Chapter 6: Stolen Shadows
With their targets in sight, Legolas and Aragorn fired their first arrows. Both flew true, killing two orcs instantly. They started with the stragglers along the perimeter, hoping to take down as many as possible before the rest noticed something amiss. Then they would focus on the Gundabad captain and have to fight their way through to get the obsidian stone back.
Two more diminutive orcs fell with arrows through their throats, unable to give a warning cry in their deaths. Fortunately, the others were too busy cheering on their leader, Uglûk, as their rallied grunts proclaimed. When the sixth orc toppled, however, the ones standing a few feet away finally jerked their attention from the ring leader, and a great roar of outrage went up.
"There goes the element of surprise," Aragorn remarked ruefully, trading bow for sword.
"No dirweg," Legolas said, though he didn't really need to tell the Ranger to be careful.
"Carog," he returned, bidding Legolas do the same.
Black arrows zinged through the night toward their position, and they broke cover to descend the stepped wall. Once at the bottom, Aragorn launched himself at the charging orcs while Legolas sprinted a few paces away so he could fire more arrows. Each shaft struck its mark like a triumphant crescendo to the tune of his bow. One orc dodged around a slain companion and barreled past shooting range. Legolas drew an arrow, rammed it through the beast's eye socket, and then swiftly reused the bolt by nocking it to string and letting it fly.
They had reduced the orc troop by half, leaving ten to deal with. By then the fighting had become too close, and Legolas drew one of his twin daggers instead of an arrow. He slashed and parried, cutting his way through the horde. After stabbing one orc in the chest, Legolas briefly left the hilt embedded so he could fire an arrow at an orc leaping into Aragorn's path. Then he yanked his blade free of the corpse and spun to face the next assailant.
Aragorn ran his sword through a Misty Mountain orc, its dying screeches piercing the night like claws on stone. The colossal Gundabad captain stood twelve feet away, nostrils flaring with rage. Aragorn raised his sword and charged. The clang of colliding blades rang out in the night, a discordant, screeching orchestra of steel that tossed reflections of firelight like flashes of lightning. Despite the man's skill and agility, Uglûk had brute strength behind his blows, and the Ranger staggered from each one. The scimitar swung horizontally, and Aragorn threw his weight back to narrowly avoid decapitation. As he stumbled to regain his balance, the orc's blade came around again, and Aragorn just managed to deflect it, though the tip arced across his shoulder. With a grunt, Aragorn wrenched away to reorient himself.
"I will add your bones to my torque!" Uglûk jeered, the fossils of his necklace clanking as his massive body lumbered forward.
Legolas darted in to aid his friend. His short dagger was little match for the monstrous scimitar, but there was something to be said for elven dexterity. He managed to cut the Gundabad captain along one arm and thigh, earning an enraged bellow for each one. Legolas whirled, intending to strike the hand holding the obsidian stone, but the orc seemed to anticipate the move, and jerked his arm away. It left his side unprotected, and Legolas quickly adjusted to stab between two ribs. Unfortunately, with his only defense now embedded in flesh, Uglûk managed to throw a punch that sent the elf sprawling to the ground.
Legolas rolled into a ready crouch, dagger still in hand, though now it dribbled thick black blood onto the grass. He leaped up to attack the captain again, but a great shadowy figure stepped into his path. Legolas recoiled, for the shade's fell aura pushed at his senses with a profound pulse of evil. It towered over him, and this close Legolas could see that the crooked limbs protruding from its head looked like a crown of branches. Two hulking arms spread out to its sides, also fingered with the shapes of twigs, like some motley version of a solid, walking oak.
The adumbration swiped a taloned arm. Legolas ducked under it and slashed at the being's side. His blade swished through blackness as if it were mere fog, but when a gnarled claw raked across his back in response, he definitely felt it snag his quiver and almost rip it off. Dancing out of reach, he regarded the threat apprehensively. How could he fight something seemingly impervious to weapons?
Legolas spared a quick glance toward Aragorn to check how he was faring. The Ranger was now engaged with two of the remaining foot soldiers. Uglûk had yet to pursue the man, but was instead grinning with glee as he watched the elf and his new pet.
The shadow silhouette surged forward, and Legolas nimbly skirted out of reach again. With no physical features, it was impossible to read body language or facial expressions that would telegraph moves. It was also difficult to tell whether the creature possessed a sentient intelligence, or if it was a mindless blob obeying the will of the orc captain wielding the obsidian stone that created it.
It made no sound as it moved, gliding through air like a phantom, yet one capable of drawing blood with razor sharp claws. Legolas attempted to stab it one more time, but he felt no resistance of muscle and tissue when the blade slid through inky flesh, and so quickly spun away. Mortal weapons were useless here.
Legolas's gaze met the smug orc captain's, and his jaw tightened. He would shoot the smirk off that ugly mug if he could afford the brief second for drawing his bow. What else could he use on the shade though? Spotting a branch partially sticking out from the fire ring, Legolas lunged to scoop it up. He brandished the flaming wood against the tree of darkness, and felt renewed determination when the wight recoiled.
