Mira's Hope by Erin Elliott Page A

felt strange for her to be comforting her
brother. It had always been his role to care for her.
    “Thank you for that. You’ve given me the
courage to stay and do a bigger part to protect them.” He cupped
her face and looked gravely into her eyes. The sadness there almost
overwhelmed her and she began to cry once more. “Go little sister
and make me proud even as I stay behind to make you proud of
me.”
    Galena choked back a sob, how her heart ached
to leave him behind. “There is not an elf alive that is more proud
of you than me,” she whispered, embracing him once more.
    He returned the embrace with full force,
causing Galena to cry harder.
    “I will continue to check on you and if I see
anything wrong, I’m coming back.”
    “Now, if only I could do the same,” he
responded, his own voice thick with tears.
    “I’ll return here before going on to
Blackwell.”
    “You’d better, seeing how I’m training up
your army.” He gave her one last squeeze before letting her go and
holding her away at an arm’s length. “We’ll finish this
together.”
    She nodded, afraid to trust her voice.
    Elenio helped her to stand and then grabbing
Tark by the forearm, hauled him up. They stood, holding each
other’s arms as they each regarded the other.
    “Take care of her.”
    “You don’t even have to ask.”
    Tark nodded once more and then embraced
Elenio quickly before releasing him as well.
    Elenio reached for his own pack, his sword
already strapped to his belt. Galena waited for him by the door,
having made sure she had everything they needed to be off,
including Twoit. Taking her hand, Elenio and Galena stepped through
the door and started out toward the village. They’d decided the
night before that it would be easier to go through it than to go
around it. Galena looked back one more time though, feeling
incredibly lonely as she saw Tark standing in the doorway, arms
crossed, watching them leave. She couldn’t help wondering if this
would be the last time they saw each other. He would be left alone,
without her protection. With Mira’s warnings about the dangers of
the cave still ringing in her ears, she realized that both
circumstances could easily prevent their happy reunion. With this
thought in mind, Galena waved once more to Tark before turning and
taking Elenio’s hand, starting her journey without her brother.
     

 
    Chapter
Fourteen
     
    Tark watched his sister and friend walk away
from his new temporary home. His feelings were mixed. Galena turned
to look once more at him while he watched her, saying no more. He’d
said his goodbyes. Now, all he could do was train others and hope
for the best. The chances of seeing her again were slim, but he
knew what they would be if he didn’t stay behind to work with
others. Sadness and hope welled up in him as they disappeared from
view.
    Turning and going back into the house, he
noticed for perhaps the first time, just how big his new
accommodations were. His feelings of loneliness intensified when he
realized that it would be just him for a while. He sighed heavily
and went up the stairs. No sense staying three floors up when there
would be no one staying with him.
    After bringing down his pack to his new room,
another problem presented itself. No water. With Galena around,
there had been an endless supply of water whenever they needed a
drink, a bath, or for anything else. Now, he would have to resort
to digging a well before the week was out in order to supply all
the water he would need while he stayed here. This task was hard
enough in the spring or summer, but in the winter, it would be
three times as difficult considering how hard the frozen ground
was. He groaned inwardly when he thought about the amount of work
in store for him over the next couple of days. With this dreadful
thought in mind, he missed Galena even more.
    First thing is first, he thought to
himself. I need to talk to Amrick and her commitment partner to
get this started . He left