7
Elladan and Elrohir were on either side of the cave entrance when they heard the scream and then heard it swiftly cut off. Swords drawn, they burst into the cave, not heeding Glorfindel's bellow behind them. Elrohir sliced the orc that moved towards him almost in two as Elladan ran the one on the left through the chest with his sword.
Elladan fell to his knees beside Celebrian, as Elrohir moved to Cyllessil's fallen form.
The orc she had clearly been trying to strangle as she fell still struggled in her now loose grasp, tongue lolling from his mouth. Elrohir put his sword point directly over the orc's chest and gently lifted her limp arms from around his neck. Randir thrust his bow over his shoulder and dropped his arrow as he ran to lift his Queen into his arms to carry her outside.
Glorfindel knelt next to Elladan. "Does she live?" Elladan nodded and bent to pick up his mother's limp form and carried her out of the cave. Glorfindel then rapidly moved to Elrohir, who was still pressing his sword point onto the fallen orc's chest.
"Where do you come from?" Elrohir hissed at the orc in the Common Tongue. The orc glared at him but didn't attempt to move. He gave no reply. Glorfindel laid his sword by the orc's neck and without looking at Elrohir spoke to him in Sindarin. "See to Cyllessil and your mother and leave this one to me."
Elrohir's grip on his sword tightened. "Vengeance is mine, Glorfindel. This one is for me to kill." Glorfindel laid his free hand on Elrohir's shoulder, never taking his eyes off the orc. "Elrohir. Go see to Cyllessil and your mother." he repeated. "Please. There is no one here with as much healing skill as the two of you. It will all be for naught if we lose them now." He gripped Elrohir's shoulder tightly once and gave him a push.
Elrohir raised his eyes to look at Glorfindel, but the Balrog-slayer's eyes were fixed on the orc in front of him. Elrohir turned and left the cave to find his brother.
Glorfindel moved his sword directly over the orc's heart. "Now, you were about to tell me where you come from?" he asked again.
Elrohir stepped in to the sunshine outside the cave and spotted Elladan and Randir not far from the cave entrance, bent over the rescued captives.
"Naneth?" he questioned his brother.
"See to Cyllessil, 'Ro. I've got Naneth but I fear Cyllessil may be worse off." Elladan answered.
Elrohir dropped to his knees next to Randir, who was cradling Cyllessil's head in his lap. He took her wrist and felt her pulse, faint but very fast. Her eyes were closed and he caught a faint tinge of blue to her lips.
His rapid primary survey of her injuries made his stomach clench. Head injury, no question about that. The stab wounds in her side were still bleeding and he was sure at least one had reached her lung, very likely puncturing it. The wound on her shoulder was even more concerning. The shoulder itself was swollen and an angry looking red; it was the blackness in her skin spreading from the stab wound that worried him. This was poison. He noted the forearm wound, stretching from wrist to elbow. He could stitch that easily but even if he had the time he wouldn't dare. The edges of that were also black with poison.
He could see Cyllessil was shivering, although her skin was hot to the touch. That was likely due to the poison as well. He thought about what he had with him in the healing pack at his waist, knowing it wouldn't be enough. Focus, he told himself. Think about what Ada would do. He took a deep breath. There was nothing he could do for her lung, out here in the wild. He ripped a length of cloth from his cloak and had Randir help him bind it around her chest. That would stem the bleeding, if nothing else.
He had herbs with him that could work on her fever and he knew Elladan had athelas in his pack. That might at least slow the poison for a bit. But they needed hot water, which meant they needed a fire.
"Elladan."
"What?" his brother snapped at him.
"We need a fire. I need to get Cyllessil to drink something. She's burning with fever from the poison."
Elladan's head whipped around to glare at his brother. "A fire? Out here? We can't risk it,'Ro. We've got to get them to Ada."
"Cyllessil won't make it to Ada if we don't do something now, 'Dan." Elrohir insisted. "The poison's pretty far gone. I'm sure that orc filth stabbed her when she shouted out to us. I think it got her lung. I'd risk just riding straight off if it was one or the other but with both, I don't think she's going to make it if I don't do something now!"
He heard Randir make an unintelligible sound at his words and saw him touch Cyllessil's shoulder gently.
"Do what now?" Glorfindel asked, coming to stand over Elrohir.
"Glorfindel, it's bad. The blades that got her were poisoned. I think her lung has been punctured and I know she has a head injury as well." Elrohir looked up at Glorfindel. "If I don't get some medicine in her for the fever and some athelas for the poison she won't make it through the day, much less back to Ada."
"Elladan, what's the report on your mother's injuries." Glorfindel asked, not answering Elrohir.
Elladan looked up at Glorfindel then and Elrohir felt his fear build when he saw the look of utter devastation in his brother's eyes.
"Poisoned wound. Head injury. And . . ." he paused, his jaw clenching. "And she is fading," he finally stated, turning his gaze back down to his mother.
"Fading?" Elrohir moved across to his mother now at Elladan's words and grasped her limp wrist. He looked at her for the first time clearly. He took in the wounds on her face and arms, then realization came as he saw the state of her clothing and the stains left. Elrohir felt his hands begin to shake.
"Randir!" Glorfindel took charge. "Start a fire. Those wargs won't be back til sundown. We can spare the time. We've got water in our water skins. I won't waste time searching for water now." He laid a hand on Elrohir's shoulder. "We can fill them on the road. For now do what you can with what we have. We've got to get them to your father." He shook Elrohir's shoulder. "You heard me. Get the medicines going."
"The orc?" Elrohir questioned Glorfindel, as he started to rummage in his waist pack for the supplies he needed.
"Won't have much to say ever again." Glorfindel stated. "Before I killed him he happened to mention the wargs are expected back tonight. They've gone to feed. We need to be gone long before that."
He squatted down next to Elrohir and gently stroked Cyllessil's hand. "Do what you can now, Elrohir. We've got to get them to your father."
Elrohir nodded silently, then moved to where Randir was starting a small fire.
Glorfindel moved to Elladan and knelt beside him, near Celebrian's head. "Elladan."
Elladan did not look up as he wrapped Celebrian's arm with a torn of piece of cloth.
"Elladan." Glorfindel repeated. "There is nothing more we could have done. We got here as fast as we possibly could."
Elladan raised his eyes to glare at Glorfindel. "They should never have been able to capture her. I was right there! 'Ro was right there! I never even saw them take her until it was too late."
Glorfindel met Elladan's glare with his calm blue eyes. "This is not helping either of them now, Elladan. Do what you can and let's get them to your father. It's her best chance and you know it." He stood up. "I'm going to check on Madirion and the horses. They haven't had as much rest as they need but we must ride again soon."
Madirion and the horses were within sight, near the tracks where Glorfindel and the company had left them. "My lord?" Madirion asked. "I heard shouting."
"We found the orcs, Madirion. And my lady and the Queen." He paused and looked at the plain around them. "We must tend to their injuries." He spoke again at Madirion's expression. "They are both badly wounded. We will do what we can quickly and then we must ride again." Glorfindel continued scanning the horizon and then stopped, his eyes focused south.
"Someone comes," he said to Madirion. Madirion turned to look in the same direction. "They are far off but should reach us, likely sooner than would suit us." Glorfindel continued to stare into the distance. "I cannot make out who is following us just yet. Let us bring the horses off the trail until we can see more clearly. If we can see them they will soon be able to see us." Glorfindel moved to his horse; he and Madirion directed the horses towards the nearby shadow of the mountain foothills, where the rest of their party lay. "We dare not leave now. I would not wish to be in sight of an enemy behind us," he added, as he moved swiftly to join the Peredhel.