First Meeting

Noble couldn't explain exactly how the exchange had happened. But she was certain that it had.

One moment Ginnar had been chatting with Lindy. 

Then she helped him up as the old man's body went slack for the slightest moment. It looked like little more than a trip.

When Ginnar rose, his emotions were missing. They had been snuffed like a blown-out candle.

In their place was an identical emotional signature to Lindy. They radiated the same hatred like two rays of a single sun.

Before Noble could process what she had witnessed, Lindy plummeted from the titanic bridge, pulling all the attention away from Ginnar's strange stumble.

The old man's distraught act was highly convincing to everyone but Noble, who could feel the bubbling malice underneath the surface.

Trying not to panic, Noble had done her best to relay the information to Seishan until she felt Ginnar move closer to hear them.

That was why they now spoke through the Memory, in hopes of evading the detection of the deadly monster walking among them.

Seishan contemplated Noble's words. Her eyes remained steadfastly forward.

'It's here now... I see.' The princess's thoughts were strangely calm.

'It?' Noble struggled to understand.

The Princess of Song knew what this was?!

'The Skinwalker.' Seishan shivered at some unspoken memory. 'Whatever you do, don't look at it. You will give away that you know.'

Noble had begun to peek over her shoulder to get a better view of the creature when Seishan's words stopped her.

'That thing... is a Nightmare Creature?!' Noble blinked.

How was that possible? She had met some intelligent corrupted beings, but nothing that could mimic humans with such startling accuracy.

'It's more than just a Nightmare Creature. Much more.' Seishan's beautiful lips frowned.

More?

Horror gripped Noble.

'What do we do? We have to stop it. Isolate it…' Noble tried to think of the best way to contain the problem. She couldn't let it get anywhere near her family.

'I have seen what this thing can do. It won't be fooled. If we try to fight it here, it will have catastrophic results, trust me. But I agree it must be contained.' Seishan fell silent.

They continued on, Noble monitoring the monster with a combination of her emotional detection and her second sight. It used more essence than she would like to watch it so closely, but she couldn't risk it attacking without warning. Right now her passive Ability to feel others' emotions simply wasn't enough.

Skinwalker—-even the name made Noble's skin crawl!

That insidious power! Ginnar wasn't himself anymore.

Would he ever be again?

Perhaps she should think of a way to kill the Skinwalker without endangering Ginnar's body in case he was still in there somewhere.

But if that wasn't an option, surely he would understand and not want the creature's influence to spread.

They continued down the wide path toward the looming castle. The air grew colder. They moved deeper into the compound surrounding the palace until even Noble as a Master began to feel her lungs struggle slightly against the frozen air.

She had been told to get a charm to combat the bitter cold, but Noble had not expected to need it at her current fitness level. She summoned it now and the chain attached to it formed around her neck. The discomfort subsided.

Around her, others were also finding ways to warm themselves. Only the Skinwalker seemed to ignore the cold as they plodded forward. Instead, he wrung his hands, pretending to fret over the calamity that had just occurred.

'Perhaps we can try to freeze the creature to death?' 

It had worked on Lindy. But luring it back toward the bridge and pushing it off didn't seem like the most effective method, especially if the monster did not want to go back. 

So what could they do instead? Noble was just about to ask about their options when the woman beside her came to a decision.

'There is only one way,' Seishan was full of determination. 'If this thing wants to get in the Jade Palace so badly, we will let it in. However, if it hopes to get an audience with the Queen, it is sorely mistaken.'

'What do you need from me?' Noble would do just about anything to make sure the hatred of the creature was forever extinguished. 

'Let me know if it takes over another body.' Seishan told her. 

For now, the Skinwalker seemed to be content to lay low, but the Princess of Song did not think that it would last. 

Turning around, Seishan put on a dazzling smile. "This area is the outer keep of the Jade Palace and houses many of the members of Clan Song. Although a few of the Clan members have taken up residence with the unaffiliated warriors on the bridge, most live here or inside the main part of the palace." 

The tone suggested a continuation of the tour that had occurred in the lower part of the city. Maybe this speech had been planned all along, or it was to keep the Skinwalker from paying too much attention to her clansmen by directing attention elsewhere. 

"First we will pass by the gateway for you to go back to the Waking World. I figure some of you may need to return to Government Headquarters sooner rather than later, so I will keep our meeting as brief as possible. If you look over there, the pillars look segmented, but actually..." Seishan continued to rattle off facts about the architecture and history that she knew, pausing only briefly to send a message for her sisters to join her in the main hall. 

'Were they already supposed to join us or is this a precaution?' Noble let her thoughts leak toward Seishan.

The Princess of Song locked eyes with the professor for the briefest moment. 'Both.'

As they entered the great hall, dozens of people were there to greet them with formal bows. Noble looked at their empty eyes and a secondary fear gripped her. 

'They have no emotions at all,' she cut her eyes toward Seishan for confirmation. 

'Ignore them. They are just pilgrims. It means my mother is watching.' 

Pilgrims.

Noble stifled a gasp. 'They are dead?'

Seishan chuckled softly. 'You really are new here. You get used to it.'

Adam had warned Noble about the pilgrims, but she had written off the strange advice. Now she wondered if his other words were true as well. If so, then the Skinwalker wasn't the only being around her with which she shouldn't be alone. 

Thankfully, the hall was filled with more than just pilgrims. Three breathtaking Saints were at the far end of the hall as well as a line of Awakened in uniform. 

Noble recognized the trio of Saints as three of the daughters of Song.

She had seen only pictures of them up until this moment, but the photographs did not do them justice. Each one was a force of nature in their own right, but together?

Noble believed they were nearly unstoppable. 

Which was good, because the professor was entrusting the safety of her family into their hands. 

And just now, that safety included eradicating the Skinwalker in their midst before he had a chance to spread. 

It was shaping up to be a very interesting first meeting.