Legolas advanced, thrusting the fire into the shadow walker's body like a blade. An inhuman wail rent the air as the creature flinched and contorted. The fire seemed to banish some of the darkness, though its malleable mass simply filled the holes by drawing matter from its extremities. That did mean it was gradually shrinking, however.
When the silhouette reached the tree line, it dove into the safety of the shadows, blending seamlessly with the night untouched by the halo of firelight. Legolas spun back toward the Gundabad captain, determined to retrieve what had been stolen. The brute's chest heaved with barely contained fury, but rather than belting a roar and attacking, his face morphed into a wicked grin, and he extended his arm toward Legolas, holding out the obsidian stone.
A starburst of light ignited inside the crystal, and a split second later, Legolas felt as though half a dozen grappling hooks had suddenly speared his body. He would have fallen to his knees if some invisible force didn't seem to be holding him up. A rush of air buffeted him from behind, pulling forward a shroud of shadow that rippled over him like water fighting the tides. Another pulse whomped from the crystal, and white-hot, ripping pain consumed his entire body as something was torn. He could not breathe; every nerve was alight with agony.
Finally, the barbs in his fëa released their hold, and he swayed unsteadily, slowly dropping to one knee. Blackness swarmed through his vision, though it appeared to be running like a river away from him and toward the glittering obsidian stone. As the rippling shadows slurped into the crystal's point, Legolas saw Uglûk grinning madly, eyes smoldering red in the flickering light of the bonfire. Legolas blinked, knowing he needed to get up, but waves of dizziness kept swamping down on him. In his peripheral vision, he spotted the penumbrous tree slinking back into the clearing where it approached the orc captain. Uglûk rotated the gemstone, and then inky liquid was flowing out the other end to meet the umbrage, swelling its form to twice the size.
Legolas tensed in growing fear as the shade drew itself up to ten feet tall. He attempted to rise, only to slump sideways as blackness not associated with the shadow monster overcame him. Where was the torch he'd used before? If he could just get his hands on it, that would provide at least some meager means of defending himself.
At the orc captain's direction, the giant shadow turned and started toward Legolas, its appendages now shaped like hands. Though, as it splayed black fingers, the tips rippled and extended into long, bony claws. Legolas reached for an arrow from his quiver and strung it flimsily to his bow. Not that his weapon would do any good against an amorphous creature such as this. He fired it anyway. The bolt zinged straight through the shade as though it were nothing but opaque mist. One upside, however, was that it then struck Uglûk standing directly behind, rewarding Legolas with a snarl of pain, though he couldn't see the extent of damage it caused.
But the towering umbra continued to advance on him, and Legolas couldn't muster the strength to get off the ground…
Aragorn fell under the weight of the orc that tackled him, even as the stupid beast managed to impale itself on his sword for the trouble. The air was punched from his lungs from both the impact with the ground and the orc landing on top of his chest. Silver specks flitted across his vision, which would have been a precarious position indeed if that hadn't been the last orc to dispatch. He'd seen Legolas driving the shadow entity into the woods with fire, and hoped the elf would be able to handle the Gundabad captain.
But as Aragorn shoved the dead orc off and rolled onto his side, gasping for precious breath, he saw Legolas jerk soundlessly, and he watched in horror as the shadows behind the elf surged forward and around him like a cloak. For a brief moment, Aragorn thought the darkness was trying to swallow his friend whole, but then the shadows were streaming toward the crystal. Uglûk flipped the gem around, and as the shadows poured forth, the nebulous creation inflated.
Aragorn attempted to get one knee under him, chest burning with the exertion of trying to move and restore his seized lungs at the same time. He saw Legolas shoot the shadow walker, but the arrow flew straight through and struck the orc captain in the left arm. Uglûk spat a curse and reached up to yank the shaft from his bicep.
The giant silhouette of a tree was bearing down on Legolas, who had yet to get up off the ground, sending a jolt of fear through Aragorn. He snatched up a fallen orc's bow next to several arrows laying scattered across the ground. A couple had fallen partway into the fire ring. With a thrill of inspiration, Aragorn grabbed one of the shafts gradually being consumed by the flames and set it to the bow. He ignored the twinge in his lacerated shoulder and the heat scorching his fingers as he pulled back and fired. When the bolt struck the shade, it flinched, for while the arrow apparently sailed all the way through, licks of fire had stuck to its outer skin. With an ear-splitting shriek, it turned to flee into the darkness where the tiny flickers were quickly extinguished.
Aragorn leaped to his feet and charged Uglûk before the shadow beast could return. The Gundabad orc roared in outrage and turned the obsidian crystal toward Aragorn, but the Ranger was too fast, and he sliced his sword up across the orc's meaty knuckles. His animalistic bray turned to one of pain as his fingers spasmed open and the crystal fell to the ground. Aragorn ducked down and scooped it up, rolling into a crouch on Uglûk's left and stabbing at his hulking thigh. Throwing his head back in a roar, the Gundabad brute swung one arm that clubbed Aragorn in the side and sent him flying.
