The Quest

Chapter V

So I'm back on the lists (fairly low but I'm still so happy!!!) Wattpad finally works on my school internet so here's an early update :D

Chapter 5

He held his hands up, saying “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you Anamaia.”

“Ellaime? What are you doing?” she asked puzzled.

“Taking you to one of my friends’ houses. You’re going to stay there until your mother arrives; which should be by tomorrow I think.” He said, leading her through the gardens; Anamaia was too preoccupied to question him about her mother. They wound through the streets until they arrived at a house somewhere in between big and average. It was part of an ancient tree, the trunk of which was enormous and had a large hole in the bottom which acted as a door. The trunk itself, instead of being straight like most trees, had two large bulges in it, almost as if it was made of two wooden orbs stacked on top of each other. Inside, each bulge was a different floor, and one the ground floor there were cushions and low sofas in earthy colours like red and brown which were arranged around a low table and on the walls were rows of books. The room was circular and around the inside of the trunk wound a spiral staircase which led up to the next floor. Ellaime led Anamaia up these stairs and showed her a neat bedroom, a bed made up with dark green sheets and paler green pillows in the centre. On the right was a large bowl set into the ground and soap to wash yourself, and on the left was a hollow in the wall where Ellaime’s friend’s clothes were hanging.

“This is your room,” said Ellaime as they entered it.

“It’s really nice,” said Anamaia. “So, where are you sleeping?”

“Oh I’m not staying with you, I’m going to my home,” he said, looking awkward.

“Oh,” Anamaia said, stunned into silence. “So I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

“Yes,” Ellaime agreed, turning to go downstairs. Anamaia followed him and just before he left she suddenly remembered something else. “Um Ellaime?” she asked.

“Yes?”

“Where’s your friend?”

“Oh he’s visiting some of his family in Astuai; don’t worry about him, I asked him and he said yes already.” Ellaime assured her.

“Oh, okay.” Anamaia said ushering Ellaime out of the door. “See you tomorrow then.”

Once Ellaime had left, Anamaia made herself comfortable; she rummaged through her pack and found some clothes that Sandryne had packed in their bags at the outpost and changed into them after she had washed herself in the sink. It had a clever device that collected rain water and purified it, so that you could wash yourself whenever you wanted to, which was very useful and not something that Anamaia would have expected in a Firyann’s house. It felt amazing to be clean again, she hadn’t washed herself properly in a long time, and she was disgusted when she looked at the water and saw all the dirt which had come off her. When she got out, she grabbed one of the towels that she found hanging by the bath and put on her clean clothes – Sandryne had been overly kind, not only had she packed a change of clothes, but also a cotton nightgown, which Anamaia proceeded to put on. It was a pale cream and very soft, and Anamaia padded around the stranger’s house barefoot, finally settling on one of the sofas with one of favourite books, which she had been stunned to find on his bookshelves. She was halfway through it when night fell, and so she packed it away and wandered upstairs to bed.

The next morning she woke up disorientated with the sunlight slanting through the window of the bedroom. Anamaia lay there for a while, groggily trying to remember where she was.