Sorry it took so long to update. It's been busy around here.



Pain. Mabnis opened his eyes, and closed them again. Sand was being blasted at his face. He faced the other direction, but it did no good; sand was coming toward him from all sides.

He stood up, and put his arm in front of his face, blocking some of the grit. He looked all around him, but saw nothing. Nothing but sand, under him and coming down on his head and face, slicing his skin in a thousand new places each second.

"Daddy!" He spun around. Catylyn was there, standing frozen, even in the heat of this desert. Snakes were curling around her legs, slowly getting higher and higher. She fidgeted, causing herself to fall over. She looked up at him as the snakes began wrapping themselves around her torso. "Help me."

He drew his sword from the sheath on his back. "NO!" he charged for the snakes, but fell to his knees, coughing and grasping at this throat. He tried to get up, but with each cough he breathed in more sand. Catylyn was breathing sharply now, and her eyes were wide.

"Caty -" He tried to get up, but the pain of the sharp rocks in his throat and eyes was too great. Tears of helplessness began to cloud his vision.

"I can save her."

Mabnis looked up to the left. Cerid was there. A strange haze surrounded him, created by the absence of sand. "If you would give me your sword, I could save her."

"Never," Mabnis managed to spit out.

"She will die then." Both looked now to Catylyn. She had fallen unconscious, and one snake was opening hits mouth by her head.

Mabnis coughed again, and blood came out. He tried to stand, but fell flat on his face. Vines had grown up out of the sand, ensnaring his legs. He sliced through them easily, but they grew back in a moment. He looked at Catylyn. The snakes' mouth had closed over her head.

"There is still time! I can save her, I can!"

Mabnis frowned, as if in pain, and lowered his head. He handed his sword up to Mabnis. "Take it!"

Then Cerid had the sword, and the snake's head was cut and pulled off of Cate. The vines shriveled into dust and the sand stopped blowing. Mabnis jumped up, and ran to hug his daughter.

He threw his arms around nothing. He opened his eyes. Cate was not there. The sand was not there, nor was Cerid. There was only black nothingness all around him. He was alone in the dark, with and empty sheath on his back.

In the waking world, Cerid was about to pull the sword from its scabbard.

~

"We should wait for nightfall," Haldir said.

"By that time, he will have stolen the swords," Perequi said.

"If we left now, he still will have gotten them by the time we arrive," Lelei informed him.

Legolas nodded. "He is still human. In the darkness, we will have the advantage."

Perequi nodded, them sighed. "I remember her, from before. She was always happy, always laughing."

"Before?" Legolas frowned.

"She was born here, in this forest. Her mother was Meleri and her father was Mabnis," Alkahar told him.

Legolas shook his head. "Did everyone know about this?"

"Everyone who was alive three hundred years ago," Eledan told him.

"You were alive," Legolas said.

"I did not remember. I was too young. Her eyes were only vaguely familiar."

"You were there, though, the day that we put her into the river," Haldir said.

"I know. Imrohir told me."

There was a silence, then Legolas spoke. "Imrohir said we must be quick. We will rest until three hours before nightfall. We get her out, and we leave."

~

A small girl sat on the floor, playing with a doll. The girl's black hair was in a bob on her head, and the doll's was in two pigtails. Cate frowned, seeing this.

A man entered the room, and the girl looked up. "Hi Jared!"

"Hello Caty," he said kindly. "What have you got there?"

"It's Annie." She held up the doll for him to see.

"No," Cate whispered to no one.

"Well, Annie is looking very pretty today."

Caty grinned, and Cate trembled, biting her lip.

Caty frowned. "Jared?"

"Yes?"

"Do grown ups play with dolls, ever?"

"No!" Cate yelled, and ran forward. She tried to pick up her younger self, but her hands passed right through the girl. She screamed.

Jared took a breath. "No, Caty."

"How come?" He smacked her. She fell to the floor, too shocked to cry.

Cate drew her sword, and swung it at Jared, but it, like her hands, passed right through it. She screamed again in anger as Jared turned Caty onto her back.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and spun around, sword in front of her. "Cerid!"

"Give me your sword."

"What?"

"I can stop him, but I need your sword."

Cate frowned. Caty screamed them, and began to cry. Cate heard the ripping of her jeans and closed her eyes, the sound echoing from her memories.

