XI
A Kestrel, a Hawk and an Owl
They stood on the stair above the courtyard, the elves, the Men, and the White Wizard, shivering in the wind that had picked up from the north. The western sky was flaming red with the setting sun, and above them it was dark and strewn with an ocean of stars. The air was bitter cold. Aye, Hawn had said, it always gets cold around Midwinter. Right on time this year.
Legolas pulled at the embroidered sleeves of his tunic. He didn't want it to be Midwinter.
As they watched, Glorfindel turned his horse around and rode away across the southern bridge, carrying a torch that sputtered in the wind and made his hair gleam golden in the dark; a moment later lady Arwen spurred her own horse under the northern arch. Hawn had said that usually it was the twins who made the ride, but they no longer wanted to, so Glorfindel and lady Arwen had taken their place. Elladan and Elrohir were watching from the top of the stair, away from the others.
They waited. Glorfindel's torch flickered between the trees down into the valley, while lady Arwen's vanished out of sight only to reappear high on the mountainside, climbing steadily up. The elves and the Men whispered among each other; now and then there was a stifled laugh, the rustle of silk as someone shifting their stance, or the scraping of a boot against the stone steps. The broken silence was bristling with anticipation, and at the same time with the heavy significance of an age-old tradition. They all knew what the fires were for. They would drink and sing and dance all night, but not forget about the darkness until dawn broke.
Legolas wished he could have shared their anticipation, but he could not. It was not only homesickness, even though the traditions of the Noldor made it painfully clear how far away he was from home, but worry - Quick-wing had not returned, and Tinuhen was still out there, spending the longest night of the year somewhere in the mountains where no fire would be enough to keep him safe or warm. Legolas didn't even care about the council. He just wanted his friends to be alright.
"You're brooding again, little one", Hawn said and laid an arm around his shoulders. "Nothing will change because you fret about it. Look - lady Arwen has reached the first fire."
Above them, close to where the northern path trailed out of the valley but not close enough to reveal it, Arwen's torch had come to a halt. They could see her tiny silhouette beside the great pile of fire-wood laid out there, but she would not light it until Glorfindel had reached the furthest fire on his side, and the elf-lord was now somewhere at the bottom of the valley where they could not see him. So they waited and waited as the sun dove into the western sea and it became so cold even the elves complained about it. As evening turned to night, all the outer guards would retreat and join the feast - and that was why the fires were important. For though no one had ever dared to come into the valley, and few knew the way, the fires would serve as their defence, preventing anyone from approaching the House of Elrond unseen. Against the dark the the fires would gleam bright in defiance, a sign to all wicked things that the elves did not fear them.
"And", Arahad had said, "they will serve as a guide to anyone seeking refuge behind our borders tonight. If your father is on his way, he will see them."
If, Legolas thought, but Beren and Tinuhen could just as well sit starving and shivering by the Dimrill Stair, or be stuck up on Caradhras - or be dead. The thought made him feel sick. He wrapped his arms around the knot of fear in his stomach.
At last they could see Glorfindel again, a tiny spot of red between the trees. Yet for a while they waited. Then at last the elf-lord came to a stop, raising his torch in the air and waving it twice, a signal for Arwen to light the fire. There was a pause, the wind howling - then flames blazed up to the north, and a moment later, to the south, rising high and bright to the sky. The elves and the Men cheered and clapped their hands, and some of them spontaneously burst into song, which made almost all the rest fall in with them. They sung all the time that Arwen and Glorfindel, now accompanied by the outer guards, made their way back to the House, lightning the other four fires on the way.
At last Arwen came trotting under the northern arch again, and a little later Glorfindel came riding over the southern bridge. They threw their torches on the great pile of fire-wood below the stair, the flames leapt up, and everyone cheered and clapped again.
"Thus it begins", lord Elrond said: "The longest night of the year. But when it is over we will be going towards longer days, and till then, I bid you all a joyful feast."
"Ah, ye gods", Tilwine mumbled, as everyone broke up and went inside. "I would never have expected to find something this beautiful anywhere in the world."
Hawn chuckled. "Rivendell takes you that way, truly."
