Accountability

"Leave." Wake of Ruin scowled.

Jet flexed, challenging Harlow to give her any reason to call on her ghostly scythe.

With a smirk, Harlow swept out of the room.

"Child of Promise," Cor warned. 

Having taken a step toward the door, Noble froze in her tracks. "But sir, she..." 

"Awakened Harlow will have no more dealings with the government." The gentleman stated definitively. "I will let Clan Valor know. Her brother may be a Knight of the King of Swords, but I doubt even he will defend her when he finds out she threatened the wife of a government Director for telling the truth." 

"But the people whose lives she endangered!" Noble flew a little higher into the air in her fury.

Deep down, Noble knew that she couldn't seek justice for her father.

Even though Harlow's insinuation was clear enough to Noble, it wouldn't be enough to convict her of his murder. 

It was even possible that Cor was part of the government cover-up, though Noble didn't want to consider that. Guilty or not, trying to convict the former envoy was a lost cause.

But Noble could demand that Harlow be held accountable for the lives lost needlessly in battle from her negligence. Right now, those people and their families mattered more to Noble than the distant past. 

Cor shook his head slowly. "I doubt even the white stone would have held up when the Titan hit it. We will never know if the weakened stone made a significant difference in how things went." 

Noble inhaled sharply. "I don't think..." 

'I'll talk to him.' Jet raised both eyebrows as she sent the message through their shared Memory. 

Swallowing, Noble looked at the ground. 'You don't understand. That threat she made--Harlow murdered my father.'

Soul Reaper's jaw tightened. 'She also killed my soldiers, either by accident or design. I take each of those deaths personally. I will make the old man see. Trust me.' 

Based on her emotions, Jet was very angry about how things had occurred. She knew the elder Saint much better than Noble and was far more likely to get a favorable outcome.

Noble's incoming outburst was likely to make Cor dig in his heels about his decision or even reverse it if he thought Noble was unreasonable or worse—lying.

'Fine.'

Against every fiber of her being, the floating Master pushed down her righteous anger and lowered her head. 

"I don't think I am needed any longer. If you excuse me, I will head home and let my family know that I am alright." 

"I think that is wise. I should do that also. Good evening, Noble." Cor motioned toward the door. 

Jet pulled [The Other's Voice] from behind her ear and handed it to Noble. "I am sure we will see each other soon." 

Dismissing the Memory, Noble floated from the room. In the hall, she let out a silent scream. 

She searched for Harlow's emotional signature, but the woman was nowhere to be found. It seemed she had listened to the venerable government Saints and left. 

As Noble walked angrily toward the gateway, she remembered what Jet had said. 

'By accident or by design...sabotage?' Noble had felt the woman lie about wanting to tell Jet about the wall, but she had assumed it was spite in the moment, not some dastardly plan. 

But what if it was? 

'Why would Valor want to weaken the government?' Noble mused. 

Losing the two government citadels would have devastated their connections with Clan Song in the Dream Realm. There were other locations under government control, but they were even farther from Ravenheart and the Sovereign that lived there. 

The displaced Awakened would be forced to transfer to remote locations or to one of the more centrally located strongholds close to Bastion. 

Either way, the government would be drawn closer to Valor and pulled from Song. With the battlefront in Antarctica closing, the two clans would have to pick a new place to clash. If Valor wanted the government to stay neutral or even take their side, having them close would be a smart way to keep an eye on them.

'You sound like a conspiracy theorist,' Noble shook her head. 

It was far more likely that Harlow had acted petty at the worst possible time and then didn't have enough essence to fix the mistake. 

That didn't mean that Harlow was innocent. Blood was on her hands.

As hard as it was, Noble would have to leave the fate of the stoneshaper in Jet and Cor's hands.

At least for now.

'If I ever see that woman again, it will be too soon.'

Reaching the Gateway, Noble touched Theo's sword as she usually did. 

She lingered. He, too, had been betrayed by someone that was trusted. 

Noble lowered her head. Like Theo, these people deserved to be remembered. 

'We will have to put up a memorial for the battle today.'

But that was a task for another day. Right now the only place she needed to be was home. 

'I better not appear like this,' Noble looked down at her bloodied armor. She dismissed her metal outerwear, summoned her grey dress, and then dismissed the purple underpinnings of her armor as well. 

It wasn't perfect, but it was much better than a moment before.

Touching the gateway, Noble found herself in the dojo.

Fort was sitting on the discarded sleeping pod, waiting for her. He released a shaky breath. Jumping from his perch, he caught his wife in a hug. 

"I was so worried." 

"I guess you got the news about our visitors, then." Noble tried to smile. 

The Director nodded. "Catphine contacted me to get the word to Saint Cor. I couldn't send that message out fast enough." 

"Thank you for that," Noble rested her chin on her husband's shoulder. "Wake of Ruin came just in time." 

For sighed, "How bad was it?" 

"It was a Corrupted Titan. So...pretty bad."

Noble could feel her husband's emotions spike. 

"My sweet wife! How did any of you survive?" 

Shutting her eyes, Noble inhaled deeply. "Many didn't. Jet killed the Titan in the end. I helped as best I could."

Fort's heart clenched. He held his wife tenderly.

"I'm so happy you are home. I can't imagine what you have been through. Why don't you take a shower, and I will order dinner?"

Noble touched her hair. It was still caked in blood. Fort must have known it wasn't hers or he would be frantic instead of just concerned.

"Thank you." Noble kissed her husband's cheek. "I'll be back in a few."

"Take as much time as you need. I'll wait." Fort nodded.

"You are always so patient with me."

Noble pulled away and started to head toward the shower. She paused at the door of the dojo and placed her hand on the doorframe.

"There is one thing I won't make you wait any longer for. I said I would give you a decision on our living situation by this evening."

Fort's eyes dropped to the ground, "After the day you have had, I can guess what choice you made. I…I understand."

Noble smiled faintly. "Good. Because you'll need to pack your bags. We are moving to Ravenheart."