Noble wanted to stop the Saint, but her effort was futile. Syrce was determined, and even in her weakened state, her will was stronger than Noble's own.
"Help her get in position," Roan called, breaking Noble from her reverie.
If this was going to work at all, Syrce needed a clean shot. That meant defending against the horns of the crown so she would not be caught.
'Bel, can you hear me?' Syrce's voice filtered into Noble's head.
'I can,' Child of Promise answered. 'We are working to distract the Prince, so you don't become charred dragon chow before you make it inside.'
Noble followed Roan's silent motions as he pointed out where each of the four of them should go.
The four Masters again surrounded the dragon, giving the crown of horns a wide berth. The tangled mess of snakelike bone had grown still again, but Noble was no longer fooled. If the Dragon believed it was truly threatened again, he would not hesitate to unleash them once more.
'Give me time to get focused,' Syrce made some preliminary dips toward the Prince, each time flying away before the Remnant could swipe her with his claws.
For the moment, he seemed to be reserving his fire. Had he finally run out of flame? Was that even possible?
The more likely scenario is that the light blinded his good eye in the darkness, and he wanted to be able to watch the Saint's movements without that hindrance.
'He probably doesn't like burnt food either,' Noble allowed a small smile.
'I heard that!' Syrce's emotions spiked.
'Sorry!' Noble bit her tongue. It had been meant as humor, but she could see how Syrce might not find it amusing. 'Use that anger to fuel yourself!'
The floating Master felt the other woman's emotions. They were not nearly as strong or intimidating as they had been when she was fighting Maelys. The dragon was a formidable opponent, but he had not manipulated Syrce like Mae had.
Instead of being outraged at the Remnant's presence, the Saint felt…resignation?
'That won't do!' Noble chewed her lips. 'If you want to recreate what happened before, you have to want it just as much.'
The Dragon puffed smoke out of his nose, filling the air and mixing with its horns like a hideous halo.
'I am trying!' Syrce's exasperation was evident.
"Bel?" Roan's voice was soft but audible.
"Soon!" She responded, giving the rest of the update by hand signal.
'Try saying what you did before.' Syrce needed to focus.
Noble reflected on her moving speech.
'Kill the dragon! You have to do this for your people. For your sisters. For yourself!'
The words moved the Saint, and the energy surrounding her became more intense.
'Thank you, Bel. But you left one person off that list…'
Noble furrowed her brow at Syrce's words.
'Who?'
'You!' The energy core pulsed as it circled for the final time. 'I'm ready.'
Touched by the sentiment, Child of Promise felt her connection to the Saint strengthen. However, her concern deepened.
'It isn't nearly enough. You cannot do it!'
'Then give me a boost!' Syrce was utterly confident in her friend's Ability.
However, it wasn't that simple. Noble had done things before by intuition. Just now, her mind was racing.
How had she effectively lit the fuse and overloaded her friend with energy? She was sure she had been the catalyst, but the process was not easily repeated.
'I can try, but it will give me a little time to experiment.'
Noble was a researcher at heart. But her practice was usually in low-stakes situations. She could collate and compile the data to get consistent results. Surely there was a way to distill the process down into a quick study which could…
'Time's up, Bel. I'm going in,' the Saint announced abruptly.
'But!' Noble's eyes swirled.
'On my mark!' Syrce continued.
Realizing her objections were futile, Noble lifted her fist to signal the others that they were about to move. The cadence of the battle suddenly shifted.
'Now!' Syrce used her Ability to deflect attention from herself.
That task was made easier as the four Masters dove toward the Prince. The Remnant lifted his head, shooting fire in the air at his adversaries. Anticipating the action, the humans scattered in four directions as they continued to plunge.
In the chaos, Syrce prepared to descend.
'Give me all you have, Bel. I can take it.'
Noble took a deep breath, splitting her mind between maneuvering her cohort through the air and funneling her emotion to the energetic Saint.
Noble channeled her emotion, sending it to Syrce in its most concentrated form.
Finishing her arc, the Saint turned into the retreating fire, using its light to guide her.
The power of the Saint was vast, but it wasn't nearly at the level of what it needed to be for Syrce to achieve her goal. She was just too tired, and not even Noble at her best could bridge that gap as a Master.
Noble's eyes opened wide.
'You aren't going to make it!'
'I'll give it all I've got and then some.' Syrce's voice sounded wistful in Noble's head. 'Just do your part.'
Something was wrong. No, everything was! The feelings were off, the energy was off. Yet Syrce plowed forward.
Noble gasped.
'If you go now, it's a one-way trip!'
The floating Master could almost hear the smile in the other woman's voice. 'I know. As long as I take him down too, it will be worth it.'
'We need you to defeat the Others, return the mirror, and get us back to the palace!' Noble pleaded.
'You aren't as empty-headed as you look. You and the others will figure it out. None of you is strong enough for this task. It falls to me.'
Syrce's thoughts were transmitted faster than speech. Their conversation had taken barely two seconds, and yet Noble had felt like it lasted an eternity.
Her anguish was absolute.
'You cannot do this!'
Noble watched in slow motion as Syrce continued to dive toward the dragon's mouth. He was not looking her way just now as he snapped at Roan, but soon enough his attention would shift as she neared. The Saint's Ability was good, but it was not absolute. And the Remnant would easily be able to counter it when she got too close.
And that moment came an instant later. Sensing the movement before he saw it, the Dragon Prince narrowed his menacing eye to a slit. His jaws ceased snapping toward the Master in the blue scarf and began to turn toward the core of light and its floating orbs.
Syrce's shining soul called to him, not like it did to the corrupted creatures, but like a shimmering beacon of the enemy that had left the Prince in this broken state.
He would have his revenge, starting with the Transcendent and then her minions.
He licked his gleaming teeth as fire rumbled in his belly.
Syrce did not falter. She did not waver. She did not change course.
All the Saint did was speak two words as the world passed by her.
"Goodbye, Bel."