Noble hurried back to her protectors. "Sorry I took so long! I had to wait for Drune to find the book I wanted."
To avoid suspicion, Noble had patiently remained to get the original book she desired. It was now clutched in front of her, half buried in her voluminous dress.
The other book she had discovered was floating under her skirt where no one could see.
Noble felt a little bad about taking the book. But one look at the yellow cover told her it was from the same set of books that Emira had removed from Noble's studies.
And Noble hadn't technically broken the Queen's rules. The professor had not gone into Emira's private collection. For all she knew, this book was left out intentionally for her use.
'On the floor?' The woman's conscience nagged.
But Noble pushed the thought aside.
And forced a bright, totally-not-guilty-looking smile.
When she rounded the corner, Counsel looked relieved. He placed his hand on his chest in a modified bow.
"I was just about to come looking for you. I am glad you got what you needed. Do you want to sit and read now?"
Noble winced.
Looking at things right away is what she would normally do. She didn't like to leave a task unfinished. But the floating book hidden in her garment reminded her that she could not stay.
She motioned toward the servant already cleaning the area.
"We should let him finish his work without disruption. I'll take it to my room to read before bed this evening. I can return it tomorrow."
Noble took the man's arm and urged him forward.
"Come on. I would like to drop this by my room, and then I'm sure Kosi would like something to eat?"
The Symncus's ears twitch.
In a flash, he bounded passed the humans, swishing his tail as he went.
'Oh no!'
The furry appendage whipped at the woman's skirt, knocking the book from its hideaway. It bumped along the ground and against the table leg where they had been working all morning.
Counsel froze.
"What was that?" His words caught the attention of the servant who had begun to reshelve the finished tomes.
"You've never seen Kosi run at the word food?" Noble laughed nervously.
Sweat formed on her brow as she watched the librarian's assistant.
Looking down, the servant noticed that he had dropped one of the books from his pile. How clumsy he could be! Reaching down, he went to fix his mistake when Lady Brenna stepped right in front of him. The hem of her dress brushed up against his hand.
He straightened quickly and took a step back. "Forgive me!"
"Excuse me, I also want to bring this one with me." Noble picked up another book off the table and smiled warmly at him.
She was far too pretty. The young man felt drawn to her radiance. But then he saw Counsel's glare.
The assistant's eyes darted away. "Of course, Lady Brenna. I will mark it down."
Bowing deeply, the servant was relieved when he felt the presence of the two powerful humans and the creature move toward the door.
He exhaled the breath he didn't know he was holding. He was foolish to have come in at all while the others were there. What was he thinking! Oh well. What was done was done. It was time to get back to his work.
Only...the book on the ground was gone!
Had he imagined it?
He looked at Lady Brenna's retreating form. He could almost swear he saw a yellow corner peek out from below her gown. He blinked and the splash of color was gone.
'Did I just see a floating book?' The servant shook his head. 'I need to get more sleep!'
-----------
After dropping off the books in her room–and hiding the one which she did not want anyone to find–Noble had a quick lunch and began combat practice.
Counsel had gotten used to sparring with the woman, and had become far less timid in his attacks. That was not to say he went full out. Unless she made a serious error, Counsel still yielded and let her win most every time.
It was frustrating.
'I need someone—anyone else to test my skills.'
There was never a shortage of contestants in the Dreamscape. Although few put up a real challenge for Queen Bee, there was at least some variety in the form.
After days with Counsel, Noble was growing too familiar with his half-hearted technique. At least when she battled with Sarai, the fiery Awakened would give it all she had and change things up. Noble really missed her teammate.
'Does Brenna have no friends?'
Either the young lady had not been very friendly, or all her acquaintances were too afraid to visit the palace while she was under house arrest.
That didn't leave Noble many options.
Asking the queen was out of the question, and the only other person she knew well enough to approach was Alyx.
Noble shuddered. 'As much as I'd like to put that slimy snake in his place, inviting him to have any kind of physical contact would give him the wrong idea.'
"What's wrong?" Counsel dropped his guard long enough for Noble to disarm him.
She pointed the Unlikely End at his neck forcing the man to raise his hands. Noble dropped the blade with a sigh.
"I was just thinking about how to improve my skills," she shrugged.
Counsel seemed to catch her meaning more than she intended. "I see. Then I am not giving you enough of a challenge."
"I appreciate all the help with sorcery!" Noble added quickly. "I wouldn't trade that knowledge for the world. Knowing even one True Name like that is invaluable, and you are helping me hone that skill. I will always be grateful for that."
"But my combat skills leave something to be desired?" The man picked up his sword and sheathed it.
"You and I both know you are holding back…" Noble pursed her lips.
The flames of the underground chamber flicked under some unseen draft.
Counsel met the woman's gaze. "I cannot afford to seriously wound you. That would give Her Majesty reason to sever my connection with you as Counsel."
"I would not tell." Noble protested.
"I cannot risk it!" The man looked desperate.
Noble crossed her arms. "I don't suppose you want to spar with me, do you, Kosi?"
At the sound of his name, the Symncus raised his head and yawned. Sharp teeth as long as Noble's arm glistened in the firelight.
"On second thought, let's work on Names for a bit…"
The afternoon passed without any new Names of objects being remotely mastered, but the professor did manage to get a better grasp on Light. She found a way to string a crude verse to make the light around her brighten and dim more consistently.
Just saying the Name alone yielded mixed results, but now…now Noble could make the room be as bright or dark as she bid it.
Emira had called it a jester's trick, but deep down Noble felt nothing could be further from the truth. Her area of control currently was small—at best it could alter the state of the arena—but with more practice, there was no telling what Noble could do.
The day wore on and by the time dinner was over, Noble could not get back to her room fast enough. She wanted nothing more than to curl up with a good book.
And something told her the yellow cover hiding beneath her mattress was a very good book indeed.
Sitting with her elbows on the windowsill, Noble rested on Kosi, who had graciously allowed her to use him as a chair. The furry creature was the one thing in the Nightmare that she wished were real.
He had slept in her room nearly every night, keeping her company and helping her fight off the loneliness of isolation.
Noble patted his fur gently. "Don't ever change, my friend."
Kosi purred in response before running his large tongue across her hand. The woman wiped the slobber away with a chuckle. It was time to get to work.
Picking up the book in her lap, Noble called forth the moonlight to brighten.
She opened the weathered cover.
"Interesting...Nice to meet you King Cron."