Shade's POV

I stood there for a few minutes, trying to find the spirit of the girl again. I had to focus on her last moments and on her child, not a task that I relished doing. Eventually, I felt a pull, far weaker than before, but her presence nonetheless. This time, I recognized the barrier between her soul and death to be that of the soul snatcher. I probed through the shadow of her mind. Alas! I was too far! But I know where you are now, my dear. I thought menacingly. Her soul will go to Mandos tonight--and you shall accompany her into death! I picked up my pack and ran through the trees. I had a lot of ground to cover. The night was dark and slowed my going. I may not need a trail to track, but tree roots provide a bit of a problem for me. I don't generally move quickly at night, but time was of the essence. I needed to hunt the hunter and be back to Imladris by morning. I had gone a few miles when I felt her presence again, far stronger this time. This time, I could 'hear' her thoughts. They were not clear, like those of the living, or even those of ghosts, but I could feel her hatred and her anguish. I reached out to her and assured her that I would hunt her killer, and that of her child. However, I needed her to open the channel that connected her mind to the soul snatcher. It is much harder to find a mind that you don't know to begin with, like trying to pick out a perfect stranger from a crowd. i could feel his malevolent presence through her, but he had also learned the trick of blocking his mind. However, in stealing her soul, he had bound her mind to his. If she let me in, he'd have no way to keep me out. I felt her reluctance at touching the killer's mind, of reliving the horror of her death, but a picture of her child flashed in both our minds, and I felt the gate thrown open. Unfortunately, the sudden rush of consciousness had distracted me and I found myself tipping over a root, and headlong into a bramble filled ditch. I cursed out loud, not wanting the murdering bastard to feel my mental presence, and found that I had a hardly more welcome being watching my predicament.

The elf's laughter was muffled, but I could hear his mirth loud and clear in my mind. I put up a barrier temporarily between me and my prey, so I could hiss at him,

"We don't all have elven eyes!" I was surprised when he chose to think, rather than say,

"Oh, aye, but one doesn't need them to see a two foot high root and a sea of thorns!" I clambered gracelessly out of the ditch, scratched, bruised and humiliated.

"Since when did you think-speak?"

"I don't want to be heard, although your ruckus has probably alerted everything from here to the Misty Mountains," he said with annoyance.

"Our prey is not within earshot, elven or otherwise."

"How do you know?"

"I contacted the girl, since her soul still lingers. She has linked me to his mind. I have a barrier up now, but if I lower it, I can feel his presence pulling me. He's a few miles off."

"What does he look like? Is he armed? What are his skills? Ask her!"

"The woman just lost her life and her child! She has no idea what he looked like, and certainly to her, he would seem like a formidable foe. I'll find out when I get there. Not to mention, I don't think he's expecting anyone, least of all me."

"I'm coming too."

I rolled my eyes, but resigned myself to the fact that the elf would follow.

"Whatever you do, don't attempt to contact my mind! He'll be able to hear if he is at all skilled in our Arts. At any rate, you bore me."

"Oh, Valar, what shall I do if I cannot converse with such an extraordinary being such as yourself? Besides, I'm not contacting you, I'm simply not shielding my mind. And what do you mean your 'Arts'? Black magic is more like it."

"Well, my black magic is going to free this woman's soul, and send one more bastard to the Void. Unfortunately, there are so many others out there." I looked pointedly at Legolas. Now do be quiet, elf."They made their way silently through the black wilderness, their minds bent on their task. Eventually, a flickering light appeared in the distance. Creeping closer, Legolas confirmed that it was just inside the mouth of a shallow cave. The Shade drew her sword and leapt up into the trees. Legolas hissed under his breath. What is she doing? She will get herself killed! He burst into full speed and arrived at the cave just in time to hear a horrible cacophony of screams. He threw himself into the cave to see the Shade locked in a deadly battle with a dark haired man. Evil was in his eyes, his face, in the strange glow that seemed to emanate from his skin. He saw the Shade fighting, but she face was contorted with agony. He tried to aim his arrow, but the two combatants were locked too closely. It seemed so strange... The Shade had moved much more quickly than this when drawing sword against him... And her face. He tried to leap to her aid, but the fire was effectively blocking his way.

"That's right Shade, enjoy their thoughts! Didn't I do a good job? Of course, their souls are nothing compared to yours! They could only buy me years- but you! Immortality and such power!" He sneered at her. "But so stupid a girl, rushing blindly into my little trap! I knew you were around here somewhere, knew if I just kept up long enough, you'd quit your cowardly hideaway. So, did enough people die, Shade? Did enough of them suffer for you? Feeling it aren't you? Ha!" Legolas watched horrified as the man grew stronger and stronger, while the Shade faltered.

Suddenly, she stumbled and fell. The man advanced upon her, a rope in his hand. He seemed completely unaware that Legolas had entered the cave.

"Don't worry, you filthy little whore, I've saved the best for you- although your friend Geriswaea got the royal treatment first!" He laughed at the wide eyes, full of hate. "Oh, didn't see that comin' eh? Yes, I got your precious little mentor. But some crazy bastard killed her off before I could get her nasty little soul-" At this the Shade leapt to her feet, ducking the sword and reaching for her own blade.

Wrong move, bastard! I'll kill you for that! But just then, he stepped on her blade, and levelled his own at her throat. He smiled a mirthless, cruel smile.

"Well, well. Guess we have to teach someone obedience..."