He hit the ground with a grunt that threatened to steal his breath once more, but a second later he was scrabbling to his feet toward Legolas. They had the stone back; now it was time to escape with their lives. Though Aragorn couldn't see any blood on the elf's nearly prone form, only a serious injury would keep Legolas down this long.
Aragorn grabbed the elf's arm, hauling him up and back toward the underground citadel. Even though the rest of the orc troop was slain, he did not want to risk running into that shadow wight in the overgrown ruins, or the livid Uglûk. Legolas stumbled along, bow dangling from lax fingers. Aragorn slowed enough to take the weapon and sling it over his own shoulder. His heart thundered in his chest with intense worry, but they needed to find a defensible shelter before he could devote attention to any wounds they bore. Pain throbbed through his shoulder, but Aragorn felt certain it wasn't deep, as he still had range of movement.
They trampled through the undergrowth, not at all stealthily, though Aragorn hoped Uglûk would not attempt to follow them alone. And he had no idea what the shadow beast would do, whether it would be loyal to the orc captain by design, or if it would indiscriminately attack any living thing it came upon. Or, now that Aragorn held the obsidian stone, could he control the monster? That was one discovery he would be happy to put off for a while, at least until he and Legolas had recovered from this recent skirmish.
A glance at the elf revealed little of his condition in the shroud of night. Only his unsteady gait alerted Aragorn that something was wrong, though as they ran, it did seem to get stronger. Perhaps Legolas was just stunned by close contact with the fell aura of this sorcery.
They reached the doors to the mound, and Legolas was aware enough to pull up short, casting Aragorn a long-suffering look. Aragorn did not yield; if the elf wanted to defer to his leadership so often, he was going to make good use of it. He pushed Legolas inside, and then groped blindly at the wall for several moments before his fingers knocked against a torch. Aragorn fumbled the flint from his pack and finally managed to ignite a spark. Orange light burst into the great hall, filling it with a contorted mesh of light and shadow. Aragorn swallowed a flash of fear, all too aware of the fell crystal nestled in his pocket and what it was capable of.
He guided Legolas to the archive room they had spent the first two nights in, quickly lighting the candles left there. Though moving somewhat stiffly, Legolas grabbed a fire poker and one of their discarded torch branches from earlier, and barricaded the door.
Now that they were somewhat secure, Aragorn turned his full attention on the elf, taking in his pale pallor. "Where are you wounded?"
Legolas shook his head. "I'm not."
Aragorn frowned. Legolas may have had a penchant for concealing pain, but he was not foolish enough to hide injuries. Argue that he could tend them himself, yes, or at least insist on being treated last if others were hurt, but he would never lie. And Aragorn could find no blood on his person that might explain the elf's dazed condition.
"Did the shadow touch you?" he asked anxiously.
Legolas's brows knitted together in concentration. "No." He hesitated as though trying to parse something out silently. Reaching around his back, he unfastened his quiver and laid it on the table. There were three scratches across the exterior.
Aragorn grabbed Legolas's shoulders and turned him to get a view of his back, but it appeared the quiver had taken the brunt of the strike, for his tunic was not even torn. The Ranger rubbed his face rigorously in frustration. Not that he wanted to find a serious wound on his friend, but at least physical hurts was something he knew how to treat. Whatever this was served to unnerve him more than facing the acid-spitting dragon or horde of orcs had.
Upon noticing Legolas swaying slightly, Aragorn turned away long enough to pull a chair over, and gestured firmly for him to sit.
"I'll be fine, Aragorn," Legolas insisted, though the way he nearly sagged into the chair belied that assertion. "I think…I just need to rest." He placed one elbow on the edge of the table and braced his head in his hand wearily.
Aragorn pursed his lips. They both needed to rest and recover their strength. If there was aid to be found nearby, Aragorn might have considered braving the wilds, but the closest friendly settlement was one-hundred miles south at Bree, and they didn't have horses. Now that there was no longer an orc troop waiting for them outside, the road was less dangerous, but Uglûk was a concern, as was the umbral creature. What would become of it at dawn? Dark things loved the night, but considering the essence of the entity, shadows were a natural byproduct of light. Could it then walk under sun without hindrance?
Mulling such thoughts over, Aragorn's gaze wandered in deep rumination over their predicament. So turbulent was his mind, that he found he'd been staring at the wall for a good length of time, and it seemed Legolas had not even noticed enough to tease him for it. Aragorn was about to impart a friendly gibe for the elf's inattentiveness, when something about the wall behind them struck him as odd. He blinked uncomprehendingly—for really, what about it was so fascinating it held more importance than the troubles that lay outside?
Aragorn shook his head at himself; he was exhausted and losing his grip on rational thought…but that small movement triggered a jolting recognition at what he was seeing—or rather, not seeing.
"Legolas," he said in a hushed voice.
The elf lifted his head, and craned his neck to follow Aragorn's gaze. The Ranger gripped his elbow and pulled him up, both of them watching the wall as a dark patch mirrored Aragorn's movements. Legolas, however, did not cast a shadow…