"Are you serious, Caldhan? You are actually telling us that we are in the Shirloria, the land of magic?" Legolas repeated, a smile creeping onto his face.
Caldhan nodded her head. She remained completely calm as if she were expecting anything and everything they could throw at her. The two siblings glanced at each other before they burst out laughing. Nanaylia stepped forward, in total disbelief yet a smile still crossed her face.
"Listen, we do not know what you are trying to prove but we cannot possibly be in Shiloria! The place is a myth!" she protested.
Caldhan smiled as she moved around the two siblings. She was thinking about what she was planning to say next, unsure how to explain to them about their existence.
"This may be hard for you to believe but you are indeed in Shiloria. At one time, we walked amongst the peoples of Middle Earth but we were scorned because of our capabilities. Throughout the centuries, we retreated and thusly, have been completely forgotten as a race altogether. We eventually transformed into a mythical place where strange creatures and magic exists," Caldhan explained.
Legolas glanced over to his sister, the skepticism still written all over his face – and hers. They gazed back into her direction, hoping to get some sort of sign from her.
"And I suppose that you are going to tell us that the gargoyles are your enemies," Legolas sarcastically mused.
Caldhan couldn't help but smile at the statement. She knew they didn't believe much of what she was saying and nothing would truly convince them yet.
"As a matter of fact, they are," Caldhan confidently responded.
The smiles immediately disappeared from both Legolas and Nanaylia's face and looks of complete horror as they turned to each other. The colour drained from their faces with the realization slowly sinking in.
"It cannot be possible!" Legolas gasped.
"It is possible. We have been at war with them since the beginning and there has been no stopping them! You have to understand!" she pleaded with them.
Legolas couldn't believe what he was hearing. The words were ringing in his ears and he felt they weren't going to be stopping anytime soon. Nanaylia began to feel weak in her knees and she had to seek out the nearest chair before she completely collapsed onto the floor.
"Why did we not see this sooner? Those gargoyles are more trouble that they are worth," she called to Legolas.
Legolas managed to nod in agreement. Several thoughts ran through his head as he placed a hand on his chin. His eyes made their way back to Caldhan, who had remained silent.
"Say you are truly not deceiving us: we are really in Shiloria and the gargoyles are indeed your enemies, I still do not completely understand why we are here. I can think of many elves, men, a few hobbits and a dwarf who have come into contact with gargoyles and lived to tell the tale. What makes us special?" Legolas replied.
Caldhan became silent with the observation, unsure how to respond. Both siblings noticed her lack of reaction and Legolas carefully stepped towards her. She held up a hand, keeping her head slightly down. She didn't want to have them see that she was almost in tears.
"I do not believe that I am the appropriate one to answer that question," she finally answered.
"Then who is the one?" wondered Nanaylia.
Before Caldhan could answer, a growl filled their ears and a wolf marched through the door. It carefully watched the two siblings as it headed towards them. It made its way to Caldhan and sat on its hind quarters. The elder elf gave a smile, fully knowing what it meant. She glimpsed back in the direction of the brother and sister.
"Looks like you are going to get your wish after all. Our queen has returned. Allow me to escort you to the main hall for she will be eager to see you," Caldhan told them.
She began to head towards the door, never looking back at the two. Legolas and Nanaylia stole a quick look between each other before following her out the door.
00000
The colour drained from Aragorn's face as the elves appeared to be in total shock from the new predicament. The new elf rushed to the window and he paled once he saw the gargoyles flying about outside. He balled his hands and slammed them against the window. Elladan was beginning to fume as he grabbed Sarcoy by his collar.
"Why are gargoyles assaulting Minas Tirith? As far as I know, they have no reason to attack this place! They arrived just after you did. Does this mean you are working with them?" he demanded.
"They must have followed me! I do not know how they did, but they must have!" he cried.
Elladan was livid as he stepped away from the group and placed a hand over his mouth. He was unsure how to react to the situation, moreso than everyone else.
"Listen to me carefully: we are not in league with the gargoyles for they are our enemies. If they did not follow me, they must have somehow known that Legolas and Nanaylia were here and their plan to kill them coincided with my arrival to warn you," Sarcoy explained.
"I will believe that when I see it," Thranduil retorted.
Sarcoy narrowed his eyes as neared the fuming father. Leaning in closer, the new elf thought about what he was going to say next and Thranduil was shocked by the words that floated into his ears.
"At least we are not like Manlin."
Sarcoy turned towards the door, giving a knowing look to the Elven king. Thranduil couldn't say a word. Aragorn approached him, placing a hand on his shoulder, bringing the elf back to reality.
"Let's get going. We've got a fight to win. Thranduil, you'd better stay here. They might be after you as well," the man said.
Thranduil nodded as the group's attention went back to the threat at hand and they followed began to head out the door after Sarcoy. When they reached the hallway, they were surprised not to find him but a wolf sitting calmly on the ground. He gave them a look that said 'let's get going'. The elves and man glimpsed at each other before following the animal down the halls, amongst the frantic masses.
"They certainly have everyone in an uproar," muttered Elrohir.
No one said anything else as they rushed outside. Drawing his sword, Aragorn watched the gargoyles move about and hoped that one would eventually come in their direction. As the twins pulled out their bows, the wolf growled as lunged forward. The trio followed him through the screaming crowd.
Gargoyles were slowly landing within the streets and assaulting everyone that passed by them. The elves pulled back the string on their bows and released an arrow. They hit their marks as the elves continued on after the others.