"What do you do for Midwinter in Rohan?" Legolas asked, but Tilwine shook his head, and nearly looked as though he might cry.
"I'd rather not talk about it. To think - of my family and friends, having nothing like these mountains to protect them, and nothing like these warriors, and I'm not even there to help! We're alike, you and I", he said, looking down at Legolas with a sad smile. "Both far from home and wondering how our loved ones fare. But this - I cannot help but feel hopeful again after I've seen this."
Legolas wished he could too. Unsure of what to say he asked: "...Aren't you cold?"
"So I am, but Echail has my cloak again." Tilwine gave a laugh. "Silly elf did not think to bring his own. I felt even colder watching him."
Echail, who limped up the stair beside lord Elrond and lady Arwen, was indeed wearing the blue cloak, and he looked very regal in it. He also looked immensely pleased with himself, in a fine tunic with silver embroideries and with an ornamented sword strapped to his waist. He caught Legolas' glance and scowled, then saw Tilwine, flinched, and blushed. Legolas made a face. If only Tilwine wouldn't have smiled back the same half-dazed way.
"Do you know why Echail was injured?" he asked slyly. "Has anyone told you that?"
"Echail told me that, but he would not want to me to - "
"Oh, I already know", Legolas assured him. "I heard it from Elrohir. I was wondering if Echail had told you the full story..."
Tilwine turned to him, looking unusually grave. "Listen, Legolas... I know that you and Echail don't get along, and I know that Echail has not exactly done anything to change that - believe me, I have tried to talk to him. But you do not know him. You cannot judge him solely on what Elrohir has told you, because Elrohir - well, he has his reasons for feeling as he does, but that doesn't mean he's right."
"But..."
"Child", Tilwine said, and for some reason there were tears in his eyes again. "Sometimes people do bad things and they don't mean it. It's not their fault. You cannot judge a man when he has no choice."
He was a horse-thief, Legolas remembered, and stealing horses is a terrible crime. But it was not like losing one's mind in the face of battle and get people killed because of it. Clearly Echail had not told Tilwine the full truth of it.
But then, he may be the traitor, and if so he had good reason to make people like him more than they should.
The Midwinter feast was as splendid as one might have expected, no less so because Legolas had helped preparing for it. The frosted glass goblets and plates they had so meticulously polished glinted in the light of hundreds of candles, there was enough food to satisfy the Men, and enough wine to make the elves go red about the tip of their ears. Even Elladan and Elrohir seemed to enjoy themselves a little bit, but by the time people began to dance on the tables they hid a couple of wine bottles under their tunics and left.
The rest were about to move to the Hall of Fire when an elf came running up to the dais and whispered something in lord Elrond's ear. Lord Elrond immediately turned grave. Legolas had kept an eye on his through the evening, because he supposed that the council would begin sooner or later and he wanted to know when that happened, and now he saw the elf-lord whisper first to Saruman, then to Glorfindel and Erestor, and finally to the courier to fetch Echail - then they left, slipping out of the room while everyone else went in the other direction to continue feasting. Legolas hesitated, but not for long. He entered the corridor just as the elf-lords and the wizard rounded the far corner; keeping his distance he followed them to the entrance hall, but as they went outside and closed the doors behind them, he did not dare to follow any further. Instead he went back and up a stair to where there was a window overlooking the courtyard.
Pressing his cheek to the cold glass, he saw three riders coming over the southern bridge and into the circle of fire-light. The first was tall and straight, clad in a grey cloak that shifted like the ripples on a moonlit pond, and her golden hair fell loose down to her waist but was held back by a row of diamonds on her brow. The second wore a cloak of dark blue, embroidered with silver thread like sea-foam on great waves, and though he was an elf he had a long, silvery beard, braided and ornamented with little clasps made out of seashells. The third, last and least noticeable, was Gandalf.
He'd finally arrived! Legolas had known he would, though he hadn't always dared to believe it. If only he could talk to Gandalf, everything would be fine - but he had not a second to lose.
He ran back to the entrance hall and out the doors, but the elf-lords and the wizards were no longer there; they must have went inside as quick as nothing. Legolas was about to turn on the doorstep when a loud, urgent shriek caught his attention - at first he thought it was Quick-wing, but the bird that landed on the railing with its yellow eyes fixed on him was a common kestrel.
