The great clock tower struck noon.
A deep iron bell rang across the village, its heavy toll echoing over the rooftops and rolling through the crowded market square.
Dong.
Dong.
Dong.
Each strike seemed to ripple through the air as merchants shouted over the noise, wagon wheels rattled over the uneven stone, and the restless tide of people surged between the colorful stalls.
If anything, the market had only grown more chaotic. The midday rush had arrived.
Elira stood among it all with her empty basket resting lightly on her arm. It still felt strange. For the first time since she had begun coming to the market with her mother… she was the one who had sold every loaf. Not only ever loaf but made far more in total coins than she could remember. Her fingers brushed the small pouch tied at her waist where the silver coin rested among the copper coins she had earned that morning.
Elira adjusted the empty basket against her arm and stepped carefully back into the flow of the crowd.
"If Carolina and Eguine had finished their deliveries, there were only a few places they would be," Elira whispered to herself.
Carolina was methodical about her work. Elira knew their mother's leather goods were too valuable to waste time wandering the market, therefore they always delivered them in the same careful order to each of their customers.
First the shoemaker.
Then the blacksmith.
And finally the seamstresses who often bought the finer gloves and belts.
Elira weaved between the stalls, passing vendors still calling out their midday bargains. The noise of the market rose and fell around her as she searched the familiar streets branching away from the square.
Near the end of one narrow lane she finally spotted a small figure standing just outside a shop door. Eguine.
The girl stood on the stone step with her arms wrapped around a small bundle of leather goods, rocking slightly back and forth on her heels while she waited. Every so often she leaned forward to peer impatiently through the open doorway.
Elira couldn't help but smile as she began approaching where Eguine was.
Inside the shop, Carolina stood at the long wooden counter speaking with the seamstress. Bolts of fabric lined the walls behind them in careful rows, deep royal blues, forest emerald greens, and soft creams folded neatly together. Carolina had one hand resting on the counter while the other gestured toward the leather gloves laid out between them.
Even from the street, Elira could see the confidence in her posture. Carolina was in the middle of making a sale.
Eguine noticed Elira first.
Her face brightened immediately.
"Elira!!" she called, waving excitedly from the shop step almost falling again similar to this morning.
The seamstress glanced briefly toward the door at the sudden shout while Carolina eyes narrowed to see who had arrived and took the attention from her client.
Elira lifted the empty basket slightly with a grin."Finished," she said.
Eguine's eyes widened, "ALL of it?!"
Elira nodded, "Every loaf."
Inside the shop the older woman lifted one of the gloves and examined the stitching closely before nodding with approval. "I believe I will take five of these," the seamstress said thoughtfully. "Delivered in four days' time."
Carolina's face brightened immediately. "Of course," she replied, bowing her head politely. "They will be ready and delivered."
Moments later the door opened and Carolina stepped outside, clearly pleased with herself. The excitement of closing a strong sale showed plainly on her face, though it softened the moment she saw Elira and Eguine waiting for her.
Carolina lifted a brow when she noticed the empty basket resting on Elira's arm.
"Well then," she said with a small smirk, "perhaps we should leave you alone more often."
Before Elira could respond Eguine grabbed Elira's arm eagerly. "Did you see the guards earlier?" she asked.
Elira tried and failed to hide the slight warmth rising to her cheeks.
Carolina noticed immediately something had happened as Elira was blushing!
"Speak the truth since your red rose cheeks are already telling the visual side of the story!" she said straight forward ready to hear what took place."What happened?"
Elira hesitated. Her mind raced searching for the right words, though none seemed to come easily on how to explain all the events that took place. How could she possibly explain the strange turn the day had taken? The silver coins still resting in her pouch. The guard who had bought every loaf. The warning he had given her about the eastern pass and KISSED her hand as if she was a lady!
She had barely begun to gather her thoughts when Eguine suddenly went very still beside her. Carolina noticed it too and followed her sisters line of sight.
Both sisters were staring past Elira's shoulder.
Their expressions shifted at once from surprise, then possessed with a look of awe.
"Elira…" Eguine whispered.
Carolina straightened slightly, smoothing the front of her dress almost instinctively. Elira coming observing them frowned in confusion.
"What—"
A familiar voice spoke behind her. "I believe this belongs to you."
Elira turned to see Sir Torren stood there, the midday sun catching against the polished plates of his armor. In his gloved hand he held a bright red ribbon that once was entangled in her hair.
At some point during the busy rush of the market it must have slipped free from her hair!
For a moment Elira simply stared at Torren surprised he had known it was her let alone wondered the market on a mission to bring back what had fallen from my head.
Carolina's eyes widened beside her while Eguine looked between them as if witnessing the most romantic moment of her life!
Torren stepped a little closer and held the ribbon out to Elira.
"It fell while you were making your way through the square," he said simply.
Elira quickly reached up to her hair, realizing he was right. Several loose strands of her dark hair had already begun slipping across her shoulders without the ribbon holding them back.
"Oh!" Her cheeks warmed again."Thank you, Sir Torren."
He gave a small nod, though his gaze lingered for a moment as she carefully retied the ribbon into her hair.
Behind her, Eguine looked ready to burst with excitement while Carolina watched the entire exchange with quiet interest.
But Elira hardly noticed them. Her thoughts were still tangled around the strange events of the day.
The warning about the eastern pass.
The word he had spoken. Vampires.
Before she could say anything more… strange chill passed through the air.
It was subtle.
But enough to make the fine hairs along Elira's arms rise.