Call of Ring(Compleled)

32 Foreshadowing A

After the evening meal, the group of three new students returned to their dorm house. Strangely enough, and for the second night in a row, Natan excused himself to his room, presumably to retire early for the night. Blake stooped over the fire by poking the coals and then added some kindling. It was only a small fire. He intended it to be for some warmth to combat the cool evening air.

Sadie had gone briefly to her room to retrieve her favorite bottle of Singani. As she came into the main room, she saw the fire Blake had made and noted the ambiance thinking the fire to be entirely different in purpose to what Blake had intended.

They both began to drink. Sadie spoke after the first shot. 

“What you witnessed today is rare. As a people, we are accustomed to the cold. Indeed, we have been dubbed with the name ‘Ice Race’. We have learned not only survival, but we have also adapted throughout our history, using the natural elements around us to defend ourselves. That is what you saw today.”

“It was incredible to witness in person,” Blake replied figuring it was the appropriate response.

“Please keep in mind the danger I would be in if people were to discover my true identity,” Sadie said with a cautious petition in her voice.

“Please don’t worry about me,” and then he whispered, “my lovely princess.”

Sadie smiled at him, taking these words as an invitation. She moved closer to him and buried her head into his chest. She was still alert enough to keep drinking and assumed that Blake was matching her shot for shot. Blake knew that if he pretended to drink along with her, she would fall asleep first.

“I still need time to myself tonight. There are lots more I must consider,” he thought to himself, waiting for Sadie to pass out.

She passed out a few minutes later, her body now firmly glued to Blake’s. Gently moving her head into his right forearm, he reached down and put his left arm under her legs. Blake then rose to his feet carefully, finding it much easier to lift her without ice beneath his feet. She wasn’t very heavy, so the task was more delicate than hard. Still, he didn’t want to wake her while taking her to her room. Blake gently lay her down on her back. His head was so close to her face that he thought of kissing her but decided to prolong that eventuality, justifying to himself that he couldn’t risk waking her. As he took a step back, he noticed her gown had hiked up unintentionally in the transfer, exposing her legs well past the thighs. Blake had to fight his curiosity further remembering how distractions could take him away from his mission. He adjusted her gown respectfully and pulled a blanket over her before leaving the room.

It was late, but Blake knew the best thing for him at this point was to clear his mind and body by a trip to the bathhouse. Blake grabbed a towel from his room, noting it was fresh and clean. He wondered who had changed it, and when they had done it. Despite not knowing the answer to his question, he smelled it as he headed over to the bathhouse.

It was dark and quiet outside, and yet there was a mysterious dull white glow that revealed no one else was out and about. Looking up to the sky Blake admired the magnificence of the stars on full display. He then noticed to his right that a bright full moon near the horizon was the source of the white glow, casting its light into the middle of this night. Blake paused for a moment and stared at the expanse of the sky, taking in its splendor. He then proceeded through the cloth-covered entranceway into the bathhouse.

Blake disrobed and entered the first pool inside. Although his body was trying to thank him for the relaxation that now soothed him from head to toe, his mind was still restless. Blake decided to move to the outer pool, wondering if the combination of scenery and warmth would be more effective at settling his mind.

A second after he entered the outdoor pool, his view of the expansive sky was abruptly interrupted.

“Hello Blake,” came a deep and gentle voice from the darkness.

Blake’s eyes moved from the bright sky to the darkness below. He waited for his eyes to adjust before responding. The man who had spoken had a long white, but a wet beard.

“Grand Master Zenith. You startled me,” Blake said in response.

“No need to be startled, Blake. That feeling is counterintuitive to the purposes of this hot spring.”

“Thank you for the wise words that will serve me well as a reminder,” Blake replied respectfully, having regained his composure to speak, but thankful for relative darkness that covered his nakedness.

“Sadie might be confident in these environments, but not me,” he mused to himself.

“Where is Sadie?” inquired the Grand Master.

Surprised by the question, Blake answered, nonetheless. “I believe she is sleeping, sir.”  

Mage Zenith cleared something in his throat before responding awkwardly, “Not that I was expecting her.”

Blake decided he needed to rescue the Grand Master from his less than subtle insinuations.

“Is this a nightly ritual for you sir?”

“Yes, at least once a day I enter to relax my body and bring peace to my mind. If I cannot make it during the day, it’s unfortunate. But I never miss this time at night,” replied Mage Zenith.

“Again, I will consider your tradition as wise counsel in my studies moving forward,” Blake replied.

“How do you feel about the training that will commence for you tomorrow?” asked Mage Zenith changing the topic.

“I am eager to learn more, and thus I am excited to begin tomorrow,” responded Blake.

“Tomorrow isn’t just any training day. We are having a special visit from King Stone. Vex Empire has spent a lot of resources over the years helping us start and maintain the Calvin School of Magic,” declared the Grand Master.

“I was unaware of this history. Thank you for sharing that with me. How often does he visit?” Blake asked.

“He visits twice a year, and wants to meet every student who gains entrance into our esteemed school,” replied the Grand Master, showing a proud smile that Blake could only detect in the darkness by the display of his white teeth.

“What does the King do on his visits here?” Blake asked.

“He inspects the level of training and interacts with the students. And as I said before, he makes a special effort to meet the new students. He has not yet met Natan, and clearly he has yet to meet yourself or Sadie,” he said presumably still beaming with pride.

Blake did not think a response was required to this. He wondered instead if he would get the peace and quiet he felt his mind needed before returning to the dorm house. His thoughts were interrupted by a disturbance in the pool. The Grand Master stood up without warning in front of Blake. Once again, Blake was thankful for the cover of darkness.

“It’s time for this old man to retire to my quarters for the night,” declared Mage Zenith, bidding his farewell with a few more words.

“It was nice chatting with you. I wish you luck and good success in the training tomorrow.”

The old man climbed out of the pool and exited the outer area, finally leaving Blake alone with his thoughts. As Blake sat in the pool soaking, he decided that whatever tradition this was, it was a good one. Moving past the weirdness of being exposed in front of others, he determined that baths such as this one to the tune of natural hot springs left one’s body and mind exposed. But fostered within this environment came also the focus necessary for quiet contemplation of thoughts with body and mind unhindered in any way.

Blake closed his eyes.

“What do you hear?”

I hear only the sound of the hot spring flowing without end.

“What do you feel?”

I feel at peace. My body feels relaxed, in a temporary state of calm, almost as if every ailment is being healed by this hot spring. My mind is also calm. It feels like it is in the process of decluttering unimportant thoughts and feelings.

“What do you sense?”

I sense that Sadie will instruct me further in her ways, educating me more about the Ice Race. I sense that there is more to know about Natan. He is here at the school on some sort of undisclosed mission. Tomorrow I will experience yet another test to prove myself. I must be alert and prepared.

Blake was unsure how long he was stuck in this meditative state. But although he remembered these specific thoughts, he only remembered a time of surreal peace thereafter. Body and mind were one, both consumed with an overwhelming calm. He wondered if this was the first time he had ever felt this way in his entire life.

“Is this what a soul feels like at rest?” he contemplated.