The next morning Noble was startled by a knock at the door. While she hadn't drifted to sleep, the professor had fallen into a daze trying to consider every possibility.
Shaking off her stupor, Noble lowered herself to the ground.
'It wasn't a hallucination brought on by hitting the Gate. I really am in a Nightmare.'
A small part of her had held onto hope that this was all some misunderstanding. But the rising dawn shattered that lingering desire.
The knock had cemented the reality that this was happening. She was Lady Brenna and last night she had nearly died in an assassination plot.
'But the night is over and I am still here. I guess it is time to get up. Whether I want to or not…' She stretched out her tight muscles and glanced around the room.
The professor's eyes opened wide. Her hand twitched, preparing to call forth a Memory to slay the incoming enemy before relaxing.
'Oh wait, it's just Kosi.'
The Symncus had been so quiet that she had forgotten he was there. It was still strange to think about how something that resembled a nightmare creature was not only on her side but was also one of her protectors.
Having also heard the knock, the golden beast stirred and yawned. Two rows of glistening teeth the size of Noble's hand shined in the morning light.
Noble winced. 'Just Kosi? Ha! No matter how cute and cuddly he looks, that Symncus can still take me down if he wants to. I must be careful.'
"Morning Kosi!" Noble said brightly.
The creature finished his stretch and purred.
Another knock was accompanied by "My Lady?"
From the emotional signature, Noble already knew it was Pen. She opened the door and allowed the woman to enter.
Pen looked relieved to see her mistress alive and in one piece. Glancing around Noble's shoulder, the servant eyed Kosi with no small amount of trepidation.
Kosi knew it too. He snorted, making Pen jump.
Noble hid her grin behind a cough. "He is feeling much better, I think."
Pen studied the monster for a moment longer before her fear lessened. "Lenore, get in here!"
The younger servant peeked in the door, earning a scathing look from her older counterpart.
"Come and help me get Lady Brenna dressed."
"I…I…" Lenore seemed unable to overcome her fear.
"Perhaps you could get me some tea," Noble stopped the incoming argument. "I am afraid I do not feel well."
This was something she had decided the night before. No one except Counsel knew that she hadn't drunk the wine. This would give her an excuse to avoid whoever was behind the poisoning.
As expected, the servants both looked at her with wide eyes.
"I will get tea and a healer right away!" Lenore bowed repeatedly before running through the antechamber and out of the suite.
Pen moved to the closet and brought the professor a clean robe. It matched the nightgown perfectly.
"Do you need to sit or lay down?" Pen asked as politely as she could.
"Sitting down sounds nice, but…" Noble remembered how the sitting room had been destroyed the night before.
"Then please come and sit. The healer should be here any time now." Pen backed out of the way.
The destroyed couches and tables were gone, replaced by new, more expensive furniture. Even the curtains had been changed, and the burn marks on the stone were washed away,
'Counsel wasn't kidding when he said he would take care of things. I wonder if he slept at all last night.'
After being directed to a couch, Noble hovered over the plush seats. They looked tempting enough to touch.
Kosi wandered in, passing Noble and heading for a door next to the servants' quarters.
'Huh, I was wondering if he was house trained…'
Come to think of it, she also needed to use the facilities. How strange was it to have to wait in line after a noble creature!
'I hope they have good plumbing…'
By the time both she and Kosi had completed their morning routine, the door to the suite opened.
"My lady, why are you standing?!" Lenore hurried forward with a tray of tea.
Kosi growled at the high-pitched squeal, causing the frantic woman to take a step back.
"I was just heading to the couch to sit," Noble assured the worried servant.
She hovered over the luxurious velvet and forced a smile.
Snorting, Kosi spun in a circle and few times before dropping to the ground at Noble's feet.
His large body almost crushed the small table in front of the professor's knee. It would have been the second table in a day to have met such a fate.
'That would have been unfortunate…'
Lenore set the tea on the table and began preparing it for her mistress. Her face paled. "Oh!"
"What?" Noble was tired of surprises just now.
"I did not tell the kitchen who the tea was for. They gave me a chipped pot! I will go back and…"
"No need. I am too thirsty to mind how the pot looks." Noble placed her hand on her forehead.
Really, she was relieved that the tea had been given without care for the recipient. Unlike her wine, it would not be poisoned.
Lenore finished her work and presented it in a simple cup.
"Healer Bramwell should be here any moment. He was quite distraught to hear someone as healthy as yourself was ill."
Noble did not answer. Instead, she committed the name to memory as she sipped at the hot drink.
She had been telling the truth when she said that she was thirsty. The liquid was soothing on a very deep level.
'Later I'll have to find a way to get food that I am sure is safe…'
A soft knock at the door caused Kosi to raise his ears. But he otherwise seemed uninterested.
'Must be the healer.'
An old man was admitted. Noble immediately felt the energy coming off of him. He was an Awakened.
His back was hunched slightly and his eyelids drooped. But his brown eyes were sharp and clear. He still possessed a brilliant mind.
'If the Queen is over a hundred years old, then how ancient must this man be?'
The healer bowed. "Lady Brenna." His voice was as clear as his eyes. If she had not been looking at him, Noble would have assumed the voice had come from some other source. 'Maybe he isn't as old as he looks.'
"Bramwell. It is good to see you." Noble felt the old man's emotions warm at hearing his name. He had at least some affection toward her.
"I wish it were under better circumstances." Bramwell stepped forward and studied the woman's face. "What seems to be the trouble?"
'I was thrust into a nightmare after a harrowing battle with a gate guardian and I miss my children and husband.'
Of course, she couldn't say that aloud. "I don't feel well," she answered vaguely.
"There doesn't seem to be anything immediately wrong." Branwell studied her for a moment. "Can you tell me where it hurts?"
"Everywhere."
Noble took a deep breath and braced herself.
Then she lowered her hand and pressed it against the seat.