Prey

Noble's mind spun at what she had just heard. Not only was the man unwilling to help her, he was working with the beast!

"Prey?" Noble's throat went dry, "You were hunting me?"

The man brushed back the sandy hair from his forehead as his expression darkened. "We have been on your trail since right after you left the palace. You didn't make it easy. A couple of more minutes and you might have slipped away forever. "

'Did he say palace?'

Was she a runaway slave? A royal prisoner headed for the gallows? Things must have been dire for her to need to flee.

Exactly who was the person whose place she had taken?

"Please," Noble managed. "Let me go."

The man's stern expression faded as a smile split his face. "So serious, My Lady! Kosi is just a little unhappy that you tried to leave again without him. You injured his pride, but I am sure he will forgive you like he always does."

The young man released a low whistle and Kosi released the professor.

Relieved, she lowered to the ground next to the golden-haired creature and received a lick from his rough pink tongue. Kosi emanated a sound between a growl and a purr, forcing a smile onto Noble's face.

Now that she wasn't in fear of being eaten, the floating Awakened got a real look at the ferocious hunter. 

Kosi was halfway between what would have been considered a cat and dog back on earth—though many times larger—and his dark eyes looked as proud as they did innocent.

"A Noble Creature!" The professor reached out and ran her fingers through Kosi's mane before scratching behind his ear.

"One of the best. Though quite the little Demon when he wants to be. And you seem to have taught him a new trick. I've never seen him hold someone up in the air like that. You must have given him extra trouble this time." The man was clearly questioning what he had seen.

"Yeah, that was quite something. For a moment I really thought he was going to get me." Noble coughed lightly and looked away.

"He was born to protect you, my lady. I do not think he would go against that, even for me. Isn't that right?" The man—Noble still did not know his name—waited for Kosi to answer his query.

The creature whined softly.

"He says that he would rather not have to choose, but that he will take your secrets to his grave." The man chuckled softly. "Like there are any secrets you would give him but not me!"

'Did he just... He did! He can communicate with the beast!' Noble could sense that the man was an Awakened, but the Ability to talk and commune with creatures in such a way was still impressive. 

There weren't many animals left to talk to in the waking world if it could even be done with mundane animals at all. But here, there were at least some Noble Creatures worth the communication. 

Kosi in particular, who was rubbing against her outstretched hand, was gaining her affection rather quickly.

'He is supposed to protect me. No wonder he hugged my leg instead of digging his claws into my armor.'

Would this furry Demon be a long-term ally? She certainly hoped so. 

Assuming there was a long-term in this strange place. 

Noble still had to survive the initial stage of figuring out what in the world was going on. And the man in front of her was a good place to start. 

He was clad in a breastplate on his chest and a loose-fitting tunic around his waist and legs. He handled the bow in his hands comfortably. 

'A soldier or a hunter?' Noble turned the options over in her mind. 

Despite her trying to hide her curiosity, the man caught her furtive gaze. He tilted his head and studied her as well. 

"Where did you get this armor? I have not seen you wear it before." 

"What? Oh!" Noble looked down at her black and gold gauntlets. Clearly whoever she had taken the place of would not have owned Bee's armor. "I have had it a long time," she answered vaguely. 

"Another of the gifts in your mother's treasure trove, I suppose?" The man took a step closer and bent to study her sabatons. 

Noble remained quiet. It was a trick she had learned from her father. When Lance didn't know something, he would remain silent whenever possible to let people fill in the details which they assumed he already knew. 

The handsome man with the bow nodded slowly, his face contemplative. "Lady Alura always did have the best things. She was well-loved by all," he paused. "Forgive me, does it hurt to speak of her?" 

"No, please continue." Noble leaned against Kosi's fur. His warmth soothed her skin and her spirit.

 "Ah, I don't have much more to say on the subject except I was honored to know her and your father. Lord Byzas and Lady Alura were such brave champions for our kingdom..." 

The man felt a mix of respect, guilt, and regret as he said those words.

He sighed, "I only hope I can protect their most precious legacy in a way that honors their sacrifice." 

His eyes met hers, and what the professor saw in them sent a new kind of fear down her spine. 

Noble had already figured out that the man was not her brother. His mention of Lady Alura as her mother and not their mother was proof of that.

The way he had called her 'my lady' twice held deep loyalty underneath it. But when he looked at her just now there was no mistaking the expression. 

It was an expression of longing. 

Noble quickly checked his hands and arms for any sign of a band or marking that might confirm or deny her fear. Though not all cultures had tokens of marriage, many if not most had some indication of that status. 

The man had no such marking. 

But that did not stop his hand from reaching for hers. 

"My Lady. That is to say, Lady Brenna..."

'Oh no.' 

She took a step away, pulling her hand from his grasp. The hair on the back of Kosi's neck stood on end. He growled, showing his long fangs to the man. The stranger shot the creature an angry glare. 

"I wasn't going to hurt her, you foolish Symncus." His eyes roved back to Noble. "I was about to..." 

"My heart belongs to another," Noble blurted. 

The other Awakened stared at her for a long moment. His face searched hers, and she looked back at him without blinking. 

Noble was married, and Nightmare or not, that would not change. The stranger needed to see she meant business. 

A cloud passed across his face before his more carefree mask fell back in place. "I had no idea you had taken a lover. Is that why you keep running away? To meet him?"

The man sounded jovial, but she could sense him smothering his true feelings. Perhaps in the distant past when this really occurred, the couple had married and lived happily together. 

Had Noble already set the Nightmare on a different path? She would contemplate that later. For now, what mattered was making sure the man before her would still help her. 

"I'm sorry." Noble did not want someone, even a copy of someone long dead, to be sad on her account. 

"What are you sorry for, My Lady? I am your humble servant as always. Do not worry. Your secret is safe with me. But we must head back. You can run away another day with the one who has your heart. Her Majesty sent me to fetch you for dinner. As you know, Her Majesty must always be obeyed." 

"Of course." Noble didn't feel like she had much choice. 

But there was something very wrong in the way that her companion said 'Her Majesty.' 

Was that who the real Brenna had been running from? 

Noble was about to find out.