Crowns and Guns.

Promise (part 3)

I run down the stone path, holding Katie's arm. She struggles to keep up, but I digress. It is slightly drizzling, and the stones of the path are wet. I have barely any grip, and with every step, I feel like I am gonna slip.

Katie pants and pull on my arm. "Skye, please, a bit slower. I can't keep up."

I turn around, and misstep. My foot slips, and I take a deep dive, hitting the large mossy stones face first. Pain surges through my body, but ebbs away again. I slowly stand back up.

Katie gasps and puts her hand in front of her mouth. "Oh my god, I am so sorry."

I look down and see the dirty stones have made large stains on my jacket and dress. I try to wipe them off but to no avail. I sigh. "It's all right, Katie. Let's just keep going."

Katie continues panting, leaning her hands on her knees. "I really can't keep going. I am exhausted."

I shake my head. "We need to keep going, Katie. We have to warn them."

Katie shakes her head. "Are we even going in the right direction?"

I point at the footprints in the dirt, both between the stones, and next to the road. "A large group of people has walked past recently, I am just following their tracks."

Katie sits down on the ground, still out of breath. "So we just, follow their tracks. That is your great plan? They could have walked here hours ago. Maybe they are at the other side of the base by now. The plan was for them to circle around the base looking for elves."

I cross my arms. "Do you have a better plan?"

She shrugs. "Circle in the other direction. Or climb a tree, and see if we spot them."

I shake my head. "If we circle in the other direction we might pass them without knowing. And I don't like trees."

Katie stands up and laughs. "You don't like trees? Why?"

"I got bad memories alright. Got attacked by one as a child."

Katie laughs even harder. "Trees don't attack you Skye, they are inanimate."

I put my hand on my stomach. "Tell that to the tree that sliced my waist open."

Katie walks to the nearest tree and looks up. "This one seems easy to climb in." She grabs some branches pulls herself up, and puts her bare feet against the trunk.

"Katie, get the hell down here."

Katie looks at me "Do you want to find them or not?"

I grab her dress. "I also don't want you to get hurt."

"I'll be fine, I promise," Katie says, as she continues climbing.

"Katie!" I yell. "Please be careful."

"I am careful." She yells down.

She climbs for a while, reaching the top after a couple of minutes. The branches of the tree bend under her weight, and some break off and fall down, and I hold my breath, praying that she will not fall.

"Do you see anything?"

Katie points with her hand. I hold my breath as her weight shift's with that gesture and the branch she is standing on bends. "I see a large group of people on the stone road ahead of us. They are coming this way!"

"Great. Then we will wait here for them. Now come down before you hurt yourself or fall."

Katie climbs down, or more like falls down, by sliding through the branches. She lands with quite some speed. She falls to the ground and scrambles on her feet.