Noble hadn't paid much attention to the gate before. She had not needed it personally, and most of the unloading had occurred without her supervision. After not being attacked for a few nights in the camp and then crossing the lake, the soldiers had become slightly complacent. Syrce would have punished someone for leaving the front gate both open and unattended.
The boats that they had made earlier in the day were mostly pulled up inside the city, as had been reported, but a few were still on the shore. More concerning were the leftover crates stacked against the gate after being emptied.
'You would think this was the first time they had moved into a place. Rule number one: you never block the entry!'
Not that the entry was truly blocked. The opening was far too wide for even all the crates to prove an insurmountable barrier. Noble picked up the few remaining rafts with her powers and bowled them toward the standing crates. The two collided like a strange set of bowling balls and pins. Noble's aim struck true. Splitters flew in every direction.
Although the path was not exactly clear, it was enough not to interfere with the gates any longer. And, more importantly, it did not give the mirror people any extra materials to try and breach the wall.
'Now to get these shut!'
Noble flew headlong to the top of the gate; she felt winded by the time she got there.
'How did I not realize it was this far from the ground?'
Having only ever flown over the barrier in the past, Noble had never needed to travel its length. Now she realized just how impressive the structure was.
Reaching the top, Noble was happy to find that the hinges of the gate seemed to be in pristine condition.
'I wonder…'
Both to her delight and dismay, Noble found that her Ability was able to act on the door without needing to engage the entire wall, but it was still too big for her to lift solely with her powers. She had been hoping to be wrong about her capacity, but it seemed the easy way wouldn't be a choice for her.
'Brute force it is…'
Noble whistled loudly twice as she had heard Syrce do a few times.
Nothing immediately happened. With a sigh, the floating Master took her place along the center of the gate at the top. The gap there was just wide enough.
'Here we go!'
Wedging her body between the wall and the gate, Noble used her arms and legs to widen the gap. Perhaps if she could get it moving, then she could keep the momentum going with her powers.
But even with her inhuman strength. She could barely get the gigantic door moving more than a few meters.
Lightning cracked through the sky, and the stars themselves seemed to join the fray below, but Noble had no time to view the splendor.
She only hoped what they did was enough to stall. She needed all the time in the world to get them shut.
'I need help!'
Pushing against the gate with all her might, Noble whistled twice a second time.
A flurry of trills answered her in the darkness.
"Delia? Is that you?"
Glancing at the far-off ground, large shadows were lumbering toward her from the stables. Something wrapped around her leg and tugged it gently.
Noble let out a sigh of relief. The Pink Ones had heard her call and come from the running. Hopefully, they hadn't damaged it too badly in the exodus. If they had, she would apologize later.
"Help me shut the gates!" She pleaded with the large Pink creatures.
A snort of what Noble took as derision came in response, blowing up into the floating Master's helmet to tousle her blonde hair.
Noble furrowed her brow. Did the creatures need an incentive? "Fruit for everyone who helps get these gates closed in time!"
'Please be able to understand me!'
She held her breath for barely a heartbeat before the movement below her changed. Delia let go of the woman's boot and retracted her impossibly large trunk.
The rustle below her grew less frantic.
For a moment, Noble thought the creatures were leaving. If the Pink Ones felt any kinship with the mirror beings, calling on them could have been a huge mistake. Mirage had made them both, or at least made both of them possible.
So even the lure of treats might not have been enough to sway them into helping her if they knew what the task was trying to accomplish.
But just as Noble was beginning to lament her sorry state, the stone gate began to feel lighter as she pushed.
"Yes!" Noble looked down and smiled at the strange beings. "Thank you! I will get you all the fruit you can eat, just hurry!"
The promise was taken to heart, and two breaths later, Noble was no longer needed to propel the first gate shut. She moved on to the second, which was still pressed tight against the wall where it lay open.
Sure, the Pink Ones could eventually wedge their way in, but things would move much faster if she prepared a wider opening.
As she pushed herself in the narrow opening, wingbeats pressed down on her head from above.
"Need a hand?" Roan offered as the other two Masters with him jumped on the top of the wall.
"Please!" Noble grunted, pushing her knees against her chest. "This isn't as easy as it looks!"
Aether and Helie found spots to push without falling into the gap, while Roan used his griffin's talons to pull against the beautiful white stone.
"How are you moving them both?" Aether wondered as he watched the other half swiftly shutting.
"I get by with a little help from my friends," Noble smiled. "How much time do we have?"
"Not much. Even our combined efforts only slowed them a little. We came to help you before they overwhelmed the entrance." Roan hopped down from his griffin to join the effort.
"It will all be for naught if they get through, or worse, they can just go through the wall without a door," Helie wished she could use her powers on the magical stone.
"They won't," Noble assured her. She whistled sharply twice. "This one too!"
"This one too? What does that mean– Oh!" Aether nearly fell into the gap as the gate began to move on its own.
"The Pink Ones, they are stronger than they look," Noble smiled.
"Indeed," Roan laughed as his griffin took to the air in confusion. His face became tense once more as he looked at the ground by the lake. "We won't make it in time."
Noble's eye swirled in the dim starlight. "Let them come."
At the base of the wall, the soldiers ran through the muddy sand toward the closing gate. Their eyes were fixed on the top of the wall where the humans were, calculating the best way to reach them before they took off again.
The crack in the gate was just enough that at least the first of them could make it through.
"Go!" A tall man called. "Make it through if you can. The rest wait until we regain control of the--" He never finished his sentence.
A shadow moved in the darkness, jumping from the wall with the speed of a panther. The violet creature charged the leader, tearing at his vocal cords before tossing him aside.
Another two were thrown back by a whipping tail, even as a huge front paw knocked the legs out from under a third. The ones behind, unprepared for the sudden stop, continued forward, trampling their comrades underfoot. But they, too, were in for a nasty surprise.
The creature that blended with the starlit night was not done. He broke bones, lacerated faces, and tore the limbs of anyone who tried to oppose him. Broken and beaten, a dozen soldiers lay groaning on the shoreline, wondering what had occurred.
Finally, a warrior took his sword, the same relic that had pierced Aether's armor, and aimed it at the wild beast. But when he went to strike, the creature dissolved in a rain of sparks.
Helios disappeared with a howl.
And behind him, the gate shut tight.