The four hurried through the streets battling as many gargoyles as they could, with the wolf leading the way when a figure suddenly jumped down in front of them. Elladan drew in a breath as he saw who was standing in front of them. His eyes flared up in anger as he balled up his free hand. Elrohir placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, in case anything should happen and he needed to stop his only brother.
"What are you doing here?" Elladan coldly asked.
The female gargoyle simply laughed as she gazed over the group. She folded her arms as she glanced towards the sky, as if looking for someone. A gush of air was heard as thumps were heard on the ground nearby.
"My, my, what have we here? A quartet of characters is trying to stop us? How pathetic!" a familiar voice snarled.
Laughter filled the air as Aragorn, Elladan and Elrohir prepared themselves for an unexpected fight for they were now face to face with Shentree, Banside and Sathed.
"What are you doing here?" demanded Elladan, an icy tone to his voice.
"Why, we're here for Legolas and Nanaylia. We've also heard she just had a child and we're here for that one as well," Shentree said with a smile.
"That's right, now where are they?" demanded Banside.
The gargoyle caught Elladan by surprise by roughly grabbing the elf's arm. The two struggled momentarily before Elladan managed to jerk his arm free. He growled at the gargoyle, who simply laughed. The wolf paced towards him, the snarls emitting from his throat.
"They are not here," the animal growled.
Shentree laughed, realizing who it was that stood in front of them. Sathed crouched on the ground, a huge grin on his face and gently rocked from side to side. The soft glow surrounded the wolf and it began to change shape. The two elves and one man were in awe and their jaws dropped as Sarcoy appeared before them in place of the animal.
"Sarcoy, I should have known that you would be here. She is very brazen, kidnapping a brand new mother and her child," Shentree smiled.
"The method may have been a bit unorthodox but at least they are safe from the likes of you," Sarcoy replied.
Shentree gritted her teeth and motioned to both of her companions. The two jumped towards the quartet, catching them off guard. Sarcoy lunged for Shentree and the two locked hands, the sparks spurting from between them. Another gargoyle appeared on the scene and she smirked.
"I have been waiting for this moment for quite some time," she muttered.
"Yancha, it's good of you to join us!" Shentree yelled at her.
The new arrival jumped into the mix of the two elves, two gargoyles and one man. As Banside danced between Aragorn and Elladan, she seized the elf from behind and flung him to the ground. The elf scrambled to his feet and faced the gargoyle, an arrow aimed directly at her.
"You can not win this. We will find them and we will kill them all," Yancha smirked.
"I will never allow you to get near my wife and daughter," Elladan protested.
The gargoyle laughed as she began to dance with the elf. After several moments, she lunged for Elladan and the elf released his arrow. It grazed her shoulder and she never noticed it as she flew past the elf. Landing on all fours, she twirled back around and bared her teeth at him.
"Try me, elf. I'm faster and stronger than you will ever be. You'll never be able to kill me," she roared.
She charged for Elladan, who took a defensive stance.
00000
Aragorn was barely managing to block the bombardment from Banside. The gargoyle's guttural growl filled the man's ears and he inwardly winced with each passing moment.
'This is not going to be good,' thought Aragorn.
"You will not win this. Your city will fall, just like Sarcoy's," Banside snarled.
"I can assure you that we will survive anything the likes of you can throw at us. After all, the city lived through the assaults from Mordor," Aragorn retorted.
While keeping an eye on the gargoyle, Aragorn managed to steal a glance over at Elrohir, who was having his own problems with Sathed. The gargoyle kept jumping around while Elrohir kept searching for a chance to attack. It was obvious that the elf was quickly getting frustrated.
"Stop moving around will you and defend yourself?" Elrohir said with an exasperated sigh.
Sathed laughed, never noticing where he was slowly bounding towards as Elrohir watched him. The gargoyle slammed into the wall, and Elrohir took this chance to pin him against it.
"Do not make this harder than what it has to be," Elrohir quietly told him.
Sathed gave a cheeky smile before lifting his leg and kicking the elf in the stomach. Elrohir gasped for air as he fell to his knees. Sathed laughed as he hurried over to where Banside and Aragorn were battling.
The two were in a stalemate and the gargoyle immediately took notice of his comrade dancing to one side. Giving a smirk, Banside tentatively gave a step in Aragorn's direction before ducking down, allowing Sathed to jump over his head. The gargoyle hissed as he knocked the man backwards into a nearby wall. Aragorn cried out in pain as Banside hurried up to them.
"Like I told you earlier Aragorn, you can't win this," he sneered.
A screech came from nearby and Banside's gaze stepped over to Shentree, who was lying on her back, with Sarcoy hovering above her. A scowl crossed her face as she backed away from the elf. She stole the quickest of glimpses to both sides and gave the faintest of smiles.
"I told you will not win this, Shentree," Sarcoy told her.
"Believe what you will, Shilorian elf but tell your queen that we now have the upper hand," Shentree responded.
In the blink of an eye, she climbed to her feet and began to take flight. Both Banside and Sathed took notice and followed suit. Sarcoy leapt forward in order to catch the female gargoyle but missed but a few inches. Elrohir made his way over to Aragorn and the three helplessly watched as the gargoyles flew away. Sarcoy growled, balling his hands into fists. Aragorn slowly got to his feet, wincing slightly from the pain in his shoulder. But for Elrohir, a bad feeling quickly settled in his stomach. He frantically looked from side to side and his face paled.
"Where is Elladan?"
TBC…
