, Noble and Flint floated—the former out of necessity and the latter to show off.

Roan walked with the confident, easy gait of a leader who was content not to be in charge.

Syrce was in a better mood when they arrived. She leaned out from the side of the wagon with an amused grin.

"There you are! I was beginning to think you had lost your way again, Bel."

"Again?" Noble gave a confused smile.

"She's got you there, Blondie," Flint floated in a circle before landing on the cart's back bench. "You can't find your way out of a synthpaste sack."

"Hey!" Noble placed her hands on her hips.

"Am I wrong?" The man pressed.

"Just…hey!" The blonde woman pouted. "Anyway, synthpaste comes in tubes, not sacks."

"What is Synthpaste?" Syrce flicked the reins as they turned the final corner.

"It's Lady Bel's favorite food from her own Realm," Flint answered before either of the others could.

The Saint nodded, considering the words.

"Ah, that makes sense why she would want to get lost in a bag of it then. I myself have been known to drown my sorrow in a case of honey and jam."

Noble shot Flint a withering gaze. While it was good he had found an easy answer for the question, he had also caused the problem in the first place and insulted her too!

'How rude!'

Child of Promise cut off his connection to her Aspect, making Flint land on the bench with a thud.

"Ah, yes, thank you for the reminder, Titus. Where are my manners! Please join us on the cart, Roan. We have room for one more." Syrce pointed to the seat behind her.

The amiable legacy bowed. "I am content to walk just now. It is easier to admire your magnificent beasts from here."

Delia made a sound halfway between a trumpet and a purr of pleasure. Her brother held his trunk a little higher.

One corner of Syrce's mouth tilted upward.

"Very clever, Sir Roan. I don't allow flattery for myself, but I will listen to you praise my Pink Ones all day long."

"I feel the same about my griffin." The man with hair like straw nodded.

"You have a griffin that you call your own?" The mossy-haired woman took her eyes off the road to look more closely at the walking Master.

Roan's head swayed side to side. "Well, I suppose you could say it's associated with our family. Depending on how things go here, I plan to entrust it to my daughter very soon."

'Legacies…always flaunting their super powerful echoes. Makes me sick…' Flint huffed in Noble's head.

'Jealousy isn't a good look on you,' Noble smirked. 'Does your clan not have any powerful echoes to bring to the Legacy convention?'

The surly Master arched his back.

'First off, we don't have conventions. That would be ridiculous. We have conferences. Much more prestigious!'

'I see.' Child of Promise nodded.

'Second of all, I don't need a powerful echo. It should be obvious by now that I am the powerhouse around here. It's people like you, Steel and Roan, and so many other legacies who use them as a crutch.' Flint ran his hand through the orange streak in his hair.

Noble had already registered that it was his tell.

Other than the moth, she hadn't seen her companion call on an echo. Maybe his brother hoarded them all for himself. Their sibling relationship seemed more competitive and less familial each time Steel was mentioned.

Noble's mouth opened slightly.

'Wait, did you call me a legacy?'

Flint frowned, 'You wish!'

There was no winning, so Child of Promise turned her attention back to the audible conversation.

"I wish you could see my Violet One. He flew with Orrin to retrieve the frame. He is very shy until you get to know him, though." Syrce glanced at the sky, smiling at the absent bird.

"Do you ever ride him?" Roan tried to picture the beast.

"I have on occasion. He is more than strong enough, though I'm sure it looks quite comical."

Laughing, the Saint lowered the reins, giving the Pink Ones enough room to make the final descent.

The creatures sped along the bumpy path, finally making it level with the lower plateau. The group was enveloped in the mist of the falls, making them disappear almost entirely in the heavy fog.

Roan caught up with them as they slowed to pluck colorful apples from where they had fallen below the trees.

As the rest of the group filtered down, the travelers took a well-deserved break by the riverside. The mist and trees provided a canopy from the sun, making it an ideal spot for a noonday respite.

While Syrce checked on the state of her soldiers, the trio was left to fend for themselves as they refreshed.

Soaking in the mist of the falls, Roan took a sip of water. Maybe he shouldn't have walked the whole way. He was ready for a rest.

Roan looked up at the broken dam, thinking about all that his cohort members had told him.

"It's a twin city?" he mused aloud. "Very interesting. If this still exists in our current time, it isn't a human citadel. I wonder if its ruins are still visible. I've heard rumors of hydroelectric power being discussed in Rivergate. Having twice that power would be phenomenal."

"So neither of you has seen or heard of this place before?" Noble was hoping that a different angle might jog the men's memories. Her own mind was tired from all of the revelations, so any clarity would be helpful.

Roan shook his head sadly.

"No, but that isn't terribly surprising. The Dream Realm is littered with ruins of lost civilizations. Many worlds' worths, in fact, if all of them are being pulled into its inescapable grasp. And only a few are dedicated enough to map the uncharted spaces. If it's out there, we will find it eventually. Then maybe we can rebuild it."

Noble wondered if the same might be true for the treehouse Fortress. It was high and out of the way, so maybe it had yet to be discovered. Now that was a place she could get used to living!

That was assuming that the tree hadn't gotten corrupted and was still fully rooted to the ground.

'On second thought… never mind.'

She had no business fighting any demented trees. The mere thought made her tired. It was better to rest and let the men discuss whatever they liked. Her storytelling had taken more out of her than she thought. Noble yawned.

Flint yawned back. "Why'd you go and do a thing like that? Don't you know yawns are contagious?"

"That's a myth," Roan countered. His jaw tightened as he stifled the unwilling exhale.

"See! You've infected him, too! This is all your fault, Blondie. Why can't you women be more considerate like us men?" Flint rubbed his eye.

Noble pressed her lips together. "Your idiocy is showing again. I have half a mind to…"

Child of Promise stopped her threat as she looked around. The people around them were relaxing, most of them lying on the grass or chatting lazily beside the wagons.

It was good to have a moment of relaxation after hours of worrying about falling off a tall ledge.

There was only one problem.

All of the convoy was yawning too.

Noble looked up at the sun, and her eyes opened wide.

Something was very wrong.