"I can save her."

Cate opened her eyes, and tears streamed down her face. "Yes." She nodded. "Take it. Save her." The sword was in his and then, and he stabbed it through Jared's throat.

Blood spilled, landing on Caty's face. Cate felt it as well, running hot into her eyes. She squinted, and rubbed her eyes, then blinked them open. She saw nothing.

Cerid grinned as he looked at the sword, the emeralds reflecting the candlelight into his eyes.

~

Haldir looked through the window. Cate was there, lying in a bed, her chest rising and falling lightly with each breath. An empty scabbard lay on the floor at her side. Another scabbard lay empty, by a second bed. A man lay in it, also asleep.

He turned to Alkahar. "She is there, alive but asleep." He sighed. "Cerid has taken the swords. And. . . there is a man there as well, also sleeping."

Alkahar frowned. "Mabnis?"

Haldir nodded.

"How do we get her out? We will be heard."

"I can distract him."

Haldir and Alkahar looked behind them. Lelei was there.

"No," Alkahar said.

"Yes. Once you get her out, I'll follow you."

"You cannot fight him. Not now that he has the swords."

"What makes you think I would fight him?"

Alkahar sighed.

"I'll be fine," she said.

He sighed, and looked to Haldir, who looked again through the window. "Alright." He nodded. She began to slip into the shadows, but he spoke again. "Lelei."

"Yes?"

"Be careful," and she was gone.

~

Cerid heard a noise. He looked up and narrowed his eyes. "Footsteps in the grass," he mused, and stood.

He heard the sound again, closer this time, and walked to the door, both swords in his hands.

~

They heard the door close, and jumped through the window into the room, landing without a sound. Alkahar shook Cate gently. She stirred, and opened her eyes. "Alkahar!"

He put his hand to her lips. "We must be silent."

She frowned, sitting up. "Why?"

"Cerid will hear us, if we make too much noise," Haldir said.

"Come, Catylyn," Alkahar said, "we must go."

"Wait. Where's my sword?"

"It is beyond our reach now," Haldir said.

"Cerid took it. I thought it was just a dream." She ran her hands through her hair.

"Come now!" Haldir urged. "We must hurry!"

"But what about -"

"No!" He pulled her to the window. "Go now!"

She climbed through the window, and leaped to the ground below, followed by Haldir and Alkahar.

"But -"

"There is no time!" Haldir grabbed her hand and began running, keeping low to the ground and the shadows. Alkahar went to find Lelei.

~

Lelei waited, in the tree, for Cerid to go back to the house. She saw Haldir and Cate running away, towards the horses, but Cerid was too close for her to escape just yet.

She heard something move, in the branch above her, and looked up. A small bird, a raven hopped down to sit on her knees.

"Hello," she said in the language of birds.

"What's this?" It replied. "A spy? An intruder? A thief?"

"No," she shook her head. "I'm just -"

But the bird flew away. It flew to Cerid, and landed on his shoulder. It spoke into his ear, and he turned towards the tree. "Who's up there?" he called.

She frowned, and swallowed. He walked over to the tree, and looked up into the branches. "An Elvin princess, perhaps, far from her brother and her kingdom, I think?"

He jumped, and grabbed the lowest branch. He pulled himself up, never losing hold of the swords. Lelei pulled herself to a higher branch, drawing her own sword, for all the good it would do her.

Eledan saw Cerid climbing into the tree. He nudged Perequi, and pointed. The two of them headed towards it. Alkahar ran past them, and grabbed Cerid's ankles, pulling him from the tree. They both fell down, Cerid landing on Alkahar. He flipped over, and held the swords up.

Lelei swung from the tree, kicking him in the head, and sending him forwards, sprawling onto the ground. He was up in an instant. A group of clouds flew in front of the moon, eliminating the light. Cerid jumped up to find himself surrounded by shadows with swords.

They charged at him, and he countered, blocking their blows. One sword fell to the ground, his forearm cut. He swung at a shadow madly with the other blade. It leaned back, avoiding the blow, and his other arm was cut.

He was hit in the face, and fell to his knees. A shadow stepped up to him, and he drew a knife. He stabbed it in the leg, and picked up one of the swords from the ground. There was a yell of pain. He swung the sword around, and felt it slice through flesh. The shadows backed off, and ran away.

"No!" he heard someone yell.