"Oh - good evening", Legolas said politely. "Did Radagast send you?"
"Did not. Sparrow hawk did. Was going to eat hawk but hawk said, must find little elf, and elf been kind, gave nuts and food, so friend of elf is friend. Still want to eat hawk. But find elf first."
Legolas frowned. Kestrels didn't hunt hawks, they were too big - unless... "Is the sparrow hawk wounded?"
The kestrel nodded, looking rather hungry.
"And he has a message for me?"
"Has. Elf should hurry. Will be dead soon."
"Show me", Legolas said, and the kestrel lifted, leading him around the back of the house and into the garden. He hoped there was time - that the council wasn't about to start - but if Quick-wing was injured and had a message so important he had persuaded a bird that came to eat him to take it, then Legolas could not ignore it.
The kestrel took him to the back of the library, where there was a window on the third floor that led to what was called the astronomy tower, even if it wasn't much of a tower. There was a glass dome on top of it, usually covered, and lord Elrond and Saruman often sat there until far into the night, but now it looked dark. Right below the window, the snow had fallen off a thorny bush that grew by the wall, as if something had fallen on top of the branches and disappeared under them. The snow around it was disturbed, criss-crossed with the kestrel's tracks and the long, sweeping trails of wings flapped desperately against the ground. And there was Quick-wing. The kestrel had dragged him halfway out of the bush, but his wings had caught on the thorns and there were feathers all around - some his own golden-red, some the kernel's light brown. Quick-wing had fought furiously.
Legolas swallowed, crouched down, and picked the little body up. When he pressed it to his chest, he could feel the little heart pick against his own, desperate and faltering. Quick-wing stirred half-heartedly.
"L- ittle... elf..."
"Ssh, don't speak, you'll make it worse. I'll take you to the healing wing, I'm sure -"
"Too late... little elf", Quick-wing whispered, and Legolas believed him. He sank to his knees, holding the sparrow hawk as still as he could to spare him the pain of moving. The kestrel eyed him with its head cocked to the side, but kept its distance.
"How long..."
"No time now", Quick-wing said. "Little elf... listen closely. Elves and Ragast - on way but - will be late. Coming through cave. Don't know when. Little elf must... tell elf-lord. Everything. Understand?"
"Tell him what? I'm not supposed to know - "
"But little elf - does know. Must tell everything. No time for secrets."
"Quick-wing, did the eagle - "
"Tricked... tricked to tell message, then - betrayed..." He shuddered, his voice weakening. "Knows too much... he... is..." His last breath was a desperate attempt to finish the sentence. Blood bubbled up in his beak and he wheezed, gasped, arched his back - and was gone. Legolas sat still for a moment in shock. Then he cradled the battered body to his chest, and he wanted to cry, but no tears came. Quick-wing was right. There was no time.
"Thank you for telling me this", he said to the kestrel and laid Quick-wing down in front of it. "You've been very helpful." He stood up and left, quickly before the kestrel set its beak into its dinner. He knew what to do.
The library was dark, so there was only one place lord Elrond might be - his own parlour. Echail stood outside the door, leaning the wall and looking very bored. When Legolas approached he straightened.
"What are you doing here? Go back to the feast - you have no business..."
"I want to speak to lord Elrond."
"And what it is this time? Another bird?"
Legolas looked at him, calm as a cloudy sky before the storm winds rips it in pieces. He was tired and scared and sad but most of all angry. Quick-wing had died to deliver this message and he would not let Echail stand in the way.
"I don't care what lord Elrond has ordered you", he said. "I have a message for him and he will listen to it, because if you try to stop me -"
Echail threw his head back and laughed. "If I try to stop you, then what? You'll cry for Elladan? Listen -" he leaned forward so fast Legolas didn't have time to back away and grabbed his arm, pulling him close. "Lord Elrond will not be disturbed. This is not like last time - whatever your stupid message is it had to wait, and if you don't shut up and leave I'll carry you away and lock you in your room. Lord Elrond will not. be. disturbed. He's got things to do that are more important than anything you could possibly conjure up. No one will bother him - least of all by some insignificant little silvan child..."
