Illiara: Master of Arms [DISCONTINUED]

Ⅵ

Elise had forgotten where they were. Theodore hoisted himself up onto the next branch. Elise did likewise, involuntarily giving a small squeak of pain as her raw palms made contact with the rough bark. Theodore looked down in concern. "Are you alright?"

Elise swallowed her pain. "Yes," she said through gritted teeth. "I'm fine." She managed to pull herself up the next branch and sat down next to Theodore.

Theodore looked down at her palms and gasped. "Oh," he said in sympathy. "You don't have your climbing gloves. Or your boots," he added. Elise looked down at her shoes in surprise, noticing for the first time that there was almost no sole between her feet and the tree.

"They got . . . burned," Elise managed.

Theodore didn't need to ask what that meant. "Good thing we have extra pairs up here."

"Oh! Right. I forgot about those," said Elise, embarrassment pouring through her.

"Come on," urged Theodore. "Let's try to spot the caravan."

Elise had completely forgotten that was why they had come here in the first place. She climbed up one more branch and stood on it, scanning for the rainbow-colored caravan. As her eyes involuntarily shifted to the right, she nearly fell off the branch before steadying herself with a hand on the branch above her.

Their town, her home, was completely gone. All that you could see of it was a pile of blackened earth and scattered stone. Again the memories forced their way into her-- Stabbed in the chest. Sword pulled out and directed at her. Blood on the cobbles . . . For the thousandth time, Elise banished the images from her mind.

From the lack of movement on the branch beside her, Elise deduced that Theodore had noticed it too.

Elise took a deep breath. "Have you found the caravan yet?" Anything to snap the two of them out of it.

"No," responded Theodore much too quickly. "I'll keep looking."

"Me too."

Elise continued scanning the land, forcing herself not to look toward what remained of the village.

After a while, she heard Theodore's triumphant shout. "I found them!"

Elise hurried as fast as she dared to Theodore's branch. "Where?" she asked excitedly.

Theodore pointed a finger quivering with excitement toward the Caeruleum River. The town, nestled at its banks, was a quaint little village called Roklai. And indeed, stopped alongside it, was a very familiar, colorful little caravan.

Elise caught her breath. "We found them!" she gasped.

"Yes," replied Theodore. "Step one, complete. Step two is ready to start. Roklai, here we come!"

As they made their way down the tree, Elise and Theodore hopped into the Hollow to gather some supplies. First and foremost, Elise grabbed the boots and gloves. She immediately put on the gloves, sighing in relief as the soft fabric hit her skin. Then she kicked off her old shoes and put on the boots She then quickly grabbed a bag and threw her other shoes into it, along with blankets, water, utensils, and the rest of the supplies they had left there. Theodore stretched the fabric cover over the basket of golden sweet-berries they had left up there and strapped it on his back. "Let's go," he said, beginning to climb down the tree.

Elise and Theodore descended- slowly, hand by hand, as not to lose any of the supplies- down the Elder Tree.

It seemed to take an eternity, but they finally reached the last limb. Theodore dropped first, landing like a cat. Elise followed, although not as gracefully. Randomly, her mind was once again assaulted by the memories. She tried not to show it as she got up unsteadily.