Noble could hardly believe her eyes, but before she could comment, Syrce had already transformed and was blazing a trail across the lake.
The floating Master could only follow hot on her heels.
'Hold on a little longer. I have to see this!' Noble pleaded silently with the Spell.
Another minute or two was all she needed to confirm her suspicion. Surely the Spell wouldn't take that from her!
Syrce dropped to the ground a hundred paces before the approaching caravan, returning to her human form. She ran headlong at the first wagon, screaming at the top of her lungs.
"Is she here?!"
From the driver's seat, Shieldbearer Orrin dipped a bow at the commander as he pulled the cart to a stop.
"My Lady, it is good to see you."
Behind him, hundreds of wagons slowed as well, creating a flurry of activity. Children jumped from their seats to scramble to the ground while women craned their necks to view what had caused the holdup.
Pink Ones and one and two humped Chartreuse Ones were chomping at the bit to continue on their path.
The entire world seemed to be contained in the string of creatures, people, and their belongings. In a way, Noble supposed it was.
Ignoring the multitude and Orrin's greeting, Syrce repeated her question to the Shieldbearer. "Is she here?!"
"Syrce?" A feminine voice called from inside the wagon.
"Yes, it's me!" The energetic Saint looked like she might bounce off her toes and rocket into the sky.
The back was thrown open, and a beautiful woman with azure hair fled from her carriage.
Syrce caught the woman up in her arms and spun her in a circle. "Lyra!"
"Sister!" Lyra beamed.
The mossy-haired Saint hugged the younger lady tightly.
"What are you doing here?! I thought you were going to stay safely by the sea until I sent word!"
Lyra strained against the squeeze. "The sea wasn't exactly safe anymore. Shieldbearer Orrin was torn between protecting me and coming to aid you, so I made the decision easier."
Orrin coughed behind the ladies. "I wouldn't say it was an easy decision, My Lady, but it was more straightforward."
Lyra rolled her eyes with a smile. "Anyway, I missed you, and I wasn't willing to stay away any longer."
Tears formed in Syrce's eyes. "I missed you, too."
The energetic Saint turned and waved. "Come, Lady Bel, don't be shy! I have someone I want you to meet!"
Noble, who had been staying back to give the women a little privacy, glided forward with a bow.
Syrce smiled brighter than the sun. "Lyra, this is Lady Bel. She is the Realm Walker who helped us win against the Others and secure our new home! Lady Bel, this is Lady Lyra, my sister. A real sister this time, I promise!"
The Saint placed her hand on her heart in solemn vow, causing Lyra to raise one eyebrow.
"Quite an introduction!" The lady with the azure hair dipped her head to Noble.
"I am pleased to meet you, Lady Bel. It's not every day we get a Realm Walker in these parts."
"That's what I said when we met! You see, Bel? A real sister through and through." Syrce wrapped her arm around her sibling's shoulder.
"I am pleased to meet you as well. Syrce speaks very highly of you. It is good to see you, too, Shieldbearer Orrin." Noble waved to the man as he climbed down from the cart.
He bowed, patting the Pink Ones before stepping forward to join the conversation. He only made it a single step before the creature closest to him tugged at his armor.
Orrin reluctantly relinquished the piece of fruit hiding there and continued on his way.
"I am overjoyed to see you looking well, Lady Bel. And I'm even more astonished at your building prowess!"
Noble was confused by his words until she remembered what was behind her.
"You mean the palace?"
Lyra clasped her hands. "Yes! The last time Orrin and I heard from the scouts, the place was in ruins. How did you repair it in such a short time?!"
Syrce and Noble exchanged glances. The Saint coughed.
"That's a long story…"
'Did they not feel the pull into this world?' Noble asked. It hadn't occurred to her before how they would try to make sense of the switch.
Syrce adjusted their shared Memory.
'I doubt it. It would have been while they were likely sleeping. If they weren't by the shore when it happened, the change would have been even less obvious.'
It made sense. Even the soldiers at the edge of the lake had woken up, surprised by their new home when the switch first occurred.
"How did you get here so quickly?" Syrce redirected the topic slightly.
Now it was Orrin and Lyra's turn to exchange glances.
"I have always been able to find my way," the Shieldbearer began. "Even since my youth, before I Awakened, I have known the way. My Awakening only enhanced that skill."
"It's an ability I am quite jealous of," Noble smiled slightly. "But even the best navigation would not have brought you here so quickly. I have flown over this land, and the number of rivers, cliffs, and canyons to cross would have made traveling with this group take weeks, not days."
"Under normal circumstances, perhaps, yet my intuition pulled us in a straight line directly to this spot. I thought it was my stubborn wishful thinking at first. But when we came to the first river, I realized it was more than that." Orrin whistled a familiar double tone. Was he calling the Pink Ones?
Lyra took up the story. "When we got to the first crossing, the Shieldbearer and I went to great pains to see if the wagons could cross it safely. Eventually, Orrin decided to cross with a Pink One to gauge the depth. Only when he went to cross, the Pink One's foot landed on top of the water."
"I thought it was a fluke, but the other three feet yielded the same result. The Pink One and I walked across an invisible bridge." Orrin recalled the events with a wistful grin.
"Next, we tried to repeat the experiment with an empty wagon. It worked!" Lyra shrugged.
"I was almost sure that it was a trap. But we continued to press our luck. Eventually, the rest of our group traveled across the river on the invisible passageway." The Shieldbearer checked over his shoulder.
"I assumed Orrin's Ability had brought us to some secret byway, but when we got to the next river, the same thing happened. We continued in a straight line for the entire day, no matter what obstacle came into our path." The youngest sister traced a straight path with her finger.
"Except for Rivergate. There is no getting around those switchbacks. But even those seemed to go more smoothly than I've ever seen." Orrin nodded slowly. "We even crossed a canyon with nothing below us; it was miraculous. No matter where I led, an invisible bridge awaited us."
"It wasn't until the second evening that we discovered the source of our good fortune. It turned out we had someone very special to thank for that." Lyra turned her head as a Chartreuse One approached. "And here he is now!"