บท 157: A Startling Realization
"Kosi?" Noble felt a fresh wave of fear.
The Symncus clawed at the ground as he writhed uncontrollably.
His eyes dilated and rolled backward. Something was extremely wrong.
Was Kosi suddenly going feral? Little was known about how the noble creatures became corrupted. Was the process this unexpected and violent?
"Help!" Noble screamed, running into the sitting room. "HELP!"
From the servants' quarters on the other side of the suite, both Lenore and Pen came quickly, one still dressed while the other pulled on a robe.
"My lady?" Pen asked, bewildered.
"Something is wrong with Kosi!" Noble screamed.
Guttural sounds emanated from the far chamber as Noble heard the bed splinter to pieces.
Pen took Noble's arm and pulled her toward the exit. "We have to get out of here!"
Lenore threw open the door and ran into the hall screaming.
Within a moment, two mundane guards on patrol came barreling inside.
The two men held spears in their rough hands. They would be no match for Kosi. The mighty creature would easily kill them with one swipe of his paw.
But that didn't stop Pen from dragging herself and her mistress behind their protection.
"In there!" Pen pointed.
Lowering the point of their weapons, both men steeled themselves for what lay beyond the door.
"Wait!" Noble freed herself from the servant's grasp. "Don't hurt him!"
Just then, Kosi burst into the sitting room with a howl. The soldiers took a step forward to protect Lady Brenna when their weapons were inexplicably ripped from their hands.
They clattered uselessly to the ground.
"I said don't hurt him!" Noble ordered, her eyes swirling.
"He is going to kill us!" Pen edged toward the door. Though her duty lay with her mistress, she valued her life more.
"He doesn't want to hurt anyone. He is the one hurting!" Noble had been paying close attention to Kosi's emotions in the other room. The Symncus had no anger or bloodlust in his actions. Only pain. "Something is wrong and he needs our help!"
"What's wrong?" Counsel hurried into the room with Lenore behind him in the doorway. At least when the younger girl had fled, she had done something useful.
While the two soldiers were unlikely to make a difference in whatever was happening, the Awakened who could communicate with creatures could hopefully shed some light on what was going on.
"It's Kosi! He is acting crazy. I think he is in pain." Noble summarized as the creature groaned and rolled over, breaking a priceless antique vase into a thousand pieces.
Counsel furrowed his brow. "Everyone out!"
The force of his tone left room for no disagreement. Four out of the five occupants fled without looking back. Only Noble remained.
"I am not leaving. I want to help." Even outside the room, she would still be able to sense the creature's pain. And the professor wasn't sure if the man could handle the large creature alone. "Tell me what to do."
With her final words, whatever argument Counsel was forming died on his lips. He gave a short nod. "Circle around but keep a wide distance until I say otherwise."
The instructions were simple. The two parted ways and flanked the Symncus on either side.
"Tell me what is wrong," Counsel said softly.
The creature made a noise halfway between a purr and a growl. Kosi pressed his ears back against his head. His tail whipped through the air, sending a dimly-lit lamp straight at Noble's torso.
She easily avoided the object. It crashed against the wall and shattered, caking the stone in oil. The grey rock lit in a blaze.
"Lady Brenna!" Counsel left his position to come to the woman's aid.
But Noble waved him off. "I've got this."
Tearing a curtain from the window, the floating Awakened smothered the flame before it could catch the rest of the room on fire.
Working with Sarai had taught her a thing or two about dousing a blaze. Most importantly, she had learned to keep her hair back from the heat while it was being put out.
While Noble was hard at work with the mess, Counsel tried to talk some sense into the frantic monster.
"Calm down, little boy. Tell me what ails you."
Kosi spun, his tail slapping Counsel across the face as he did so. Under the pressure of the unexpected hit, the man tumbled to the ground and fell into the shredded couch cushions.
"Watch where you swing that thing!" Counsel climbed from the rubble.
"Give me a moment to try something." Taking a deep breath, Noble did her best to help Kosi calm down. She couldn't take away his pain, but perhaps when he had a clearer head, he would be able to communicate with his human companions.
The plan worked. The Symncus stopped his thrashing and slowed his whining growls.
But then...
"Oh!" Noble moved out of the way as Kosi hurried toward her.
He lapped up the unconsumed lamp oil.
"That's not water!" Counsel raced toward the Symncus.
But it was too late. The creature began to cough and heave.
A moment later, a large pile of bile and other liquid ended up on the ground of the sitting room.
Kosi heaved a deep sigh. He was covered in sweat from his effort and looked exhausted enough to fall over.
He took a few steps away from his vomit and then collapsed into a relieved heap.
"Are you feeling better?" Noble walked around the mess to pet the creature's mane.
With a soft whimper, Kosi nodded.
"He says that his stomach felt like it was being ripped apart. He has never felt anything like it." Counsel patted the creature's chest lightly. "I am glad you are alright. You had us worried."
Kosi rolled onto his back, a combination of mews and barks accompanying the action.
Counsel furrowed his brow and moved over to the vomit.
"What is it?" Noble wrinkled her nose as he sniffed the air by the wall.
"He said it was something he ate, but the food tasters would have sampled even his food before allowing it into the banquet hall. And there is no trace of food in what he just regurgitated. Only the lamp oil and what looks like tonight's wine." Counsel sniffed again. "It just doesn't smell right."
"It is vomit," Noble reminded him. "Perhaps Kosi was allergic to the wine?"
"Allergic? What does that mean?" The man looked truly confused by the term.
'I guess they don't have allergies here,' Noble realized. "I meant that maybe the wine did not agree with him because he shouldn't drink it."
"It has never been a problem before." The man suddenly became very tense. He looked at her before shaking his head and moving away from the vomit.
"What?" Noble knew that he had hesitated in sharing his thoughts.
"It's nothing, My Lady," Counsel assured her. "I should investigate before I make you worry."
"I am already worried. Tell me what you are thinking." Whether the man was right or wrong, the professor did not want to be left in the dark.
"It's just...If I am being honest, that over there...it smells venomous." Counsel shot a wary glance toward the corner.
"You think someone poisoned Kosi? Why would anyone want to do that?" Noble looked at the sweet golden creature. Having emptied his stomach, he was now resting peacefully in the middle of the destruction.
"I don't think they wanted to hurt him, no," Counsel said carefully. He chewed his lip.
"If they didn't want to poison him then..."
The blood drained from Noble's face. The only thing from dinner that Kosi had thrown up had been the wine served by the Queen.
A wine which had not been intended for her furry friend to drink.
Noble gasped. "Oh...Oh no!"
'They weren't trying to poison Kosi. It was meant for me. I was the target!'
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