Noble gasped.

Her eyes flew open. The late afternoon sun beamed down on her with brilliant radiance.

Above her was the azure sky spreading before without a single blemish.

Was she dead?

She turned to look at the ground below her, only it was not ground at all. Just fluffy clouds.

"Am I an angel?"

But then the white moved, and Noble's memories came flooding back to her. It wasn't clouds, but mist!

Noble was forty or so meters above the ground. Thankfully, she hadn't drifted into the Great Beyond before waking. By the look of things, she had only lost a minute or two.

One thing was for sure. She was still alive.

'What about the others?!'

Child of Promise hadn't seen anyone in her final moments before releasing control, and she hadn't seen Roan at all since the danger was discovered.

Her Kingdom Keeper attribute was pulling at her, so at least someone she cared about was still living.

Her soul was badly wounded, and what little bit of essence she could replenish was quickly being channeled into controlling her flight.

So, rather than trying to extend her second sight, Noble allowed the pull to guide her.

She sailed over the lurking monster, heading far from the falls. When she finally cleared the mist, her heart soared.

The wagons!

"Bel!" A voice called, its low timber filled with relief!

Lowering herself to the ground, Noble found herself beyond elated to see Master Roan.

"You made it out!" They said in unison.

Around them, the caravan's wagons stayed back from the edge of the mist, ready to retreat if the monster spread.

But the entity seemed to have reached its current limit, roiling silently against an invisible wall.

"I don't see Syrce or Flint? Are they here?" Noble scanned the caravan.

She was happy to see many of the soldiers had not succumbed to the attack, but the two were noticeably absent.

"I was about to ask you about them. They haven't come out. I have been braving the mist as often as I can, but have not spotted them." The Legacy looked haggard.

Noble realized that one of his entries was what had likely distracted the monster long enough for her to summon Helios.

In spite of not finding her, Roan had helped her get out.

"Look!" Someone called from the crowd.

In the white haze, a shape appeared. Its dark form was outlined by its angular wings. It ambled along, its misaligned eyes staring at both the ground and the sky.

Noble knew that creature. It was one of the Mourners that she fought not long ago.

"Flint!" Child of Promise called. 'You had me scared for a second,' she added through the Memory.

"That's not Flint." Roan reached for the sword sheathed at his side.

Noble stopped him from drawing it. "I know that. It is his Echo we told you about."

The pair waited eagerly for the Mourner to clear the mist. When he arrived, their fear overtook the excitement.

Its back was empty.

"You've lost your master!" Noble squealed. "Where is he?!"

He had to still be alive, or else the moth would have been destroyed.

"I will go look." The cohort leader tucked his scarf around his mouth. It would prove poor protection against the mist, but it was better than nothing.

"No," the floating woman laid her hand on his arm. "You have been lucky to come out as many times as you have. You are weak. Maybe if I float over the top, I can see him."

The mist had thickened since they first arrived, but the ground was not completely obscured. She would just have to be careful not to fly too high and do more damage to Flint's soul with the tether. And if she went in the wrong direction, she could drag him farther into the fog.

That was it!

If she could drag him in the fog, why couldn't she drag him out of it?

"I have an idea." Noble didn't take time to explain.

She mentally pictured the connection and shortened its length.

'Come on. Get out here, you crazy curmudgeon!'

At first, nothing seemed to happen.

Had she done it wrong? She had left the tether alone since her frank conversation with her counterpart, and now she was worried that she might have forgotten how it worked.

But then...

"There!" A woman called far to her left. "I see something."

Turning her head. Noble, too, could see something moving at an angle toward her location. It was low to the ground, bouncing along the earth limply.

Running toward the figure to lessen the distance, Noble caught Flint up in her arms. His eyes were closed, and he was barely breathing.

"He's alive!" Child of Promise handed him over to Roan.

"Good." The blue-eyed man smiled. "I would have hated to jolt him to start his heart."

Carrying him back to the caravan, Roan laid him across the back of a wagon.

In addition to the soul damage, the surly Master had scrapes on his face, and part of his armor was missing. Noble also noted a huge bump on his head.

"Do you think...I mean. Will he be alright?" Noble bit her lip, fighting back the tears in her eyes.

"Is anyone here a healer?" Roan called into the ranks of the caravan.

No one answered his call. Either their medic had gotten left in the belly of the monster, or he or she did not feel qualified to treat this type of injury.

"The only healer who is going to fix me is yours truly." A raspy voice coughed from the cart. "I am not letting any of these phonies lay a finger on me."

"Flint!" Noble's elation lit up her face. "It is so good to hear your voice."

"Could have fooled me," the man brought his hand weakly to his head. "I thought you meant to finish me off back there. You told me to call an Echo, and then you yanked me right off its back!"

"Sorry!" Noble wasn't sure whether it was Helios or her floating that had caused the trouble, and it was better not to rub salt in the wound.

"Bel also saved you by pulling you out with that weird connection you have." Roan pointed at the man's waist.

The frustrated patient pulled at the belt. "Are you telling me I should be thanking this curse for saving my life?"

Shaking his head, the other Legacy inclined his head to their female companion. "I was telling you not to be too hard on the one who was trying to rescue you."

"Can't do that," Flint pursed his lips. "Crazy curmudgeons don't let go of grudges."

"You, uh, heard that?" Noble coughed. "I was just scared of losing you."

Summoning some salve, the lovely Master held it out for him to use on his cuts.

He grunted. "I will wait until I have enough essence to heal myself. Now, back to me being a curmudgeon. I'll have you know–"

Whatever it was that Flint wanted to inform the other two, it was cut off by a piercing cry.

Something else was exiting the mist.