At that moment, Legolas fired an arrow straight into the murderer's chest. The man dropped the sword as the elf leaped over the fire. The man's eyes widened with recognition. "You!"

Legolas looked the man full in the face, then jerked back ion surprise.

"I know you..." The man laughed, blood dripping over his lips.

"Haven't figured it out yet, elf? Don't recognize me? Well, you were so distraught over your nana... So eager to believe anything I said! And you didn't realize it was me all along! Ha!" Realization dawned on the man's face. "You killed the Shade... You actually believed that she had done it!" the man coughed, blood pouring out of his chest and mouth. "Well, isn't this a happy little reunion. Well, Shade, you're hunting the wrong man. Turns out we have your precious mentor's killer right here. Well, the way I see it, everything's gonna get a neat little ending. I killed you're mother, you kill me, you killed the Old Shade, and the new one can kill you. Now who-" He was cut short when the New Shade cut his head off.

Legolas stared and the headless corpse, transfixed and the body remained standing for a moment before falling to the ground. Shade stared at the body too. Then turned her gaze on Legolas.

"You called me a murderer. Truly, it does take one to know one. I had thought revenge beyond my grasp, and here you are...Out of arrows, out time."

Jerked from his reverie, Legolas drew his blade with shaking hands.

"Look, Shade, you don't understand--" She snarled, flicking her blade threateningly, blood splattering across the elf's face.

"I don't understand?! You idiot of an orc, you really just refuse to see it, don't you? We shades, or should I say I, that is our purpose: to understand. I understand plenty, you murdering bastard! Blamed any convenient person for your mother's death, so lucky a Shade happened to be around. Were you happy that you got to hunt your favorite quarry? Did your prejudice truly blind you that you still believed Geriswaea guilty even when she refused to defend herself? She vowed to never lift a finger in violence, you pathetic coward! She saved that area from tribal wars! And you murdered her for a crime that she could never have committed!" With a lunge and swift blow, she struck, barely parried by the elf's longknife. They locked blades for a moment.

"Shade, I don't want to hurt you--"

"You've certainly changed your tune, elf!"

A flurry of steel and once more, they locked.

"Please, I don't want to have to hurt you--"

"Believe me, you should be more worried about your own filthy hide!"

Quickly, Legolas realized that she spoke truly. Her speed was remarkable, with a unknown technique that was unpredictable, but deadly accurate. Soon, his blows became more determined. Yet, every move was countered, his open spots exploited with precision, him barely able to parry her blade. She's reading my mind!

"What a clever little orc you are! You see, I don't go prying into others' minds, but that doesn't mean I can't! How's it feel to be right for a change? Shades ARE quite dangerous after all!"

He tried to throw up his mental barriers, closing off his mind with all his skill, yet hers was stronger, her will slicing through his defenses even better that her too-keen blade.

"Why, yes elf, you have little mind tricks, but here's a lesson you will take to the grave: none of them are any use against ME!"

He was tired now, his breath short and the assault on his mind drained him. His parry came crooked and his blade flew out of his hand as his wrist bent backward with the pressure of her strike. A final thought appeared to him, remembering the Shade's agonized cries when the woman and child had been murdered. He threw all his mental barriers down, and plunged headlong into his most painful memory.

The orc den reeked with the smell of the five dead orcs that he piled upon each other. She wasn't here. She wasn't here! These were the orcs! He was certain! Had they killed her? Eaten her? "Nana.." he murmured, tears sliding down his cheeks. The villagers he had spoken with during his search had said that several people had disappeared, only to be found eviscerated, supposedly eaten by the orcs. He squeezed his eyes shut. But he hadn't found any sort of thing! These were the orcs, and they were dead. What if there are more? "I followed the wrong trail!" He ran to his horse and rode hard back to where his mother's guards lay slain, where she had been taken. Now that he looked for it, the was an indent in the grass... as if something had been dragged across the ground. Nana! Cursing himself for his stupidity, he raced off on foot, following the trail a few hundred yards to a small cave. It there was a light inside, a lantern. Yet, no noise. Legolas paused, afraid to see what lay inside the cave. He ran. Just inside the cave, a dark haired man leaned over something. There was so much blood...

"Nana!!" With a feral scream, Legolas threw the man against the stone wall of the cave. He drew hi knife, ready to gut the man.

"Wait! It's not me! It's not me! I was trying to help her! " Legolas paused, just a moment, his breath coming hard. Seeing his chance, the man went on. " I didn't do this, I was tracking the person who did, and I found her." Legolas stared at the man.

" Who did this? Why?" The man hesitated. "Who?!"

" There's a Shade, down in the village. She's very powerful... But she needs to feed off other souls to keep her power strong. You heard about the murders lately? Her. She must have wanted your mother because she's immortal. I'm sorry."

"But the orcs.."

" Just a cover. She's been hiring them to get her victims."

" How do you know so much about this?" The man heaved a big sigh.

" She killed my brother, I've been hunting her since then and tracked her here. Too late, it seems." Legolas looked over at his mother, then quickly turned away, not bothering to hide the tears.

" Is her soul?" For a second, a look almost of annoyance crossed the man's face.

" She's still alive. The ritual isn't complete." Legolas spun to face his mother, crouching beside her and cradling her broken form in his arms.

" Nana, nana. I'm here nana, wake up. He could hear he heartbeat, slow and ragged. He listened in despair as it slowed and stopped.