When Noble's vision came into focus once more, she was in an empty, dark hall. Before her, a mirror was covered by a huge curtain.
Her companions were there, too, real and whole and unharmed.
"We, we made it?" Helie looked for any sign of a copy of herself or the rest of their group.
"We made it," Syrce plopped unceremoniously onto the ground, lying out on the cold floor without a care for what the Masters thought of her.
"Excuse me, Ma'am, but even if we are back in the completed palace, shouldn't we head to the lake to make sure our friends don't return the way they came?"
Aether bowed, his eyes remaining on the covered mirror.
Opening her eyes toward the ceiling, Syrce shook her head. "No need. Their time is up."
Noble looked up at the glass far overhead.
The darkness was fading. Dawn was coming.
The dawn of a new day.
"We almost didn't make it." Noble realized how close they had cut it.
Syrce sighed.
"I know. I nearly couldn't pull us through. The very last ray of the moon came to our rescue."
Noble didn't ask how the Saint knew that fact when they had been underground.
She was too relieved to be away from the True Great Mirror to think about what might have been. She heaved a sigh of relief. They were home. Well, back in the false Bastion that people in her time called home.
"Did you get everyone?" Noble remembered the soldiers they had left to fight in the ruins.
Syrce stretched, climbing up from the floor with a sudden exhale of air. "Let's go outside and see for ourselves."
The cohort didn't need to be told twice. They were more than happy to get away from the covered mirror.
'I may never look in a mirror again,' Noble shook her head.
She had seen what her own reflection could do, and it would take her a long time before she trusted that what was on the other side of the mirror wouldn't come out to harm her.
Going up several flights of stairs, the group finally found the ground floor and the exit. The cohort was immensely happy to breathe the fresh air and take in the first rays of morning light.
But they were ecstatic to see so many of the soldiers in the streets between the palace's buildings. Many had died, of course, but many more had lived and were now making their way toward the keep. Seeing her troops, Syrce straightened her shoulders.
"Lux! Lawler! Stop kissing and come over here!" The commander ordered. "Wait, when did that even happen?"
Lux blushed as she bowed. "It is quite recent, My Lady."
"Very recent indeed," Lawler winked at the embarrassed woman before coughing. "Forgive me. How may we assist you, My Lady?"
"I need you to go check down by the lake to make sure that no one has come out of the water. Then we will begin a systematic questioning to confirm I did not accidentally bring an Other through this time." Syrce was pretty certain she had not, but she no longer trusted her own judgement as she once had.
"Yes, My Lady." Lawler bowed.
"And Me?" Lux clearly hoped to be assigned to the same task.
Syrce had other plans. "Set up a triage for the wounded. They will need to be treated, and the sooner we get them help, the better."
"Understood, My Lady." The young woman lowered her head.
The pair turned to complete their tasks.
"Oh, and Lawler?" Syrce caused the man to freeze in his tracks as he flinched.
"Yes, commander?"
The Saint furrowed her brow. "If you have any sense in you, you'll marry Lux as soon as possible. When your child is the first one born in our new settlement, I will have a very special gift for him or her."
A huge smile bloomed on the man's face. "Yes, commander. Anything you say, Commander. Thank you, Commander!"
"I'll help Lux with healing, if that is alright with you, Lady Syrce." Aether's smile betrayed the joy he had at his new skill.
"I will make sure Lawler has the support he needs to secure the lake," Roan offered.
"I organize a search party to find the wounded." Helie's stomach rumbled. "And then I will see what the plans are for breakfast. I imagine everyone is quite famished."
"I am sure you are right. Thank you, Aurelia." Syrce smiled. "Thank you all."
With tasks to complete, the three Masters departed. Noble stood there for a moment, still in awe of all that had transpired the night before.
They had done it. They had contained the Others and broken the hold that Omer had on Syrce.
Noble could feel the edges of the Nightmare coming undone. They were victorious. Soon, they would be returning to the Dream Realm.
'I can hardly believe it!'
Looking at Syrce, Noble's excitement mellowed. The Saint was staring into the distance with a melancholic expression.
"You are thinking about your Maelys?" Noble watched the woman nod.
"Yes, but the real one. The one who was brave and kind and would have done almost anything for a stranger. I should have seen the difference sooner. I miss her. I'll have to give her a proper goodbye now." Syrce sighed.
"I know what you mean." Noble folded her hands.
She hadn't seen the fake Flint for who he was until it was too late. If she had, perhaps the cranky curmudgeon would still be alive.
'I'll have to find a way to say goodbye too...'
"But before that, I think we should head down to the lake as well." Syrce forced a smile. "I would like to start working on an array to keep those Others on their side of the lake even when the full moon is out. I think you might be able to give me some input?"
"Me?" Noble had only minimal experience in protective arrays.
She had witnessed two: one in Crestfall and one in Australia, but she did not know how they functioned. It didn't matter. The Saint desired her company, and she would give it for the final moments they were together.
"I would be honored." Child of Promise accepted the assignment. If time permitted, she would catch up with the rest of her group after they were through. "Would you like to walk or fly?"
"Walk. I need to stretch my legs and soak in the morning air." The Saint looked down. "I suppose I should stop and get a new dress on my way."
The change took barely a moment, and the beautiful Saint emerged from the doorway looking like the night before had not happened.
Of course, it had; the marks on their souls were testament to that fact. For now, they would shelve those feelings and head to the shore.
As expected, the front gate was pulled asunder. The Others had used all their strength to get the ancient door to bend to their will.
While it wasn't demolished, at least a couple of the hinges would need to be mended.
"I think the Pink Ones can help with this," Syrce mused as much to herself as Noble.
The floating Master smothered a grin. "I am sure they can."
"Ah, well, that is a problem for another day. Right now we need to focus on..." Syrce stopped short, the desire of making an array fleeing from her head like the shadows from the coming dawn.
Noble looked and saw it too. There were figures on the horizon.