~*Disclaimer*~ (something I kinda forgot to do earlier… )

I do not own ANY of J. R. R. Tolkien's characters, settings, or fanciful ideas. I just own my expansions off of them. Really, I couldn't care less if someone stole the town of Nasrahel, or Embyr, or anything else that I end up adding to the books. Just read…

**Oh yes, another thing… this story is PRE-FotR, meaning before. I don't really know what's going to happen with the story, but I'm getting good ideas. Have patience, I'm a junior high student with mountains of homework. Count on me updating weekly… writing doesn't come easily to me. Because this story is before the Fellowship, I'm only using characters and places from either book or movie. Nothing really… else. Please review, I'll be happy for ages. Happy reading!**

Prologue

Embyr's eyes flickered open. She searched through the darkness for whatever had awoken her. It wasn't them. No… they would not come now. They had finished with her only a few short hours before, but soon they would be back.

It wasn't supposed to happen like this. When her family had fled from the attack, they had assumed that Orcs were pursuing them… but these, things… they were not Orcs. Stronger and faster, they had outrun the humans in a matter of minutes. She closed her eyes. Remembering did nothing for her present situation. Tears would not come, she knew. Not now. Tears could come later, along with regret, sadness… and fear. Her own fear was what goaded these beasts, she could feel it.

She stood shakily, favoring her left ankle. The ropes around each wrist dug into her skin painfully. Hands flat against the stone of the walls surrounding her, she continued her search. A crack, a niche, anything… but her search was not rewarded.

She paused. The steady thump of bare feet was barely audible over the echo of inhuman voices. The beast meant to catch her by surprise. Dropping down to the floor of her cell, Embyr picked up a small, flat rock. They had missed this one, she mused. The girl had suspected that these beasts were not of high intelligence, and this seemed to prove it.

A silhouette darkened the doorway of her cell.  Embyr carefully slipped the stone behind her neck, against the wall. He was waiting for something, but what it was, she could not tell. Her thoughts were interrupted as another, slightly larger figure came to stand next to the first one.

"You knew we were coming, human. You're afraid," the first beast grimaced cruelly, in anticipation.

The larger creature stepped towards her, a chuckle rising in his throat. She knew he would come over to untie her… and then she would have her chance. Taking on two of these beasts would be difficult, but nothing meant more than getting out.

Sure enough, a large knife glinted as it cut into the ropes binding her to the wall. She muffled a cry as the knife went too far, biting into her forearm. Don't move, she told herself. Now… now is your chance. She reached back as the beast grabbed at her arms, fingers wrapping around the stone. The dense creature before her hadn't even noticed, too intent on what was to be done once they got to the room he was meant to lead her to.

She winced as the beast's bruising grip closed around her already sore forearm. Using her pain as fuel, she swung the rock in a swift arc towards the base of the creature's skull. His grip loosened as he fell to the ground. One down…

The doorway was empty. Spinning, she spotted the smaller creature just before his grimy fist jarred her own head against the wall. Darkness descended…