Reeve was the first one to get up, and he scanned his surroundings. He saw Eskaria lying behind a small bush, unconscious. He hurriedly ran to her side, before he saw Soren coming up towards him. There was little light, due to the fact that part of the forest was on fire. Soren's eyes were now normal.
"Are you okay?" asked Reeve.
"I'm fine. What happened?"
"What do you remember?"
"We were being chased by the army … and then I woke up in a burning bush. But the funny thing is I'm not hurt at all. I wasn't burnt by the fire", replied Soren, as he was thinking of the possibility.
"There's a chance that you might have awakened. You know, magic and all", said Reeve, as he carried Eskaria. "I thought she was better, but it seems as if she lost consciousness again. We need to get moving."
Rizaneth came over, before asking, "What are we going to do now? When my parents don't find me home, they are going to realize what happened!"
"This isn't the time to be worried about your parents! If the soldiers are still coming after us, we will be really screwed if we stay here!" Reeve snapped.
"Eh? Screwed?" asked Riza and Soren as they looked at each other.
"That means we'll be dead! Let's just keep moving on, shall we?"
"Fine. Where to now?" asked Riza.
"The capital, of course. He has magic, which he can't control. I promise to start teaching you martial arts when we arrive somewhere safe. However, right now, we are in danger", replied Reeve as he pointed at Soren, who was rather surprised at the prospect of having magic.
"Okay then. We have to start walking, since the carriage is done for", said Riza.
Everyone who was awake turned to look at the overturned carriage. It was missing a wheel, and that wasn't the only problem. Where were the horses?
"I guess we have to start walking then", Reeve said with a sigh. He was going to be carrying Eskaria all the way until she regained consciousness.
The sun was coming up, as evidenced by the sky which was lighting up. The three people kept walking closer to the road. They were afraid that if they met someone, they would not be able to explain themselves. Reeve didn't have much in terms of clothes. Soren was wearing bloodied clothes. Riza was wearing a butler's uniform, and she was a girl. And then there was the unconscious Eskaria, who had bruises on her pale face.
Besides the part about not being able to explain their situation, they were also afraid the soldiers would catch up to them. And that didn't seem to be a good thing for anyone. So, being the clever genius that he wasn't, Reeve suggested they walk along the forest. That way, they could avoid meeting people altogether, while also looking out for the soldiers.
The sun slowly rose up in the sky. Rays of golden sunlight shone from the horizon, signaling the start of a beautiful day. Well, it would have been beautiful for the trio, had it not been for their current circumstances. As they trudged along, a carriage passed by.
At any other time, Soren and Riza would have rushed to stop it. However, Reeve had warned them that doing so would place them in more danger. Thus, they could only watch their source of hope drive away without even noticing them.
Time moved as it usually does, and the sun was now up in the sky. It was now day, and Reeve suggested they take a break. He was really tired of moving around while carrying someone. Despite being undead, he didn't have unlimited stamina, apparently.
"How long will it take to get to the capital?" asked Reeve.
"A few days. There are two more cities between Sky City and the capital", replied Soren.
Rizaneth was not paying attention to their conversation. There was a caravan which was passing by them. She couldn't help but let out a sigh. How did things get to this? Last time she ran away from home, but compared to back then, this was worse. She noticed that the caravan had stopped, and from the back, a beautiful girl came out.
The girl was wearing a simple dress, and she had golden brown hair, which sparkled in the sun. It appeared as if she was looking for something, as she kept scanning the area with her eyes.
"Why are you quiet all of a sudden?" asked Reeve, before Riza motioned him to be silent, while pointing towards the caravan.
Reeve turned to look at the caravan, and his red eyes widened in surprise. "Eh? Wynn?" he yelled as he moved forwards.
It was too late to stop him, as he had already moved quite a distance from Riza. She could only motion Soren to stay with Eskaria, since he was quite conspicuous.
"Huh? I-it's you?" asked Wynn, as she turned and discovered his presence. That was when she also saw his … eh … clothing situation. She turned her head, as her cheeks reddened.
Reeve realized what was going on, and he could only smile bashfully. "Where are you going?"
"To the capital. Why are you here? I thought you were in Sky City", she responded, while trying her best not to show her face, which was red.
"What are the odds? We're also going to the capital!" as he exclaimed this, Rizaneth was already standing in front of them.
"And who might you be?" asked Wynn.
"My name is Erica. And you are?" Riza lied.
"My name is Wynnifred, but most people call me Wynn. Have we met before? You look familiar."
"I don't think we have met. I simply passed through Sky City."
"Is that so? How odd…"
"Ahem. Since you're going to the capital, is it okay if we tag along?" asked Reeve, while Riza was busy glaring at him.
"Well … umm … I'm traveling with my family. I don't think --"
"Oh, really? Does that mean Rylan is with you?" shouted Reeve, as he moved towards the back of the caravan, despite Wynn's protests.