Call of Ring(Compleled)

24 Identity Confirmed

The sound of a small splash in the water distracted any further examination of its color. A louder sound of thrashing followed. Blake saw the spear laying on the ground next to the two brown gowns. He grabbed it and jumped into the water.

In the background, he heard the princess scream in protest, but it didn’t affect his resolve. Blake reached frantically for an arm, but when he pulled it toward him, he realized to his shock that it was simply an arm, detached from anybody. He tried to follow the sounds of the thrashing, but it was difficult to see much of anything in the dark. Again, he grabbed at another human limb that was exposed. It was another arm. Latching onto the hand with his own left hand, he tugged at it with all his might. The face of the lead servant emerged out from under the water. But something was pulling him in the opposite direction. Blake was now engaged in some sort of tug-of-war. He could only distinguish the cries of anguish from one of the men now. Although Blake was strong, he felt like he was losing his grip. A large surge of water came toward him like a wave, and that was when Blake saw a beast’s head emerge from the water. It was a weird sea like creature, a large fish with teeth the size of a shark. Clutched within its teeth was a leg, still attached to the servant with whom he was trying to rescue. In his right hand, Blake still held the spear. Instinctually, he lunged the spear at the fish, striking it between the eyes. Instantly, the leg of the servant was loosened, and the fish began to sink. Blake removed the spear not wanting to lose it. He then dragged the badly injured man to the shore of the pool of water. Princess Sophie was waiting there, a look of horror on her face. Together they pulled him up a small embankment toward the fire.

He was still breathing but badly injured. His leg was mauled almost beyond the recognition of a human limb. It looked instead like a cut of meat sold from the booth of Apollos back at the market in the Midori Empire. 

Blake grabbed a burning stick from the fire and closed his eyes.

“What do you sense?” came the internal question.

“I sense the wood element that brings the touch of healing,” came the non-verbal response in his mind.

Blake opened his eyes and waved the burning stick over the man’s injured leg. He passed it over the leg three times, and then lowered the stick to the flesh, searing it. Instead of the expected screams of protest upon the burning of his mangled leg, the servant let out instead a cry of distinct relief.

Princess Sophie watched in amazement as the leg began to restore itself. The process took about a minute, and after that time, the servant’s leg was wholly restored. The only visible sign of the injury that remained was a large scar from his upper thigh to his ankle. The servant was in so much shock that he passed out.

“He’ll probably sleep for the night now.” Blake stated with confidence.

For the first time since Blake had met her, Princess Sophie was now speechless.

Blake filled the awkward silence. “I’m sorry about your other servant. It appears he didn’t survive the attack.”

“I don’t know what to say,” she finally commented.

Princess Sophie got up and retrieved his brown gown. Together, they slipped the gown over him, covering his nakedness as he slept.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to say anything Sophie,” Blake said smiling with a twinge of pride.

Sophie allowed herself a smile in response, acknowledging this was the first time he had used her name without a title, just as she had requested some time ago.

Blake then grabbed the bottle of Singani and took a swig. Handing her the bottle, he said, “I recommend you don’t bathe in that water tomorrow morning.” It was Blake’s turn to wink. The princess allowed herself a quiet giggle, and they continued drinking.

“I guess it’s time to teach you more about my people,” she said feeling a bit more settled from the trauma of the night’s events.

“We live on the North Eastern edge of the Delphine Continent. We are known as the Ice Race, and our people inhabit the Olive Mountains. It is the coldest part of the continent, but our people are well accustomed to this environment. Like I said to you before, we know how to survive the cold, but we also welcome the presence of those two hot springs I told you about earlier.”

Blake listened intently without interruption. He hoped he could ask at some point what Sadie had been doing impersonating Princess Sophie.

“We are known for the olive trees we grow in the lower regions of our mountains. We cultivate them and produce oils from these olives. We also grow grapes, vineyards of the Muscat grape. But because of the cold, the wine we produce is much sweeter. We call it Ice Wine. You might have tasted a difference in the Singani we have been drinking?”

“I have noticed. It is very good,” Blake responded, taking another shot.

The princess paused also to take a shot of her own. Blake decided to ask his burning question.

“Who was Sadie, and what was she doing serving King Adelai?”

“You’re a smart young man. I’m sure you can figure it out. But if you make me take three more shots, I might confess it all to you. Just promise me that you’ll protect me as I sleep,” she pleaded.

“I agree to your terms,” Blake replied with a large grin.  

         After the agreed-upon exchange of three shots each, the princess began to speak more freely.

         “We used to be allied with the dwarfs. But we have come to understand that the patriarch of the dwarfs…”

         “Aesar?!” Blake interrupted.

         “Yes!” replied the princess, wanting to ask how he knew this, but she was now too drunk to listen to anyone else talk, so she just kept talking herself.

         “Aesar! He is a conniving son of a b***h! Excuse my crass language, but it’s true. When it became more advantageous to him to be allied with other people, he began to spread rumors about us. We have been labeled demons who practice dark magic with our ice elements. This is not true. We do not practice dark magic. It is true, however, that I dyed my hair brown, disguising myself as a simple servant girl of King Adelai in order to investigate both the workings of the Midori Empire, but also to glean information on potential alliances they might be forming with the dwarfs. My ultimate goal has always been though, to attend the Calvin… School…  of…  Ma….”

         She couldn’t even finish her words. Instead, her head bobbed, and she collapsed gracefully into Blake’s arms, giving way to sleep. Blake eased her into a laying position on the ground. He then crawled up next to her in a gentle spoon, his mouth close to the back of her neck. It was his turn to surrender to sleep. The couple lay together, each of them exposed to the starry night above them in the middle of Desert Blanche.