Fugitive.
The syllables reverberated in Noble's head. Rain needed to hide, of course. Noble had come to terms with that only a moment ago.
But a fugitive?
The weight of the word hit Noble harder than any punch could.
Aiding and abetting someone who was hiding from a Great Clan—from a Sovereign—was unwise. Noble had technically already been hiding Sunny, but that wasn't the same. No one in the Song Domain knew he was in Ravenheart or in her daughter's shadow.
But Rain…everyone who knew Noble and her family knew Rain.
When the pale girl didn't return as expected, Seishan or some other representative of the Clan would certainly pay her and Fort another visit.
As Sunny said, they would find out the truth if Noble had seen Rain.
Everything would come unraveled…
"No…"
Sunny's expression softened. "I won't let you do that to Fort, Blaze, Brock, or yourself. Rain wouldn't want that for you, and neither do I."
Suddenly, the shadowy chains surrounding her seemed to weigh on her like mountains, and she no longer felt like struggling. Noble hung her head.
The shadows dispersed, releasing the floating Saint from their embrace. She lowered herself to Sunny's side.
"Rain is a fugitive?" Noble's last bit of hope was crushed when the man beside her nodded.
"I'm afraid so. I'm sorry."
The regret Sunny felt for how things had transpired was not lost on Noble. His actions against the Skinwalker, though justified, had separated Rain from her family. The burden weighed heavily on his heart and mind.
Noble felt hot tears form in the corner of her eyes.
"I can't abandon her…"
"You aren't. She is the one who left." Sunny immediately realized his error. "What I mean is that it isn't forever. It's for now. The attention of the Queen will shift to more pressing matters. Soon, one way or another, a mundane girl who witnessed the death of three clandestine visitors from the House of Night will be the least of her worries. You'll see Rain again, just not today."
Sunny's words made sense. Noble took several ragged breaths. Finding no argument, she swallowed and shook her head sadly.
"I hate this…"
"I know."
"I really want to see her and let her know everything will be ok. I want to tell her how much I love her."
"She knows." Sunny patted her arm gently.
The man didn't seem to be good with comfort or affection, but the simple gesture did more than anything he could have said. They stood there in silence for several moments.
"So, what now? What's the plan? Is Rain really planning to become a hermit in the meantime?"
Noble already knew one of those. While Rain could try her luck in another settlement, that wasn't ideal.
Sunny hesitated.
"Rani is joining up with one of the road-building crews."
Noble furrowed her brow.
"Rani?"
The handsome young man rubbed the back of his neck. "Ah, yes, my sister got many of my wonderful qualities, but her naming sense was not one of them."
"Road construction…" Noble wrapped her head around the development.
Hadn't Rain said just the other day that she might enjoy building things? Well, this was her chance to see if that was true.
The road crews were not the safest place to be, but then Rain had already proved that safety wasn't exactly the order of the day.
"You'll continue to watch over her no matter what?" Noble watched Sunny nod slowly.
"As long as I'm able, she'll be under my protection," Sunny promised.
While not an absolute, it was an honest answer. That would have to be enough.
"Thank you." Despite her frustration, Noble was grateful to Sunny.
He had saved Rain today, both from the Skinwalker and then Clan Song. The man had also saved Noble from reaching the point of no return.
She owed him a lot.
Sunny scratched the tip of his nose. "Don't mention it."
"Please keep me posted about Rain. Other than during my Nightmares, I've never been away from her for an extended period. I want to know how she is doing."
"I'll do what I can." The young man nodded.
Noble glanced up at the sky. The sun had moved much more than she realized. "I should get back. My absence will be noticed soon, but there was one last thing."
"Yes?" Sunny didn't always have patience for her questions, but this incarnation seemed willing to stay as long as she needed.
"You said the visitors were from the House of Night. Are you sure?" Noble was quite sure that he had slipped that piece of information in there on purpose.
Sunny arched his brow. "I am."
The professor chewed her lip.
'No wonder Seishan was vague about the emissaries. If the House of Night is in secret talks with Song, that is big news. I wonder if Aether breaking off his engagement forced the House of Night's hand into searching for other options.'
Noble mulled over the implications for a few moments. If Valor was angry about the dissolution of the political marriage, it made sense that the Clan would seek protection from the other side.
While Noble couldn't exactly blame them, it did put things in perspective. When war broke out, more than just Clan Valor and Clan Song would be affected. The House of Night was simply being pragmatic.
Noble frowned. "You may not know, but were Saint Naeve and Saint Aether with them?"
Noble only knew that one of the visitors was a Master. She had no information about the rest of them other than that they were Awakened.
"None of the three were Saints."
Sunny's words were a breath of fresh air.
"Finally, some good news."
It would have been heartbreaking to hear about either of their deaths.
"Is there anything else?" The other Saint didn't want to leave anything undone before he departed.
Noble thought for a moment.
"Is there any way I can reach you if I need to?"
Sunny allowed a small smile.
"I will be in touch, but I'm sure you will find a way if you really need to."
"That's true. I am pretty determined." The professor smiled too. "I am going to miss having you below the window, though. It won't be the same without you."
"Strange as it sounds, I'll miss it too. Seeing a family function and being happy... it is something I've never been able to experience firsthand." Sunny's expression became far off.
"Maybe when Rain returns, we can finally have that family meal then." Noble's offer was tempting.
In the end, Sunny could not refuse.
"That would be nice."
"I know I said to take care of Rain, but take care of yourself, too, Sunny." Noble hugged the man, and his eyes opened in surprise. He tensed.
Had he never had a proper hug?
"You take care of yourself, as well, Noble." Sunny's voice was strained. "A family dinner won't be complete without its matriarch."
"Give Rain my love," Noble released the man and sent him enough affection for both him and his sister.
Sunny nodded. "Goodbye, Noble."
With that, he dissolved into shadows, and Noble turned back toward Ravenheart.
'Now comes the hard part…what do I tell Fort?'