The Noble Queen-A Shadow Slave Fanfic

Noble felt a dark sense of dread fill her soul. The Skinwalker was blaming her for the death of Lindy. 

Did it know her power was levitation?

In hindsight, throwing Lindy from the bridge would have been a perfect solution before the Skinwalker infected Ginnar. But even then the creature might have been able to body jump and then accuse Noble of murder without it being a false accusation. 

However, the claim was entirely fabricated. 

The Skinwalker's lack of names but clear indication of who he meant was brilliant. It was convincing. 

The sisters all looked at her, questioning for a moment if they should look into the accusation. Had Noble come all this way and moved to Ravenheart just to be arrested on her first day for something that she didn't do? 

'Yeah, that's not going to happen.' Noble comforted herself. 

She would be cleared eventually. Noble's real fear is that the Skinwalker would convince one of them long enough that it would find a new host or two before the truth was discovered. 

Noble opened her mouth to defend herself, but Seishan held her finger to her own lips. 

Mordret scoffed lightly. "Why are you speaking to someone who isn't here? Stop playing games and answer me." 

"Games? This is my life!" Ginnar's voice cracked. 

"But it is not your body," Mordret's easygoing voice had the slightest edge. "How many more bodies have you taken in Ravenheart?"

"You." Ginnar's head swiveled unnaturally as he turned toward the sound of the other man's voice. The pathetic act melted away as his mouth twisted upward in a fractured smile. "I know your voice."

Mordret's face remained impassive, but Noble could feel his fear. This powerful Saint was afraid to be recognized by the Nightmare Creature. That didn't bode well. 

"Then you know I won't rest until I have my answer or you are destroyed." The handsome Saint clenched his fist. "How many are you?"

"More every day." Ginnar chuckled darkly. 

"How many of those are in Ravenheart?" Mordret persisted. The space between his eyebrows lessened. 

"Ravenheart is already mine." The Skinwalker leaned back against the chains, resting his back against the wall behind him as if it were his choice and not because he was tied to it.

Noble shivered. Talking to a corrupted creature was just too weird, and the nature of the conversation only made it more chilling. 

'At least he is lying about the second part... I think.'

While the Skinwalker had been confident in its growing numbers, there had been the slightest variation in the creature's hatred when it spoke about controlling Ravenheart. More than that, Noble had not noticed anyone other than Lindy as having the deep-seated rage of the monster. At least the majority of the people in the city were free of its corruption. 

"Not as long as I am here," Mordret responded. "I will chase you out of every corner." 

"Oh?" The Nightmare Creature seemed amused. "Then perhaps you should not be here." 

In a blink, the Skinwalker surged forward. The chains, which were thicker than Noble's torso, shattered like glass. 

'Oh no!' Noble flinched, raising her Zenith, but not fast enough. 

Before Ginnar could act, the runic circle activated, freezing the monster in place as it reached for the blindfold. 

Seishan sighed. "That was a waste." 

"It was enlightening." Mordret stroked his chin. "It seems that other than the woman who fell into the abyss, this is its only vessel in the city." 

"We should make sure," Beastmaster would not rest merely on Mordret's word. "How did you identify it before, sister?" 

"Master Noble mentioned that Lindy and Ginnar were the same as someone else she had encountered." Seishan raised her eyebrow at her guest.

Noble let the Zenith rest lightly on her shoulder.

"I can sense the emotions of people and Nightmare Creatures. Each one is unique and ever-changing, but the Skinwalker only ever feels hate. I was wary of it the first time we met, but this is the fourth person I have met with an identical signature. It may be able to hide how it looks, but the underlying feelings remain."

"Constant hatred?" Revel didn't seem surprised. "Seishan, you still have that weird Memory?"

Sparks were already forming in Seishan's palm. A delicate flower wove into existence. "You mean this?"

"That's the one," Revel nodded.

Seishan held the bloom toward the Skinwalker.

'What is she…oh!'

The flower wilted, and the grey-skinned princess nodded.

Dismissing it, she recalled the flower and turned to Noble. She repeated the process, only this time the flower stayed as beautiful as ever.

"That will work." The Master let the bloom return to her Soul Sea.

"Are you going to do that to every person in Ravenheart?" Mordret cut his eyes at Seishan.

"If I have to, but I don't think I will. I can sweep through all of Clan Song rather quickly, if Master Noble will comb through the rest of the Awakened and then check the mundane humans."

The words came out like a suggestion, but they were more than a simple request. It was in everyone's best interest to root out the corruption.

"And if I find someone?" The professor asked.

"Whisper my name, and I'll hear," Mordret promised.

While Noble didn't like the sound of that, there wasn't anything she could do to argue. So she dipped her head in understanding.

"Now we need to dispose of the vessel." Death Singer's innocent face was disturbingly eager.

"Is there no way to get back Ginnar?" Noble asked.

Her hope dimmed as Mordret shook his head.

"He was killed before the monster entered."

'His Nightmare is over.' Noble hadn't known the older gentleman at all, but that didn't mean she wasn't sad he had died.

Any loss of human life was a tragedy.

Noble felt a pain deep inside. She wanted to hurt the Skinwalker for taking innocent lives.

How many? It said it was adding to its numbers every day. It needed to be stopped.

Annihilated.

If destroying this vessel was a step in that direction, she was all for it.

Her murderous thoughts caught her by surprise.

She wasn't a killer and had never lusted for blood. Beyond the Dreamscape, she had never taken the life of something that could talk. The closest she had come was with Counsel, but Nickel had gotten credit for that kill.

She was angry, but the emotions weren't her own. The hatred she was feeding off of was from the Skinwalker itself. It was not as strong as when the runes were inactive, but the constant pressure was wearing on her nerves.

It wasn't just that. Something had changed. Noble couldn't put her finger on it at first, but something was definitely different.

She couldn't ignore her gut.

'Something is wrong.'

But before she could open her mouth to warn the others about the change, she noticed a movement out of the corner of her eye.

She glanced toward the runic prison.

Nothing looked amiss. The man was still suspended with his hand resting against the cloth covering his eyes. A moment later the man's full face would have been revealed.

At least it hadn't come to that…Noble mused. So, what had caught her attention a moment before?

Then she saw it, one terrifying movement that would change the course of how the meeting went.

Ginnar's finger twitched.