The Black Market

The bag of herbs that Soleia held nearly slipped from her fingers due to her surprise. 

At this distance, she was unable to see the man's face clearly. However, he had the same dark hair, was about the same height and physique, and the way he carried himself was similar to the soldier who was supposed to be on bedrest.

Instinctively, she began to hasten her footsteps, trying to catch him. She wasn't able to get close fast enough, but when the man turned, Soleia's breath was caught in her throat.

It wasn't a perfect view, but from this wayward angle, there was no mistaking it― that was Sir Byrone!

As though the man felt someone's gaze upon him, he stopped and cautiously looked around. For some reason, Soleia felt the need to hide. She ducked behind a cart, peeking out from the side to observe the man, only to see him pull his fallen hood up. He adjusted it slightly so that most of his face was hidden, before continuing on his journey.

Soleia moved as soon as he did. She stood up and trailed after him, making sure to keep a safe distance all throughout so that she wouldn't be caught tailing. 

However, even though the man hadn't turned to look back a second time, it was as though he knew he was being followed. His footsteps became quicker and hurried, weaving through the crowd expertly. 

No one else other than Soleia seemed to pay him any mind― most of them instinctively swerved to one side to let him pass, but when Soleia got near, they were quick to fill up the space, making it nearly impossible for her to move through without bumping shoulders.

"Please excuse me," she muttered, shoving her way through the growing crowd. 

The market was just starting to come alive as the townsfolk streamed in to buy provisions for the new day. Unfortunately, that meant that the distance quickly increased between the mysterious man and Soleia.

"Please let me through―!"

Soleia gasped in surprise when a particularly burly man bumped into her, knocking the satchel of herbs right out of her hand. She yelped as she tottered on her feet, nearly falling over if she hadn't caught her balance at the very last second.

Her fingers quickly found the nearest structure, using it to steady herself before quickly bending down to grab the sack she dropped. Unfortunately, when she looked up, the man was gone.

Soleia scanned her surroundings, turning on the spot as she did. She had unknowingly followed the man and wandered off into a section of the market she had never been to before. It was much darker, gloomier, and even the people here seemed a little more unfriendly than the usual portion of town.

Most of those who wandered this section had hoods up that covered their faces. Even in the thick of winter, their dressing was too conservative to be normal.

"What are yer lookin' at?" someone growled at her, and Soleia's eyes widened as she shook her head. She gulped as she watched the man walk past her, his sabers knocking against one another with every footstep he took.

A distant chime of a bell caught Soleia's attention. She looked up just in time to see the hooded man who looked like Ralph Byrone entering a shop a few storefronts down. Securing the herbs around her waist, Soleia ran ahead, pushing the door and entering.

The bell above her head let out a soft ding.

Inside the shop was silence. There was a faint aroma of burnt sage, wafting through the air as Soleia slowly stepped in and observed the lined shelves. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of row after row of glittering stones― crystals.

These were contraband stones! The unsettling feeling in her chest built up even further when she realized her gut feeling had been right― she had somehow found her way into the black market.

Soleia swallowed the bile in her throat. She would need to find a way to close this store down for good before her father found out. Otherwise, knowing King Godwin's temper, the whole town of Drakenmire might burn down along with this little illegal shop.

The abundance of crystals in this one small store caused Soleia's head to spin. She felt a wave of vertigo hit her as she reached out and clutched onto one of the shelves. When she did, her fingers brushed against something cool to the touch, and Soleia immediately jumped when she felt a spark of energy.

It felt oddly… familiar. But where had she felt that sensation before?

"Can I be of assistance, dearie?" Soleia heard an old croak come from beside her, and she turned to see a short old woman approaching her. 

The old lady wore a warm smile, her teeth completely missing and her eyes nearly pressed to slits due to her wrinkles and the intensity of her grin. When her gaze landed on Soleia's hand, she nodded approvingly.

"Amethysts, eh?" the old lady said. "Good eye, dearie, good eye. We received the newest import from Raxuvia just this morning. You'll find no better quality of stone than that of ours, especially around these parts of Vramid."

She reached up with slight difficulty and picked one off the shelves, showcasing the brilliance and cut of the stone. It was a small piece, no bigger than Soleia's thumbnail, but enough for a multitude of uses.

"May I know what you might be using this for?" the old lady continued. "This shipment's stones are a little on the smaller side, so it might not be useful for long-term uses. But if you grind it up to dust, it can still make for a potent hypnotic drug."

"Hypnotic… drug?" Soleia echoed. She looked back at the bowl of purple stones, her eyes widening with curiosity.

"Works infinitely better than the dumb grasses and leaves the local alchemists use, at least," the old lady said with a short bark of laughter. "I can guarantee that whoever you're trying to entrance, will definitely be able to stay under your spell for at least a good hour or two."

"How much of it would I need?" Soleia asked, the cogs in her head turning. The cloaked man had completely slipped from her mind. "To… let's say… keep someone under my control for a whole day? Enough that he would forget whatever I don't want him to remember?"

The old lady's eyes widened. "Well, unless you want him to have a drastically shortened lifespan, I most certainly don't recommend doing that!" she exclaimed with a laugh.

Then, she squinted her eyes at Soleia, raising an eyebrow as she inched closer.

"Say, dearie, don't you look awfully familiar―"

"I'll return another time!" Soleia hurriedly said before she created some distance between them. Then, before the old woman could have a closer look, she darted right out of the store, her heart racing a mile a minute.

She clutched at her bag tightly, as she rushed back to the estate with shaky legs. She barely registered the strange glances people gave her as they darted out of the way. 

Amethyst. Hypnotic drug. Drastically shortened lifespan. 

Ralph wasn't the only person who was in grave danger!