Call of Ring(Compleled)

29 Another Market

The night before at the dining hall had been one of welcome and introductions. The students they met varied in age and appearance. It was a group of around forty, but they were all men, except for Sadie. Ironically, the menu was roasted rabbit which reminded Blake of his initial capture by the Dwarfs. He even hesitated eating at first, but Sadie who sat next to him cajoled him into eating.

People retired quickly after the evening meal. It seemed almost as if it was unwritten protocol. There was no drinking at the meal. Blake wondered about this. Only water was served with the meal. Along with the rabbit food, roasted potatoes of some sort were served, and oddly enough raw carrots. The carrots were of full length, unpeeled but they appeared to have been washed.

Back at their dorm house, Natan had made a fire and the group of three sat around it mostly in silence. Each appeared to be stuck in some sort of contemplation.  

“It’s been a long day of training for me, and I’m exhausted. Tomorrow, we get a break from training to go to the market. I’d be happy to escort you if you’re willing to join me?” Natan had said before retiring to his room.

Blake and Sadie had eagerly consented to the plan.

Soon after Natan retired, Sadie left for her room briefly and returned with a bottle of Singani. The two did more drinking than talking, and neither of them remembered how they had managed to find their separate room, but somehow, they did.

Blake awoke first to daylight seeping into his room. He then heard the sound of a fire crackling, and soon after he discerned a more subtle sound of water boiling. Blake decided to sit up in his bed, and as he did so, he suddenly remembered that the positioning of his room allowed him to see Sadie clearly across the hallway. He looked toward her room and saw that she still lay in her bed motionless, fast asleep. A thin blanket covered most of her body, but one leg was mostly exposed as well as one side of her chest.

“Damn, she’s gorgeous!” he said, surprised that he had spoken the words out loud.

Blake beat himself up a bit for declining her offer from the night before. But as he allowed himself a quick stall mentally, physically he got up and dressed himself. Blake took a few steps and peered out the entrance of his doorway. He saw Natan seated by the fire in the common area. Natan looked up noticing him in the doorway and said,

“I made some coca leaf tea. I like to have one cup before heading over to the dining hall for the morning meal. Would you like to join me?”

“Of course,” Blake replied. As he exited the room, he snuck one more peek in the direction of Sadie’s room. She was stirring, but he chose to keep moving instead of stalling to see more of her.

Within a few minutes, Sadie had joined them. She was now fully dressed in her white gown. The three of them sipped tea in relative silence.

“Tonight, I will explain to you more about the school and our training,” said Natan.

“We’ll leave for the market right after our meal.”

The group of three made their way to the dining hall.

The meal consisted of assorted breads, fruit spreads that looked like a variation of jam, and a decent selection of cheeses. More coca leaf tea was also available in a large pot. As they were finishing up their meal, Mage Zenith made his way to their table.

“I trust Natan is helping you acclimatize to your new life at our school?” he suggested with a tone of the question in his voice.  

“We are quite comfortable, Grand Master,” replied Blake on their behalf.

“I’m curious if comfort will still be your word of choice when your training begins on Sunday. Saturdays are our only day of rest here,” Mage Zenith declared with a warning.

“We are eager to encounter whatever challenges lay ahead kind sir,” stated Sadie with a high level of confidence.

“Good to hear. I hope your optimism continues into next week. Oh, and by the way… I didn’t see either of you at the bathhouse last night,” he stated with a mischievous smile.

Unphased by his less than subtle remark, Sadie responded,

“It’s too bad we didn’t see you. I was definitely there!”

Mage Zenith seemed outwitted by her confidence and quick reply. He wasn’t sure how to respond, so he simply bowed and left.

Blake looked over at Natan and asked,

“Can we head out now?”

“Yes, let’s get going,” replied Natan.

He led them out of the dining hall back into the patio. And from there they made their way out the front entrance and back onto the Path of Senna. Blake briefly wondered where the horses had gone to but was happy to be walking in the midst of this beautifully manicured grand boulevard. They passed the spring where the conversion of the Princess had taken place. Blake looked up just in time to see Sadie straighten her braid and raise an eyebrow at him, as if confirming she knew exactly what he was thinking.

A few minutes past the fountain, Natan led them to make a right turn down a smaller path. It was the same path Blake had noticed on their way in the day before. Less than five minutes later they intersected the middle of an already bustling Saturday Morning market.

“I think we can go our separate ways wherever our interests take us,” commented Natan. He then asked, “Will you two be okay to find your way back to the school on your own time?”

Sadie spoke up before Blake could even contemplate a response, “We’ll be just fine Natan. Thank you for leading us here. We’ll see you at some point back at the dorm house before the evening meal.”

Natan smiled and bowed slightly before leaving them.

“Let’s explore!” exclaimed Sadie with excitement in her voice. 

Blake began walking, allowing her to keep bumping him as they made their way through the market, stopping briefly at various booths. He was now aware that she was simply flirting as she kept nudging him with either her elbow, a shoulder, or even her hip at times. He didn’t mind the physical contact.

Sadie stopped in front of a booth that contained an assortment of beautiful flowers. Some were plants in need of a new home, and others were flowers picked ready for someone to carry away, certainly boosting someone’s morale with their beauty. It wasn’t until this stop that Blake suddenly realized he had no more currency. He had spent his last coin on the entrance fee to the school. Blake began to wonder how he would find his next stream of income. His wondering was interrupted by something Sadie was doing. She appeared to be adjusting her gown by fiddling with it around the neck area. Blake considered looking away because as she tugged at the cloth with her right hand, she was unintentionally, or so he thought, revealing a good part of her upper body area to Blake as he stood right next to her. The fact that he was much taller gave him a unique vantage point, a front row seat to her struggle.

“Oops!” she said out loud.

A coin dropped to the ground. It had presumably come from somewhere inside her dress. Trying to act chivalrous, Blake picked up the coin. As he did so, Sadie was grabbing a pot of flowers in need of planting.

“Thank you for buying me flowers Blake,” she stated in jest.

Catching onto what she was intimating, Blake handed the coin to the vendor, and they both walked away. Sadie skipped a few steps seemingly overjoyed with both her ingenuity, but also with her new gift.

The next booth contained some fruit that Blake recognized. The cacti tuna was available for sale. Also dates from the palm trees. And then apples, oranges, and grapes. Neither of them were hungry, so they didn’t pause long. A few booths later, Blake was the one who stopped. Antiques and trinkets were for sale. The booth seemed almost a replica of the one where he had purchased the Ring of Cora in Midori’s Empire. It almost felt like Déjà vu. Blake scanned the items carefully. He wasn’t in a hurry, and Sadie appeared willing to wait patiently for him. Blake was surprised to find a myriad of trinkets including all types of jewelry, but there were no rings.

“Please show us what is not on display,” Sadie said rather ominously.

Blake was surprised that although he seemed confused by her statement, the vendor responded without hesitation. Bowing slightly, the vendor reached under a cloth, retrieving a small tray that neatly displayed five rings. Blake recognized one of them instantly. It was an identical match to the Ring of Cora he had purchased in the other market. The ring that was usually displayed on his finger had been removed at the advice of Princess Sophie at the same time she parted ways with her tiara with all its precious stones. He didn’t even need to make eye contact with Sadie, because she had grabbed his hand subtly and gave it a gentle squeeze, whispering in his ear softly, “That’s the one!”

“We’ll buy this ring,” stated Sadie with a confident air about her.

She then reached into the top of her gown and retrieved another coin, handing it to the vendor. Blake was surprised that she did so with ease this time, not exposing herself as she had done before. Maybe she was clumsy on purpose last time, or she was getting better with practice. He did not know the traditions of the Ice Race. He wondered if she had a different way of shopping as Princess Sophie.

Sadie slipped the ring on Blake’s ring finger on his left hand. She smiled at him saying, “Perfect fit”, and off they walked back into crowd of people in the midst of the busy market.

Blake’s thoughts were consumed with several questions:

“Why was Sadie insisting he buy a second ring that looked identical to one he already had? Was one of the rings counterfeit? How did she know the vendor would have the ring concealed?”

Blake decided to close his eyes briefly, holding loosely onto Sadie’s gown so he could follow her without running into anyone.

“What do you hear?”

There he is! The man with the dirty blonde hair! The one walking with the beautiful girl. She has a long braid. Get him! He’s the one with the ring!

Blake immediately opened his eyes and was surprised to see that they had stopped at the end of the market. Sadie was looking up at him slightly annoyed that he had closed his eyes again, but happy that he stood clutching a piece of her gown on her backside, touching ever so slightly her butt.

“Quick! We must leave; we are in danger. Some men are coming after us!”

Sadie decided not to ask any questions.

The two of them fled the market, sprinting down a path hoping that it would lead to the openness of the grand boulevard known as the Path of Senna.