"But I'm not that!" Legolas snapped. "I am prince Legolas Thranduillion, son of the Elven King and Queen and you can't carry my away because I demand to speak to lord Elrond!"
Echail was so taken aback that for a moment he only stared. So did Legolas. He'd never meant to say it, least of all to Echail - but there was no way he could take it back. Echail's eyes narrowed. Maybe he'd dismiss it as a lie...
The door opened.
"Legolas?" lord Elrond said. "Is there something you wish to tell me?"
Echail opened his mouth, got a sharp glance from the elf-lord and closed it again. Legolas bit his lip.
"Uh... I have a message", he said. "From prince Tinuhen. My brother. He's on his way to Rivendell and you need to hear it now or there's no point..."
Someone came to stand in the doorway behind lord Elrond.
"You better come inside, child", Saruman said.
"Where's Gandalf?" Legolas asked as soon as the door closed behind him. He'd almost expected the Grey Wizard to be there, but apart from lord Elrond and Saruman the room was empty. "Can I talk to him?"
"Mithrandir is resting", Saruman said. He stood by the fire, hands clasped behind his back, and looked kind and not at all angry, as though Legolas' sudden intrusion amused him. Looking at him now, Legolas could not understand how he had been so frightened the first time they met. "He just arrived from a long journey, and is very tired. You may talk to him on the morrow."
"But I - "
"Did you not have a message that was very urgent?"
"I did", Legolas said, glancing at lord Elrond - now that he was here, he did not know where to start. Lord Elrond had looked stern at first, but now he beckoned at Legolas to sit down by the fire and he gave him a small, inward smile as though he was also reluctantly amused. When Legolas did not speak at once, he sighed and said: "My children once tricked me into believing that Elrohir was Elladan and Elladan was Elrohir, and kept the farce up for a whole week until I realised what was wrong. But never has anyone kept me fooled for the most part of a month. The son of Thranduil and Gwiwileth, indeed? I can see it now, and truly, I should have seen it from the start."
"I'm sorry", Legolas said and felt as though he shrunk in the cushioned armchair. "I didn't mean to lie at first but I wasn't allowed to tell the rangers who I was and then Tinuhen said I would keep it secret..."
"Tinuhen said that? Why on earth would he say such a thing?"
"Because there is..." He hesitated, wondering if this was the right time and place to say it, but Quick-wing had said he should tell everything. "Because there's a traitor in Rivendell. We don't know who he is, but he's been trying to hinder us from joining your council - the one that you're going to have tonight. Gandalf wanted us to join it, but first the message was hindered, and Tuiw was killed, and then there were all the things happening on the journey, and I wasn't supposed to say I was here, or that Tinuhen was, because the traitor is in your council and he'd try to stop us. I... I still don't know who it is. I think there's more than one."
A long silence followed upon his words. As soon as he mentioned the council, both Saruman and lord Elrond went completely still and did nothing to interrupt him until he was finished. Legolas shifted uncomfortably. At long last, lord Elrond spoke.
"How much do you know about this council, child?"
"Not - not a lot. They would not tell me much", Legolas said. "I don't think I was supposed to know, but Tinuhen had to tell me that so I would know how important it was that I kept it secret. Because Tinuhen is not supposed to be there, is he? And if you knew he was coming you might try to stop him. So we were going to keep it secret."
For a moment lord Elrond was at a loss for words. He looked at Saruman, who raised an eyebrow, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"A plot, is it? How intriguing. Tell me, child", Saruman said, "was it Gandalf the Grey who came up with this plan? Was it he who told them about the council?"
"Yes... I think so. But Radagast wanted them to attend it too. He's on his way with Tinuhen now, but they won't be here in time. Quick-wing told me I was to tell you to wait."
"Quick-wing?"
"One of Radagast's birds", lord Elrond explained. "He's been running messages between Legolas and his brother since they got separated. Did he bring me a written message, Legolas?"
Legolas shook his head. "I don't think he had one but if he had, it was stolen. He was killed by someone - I found him behind the house, and someone had hurt him badly and he was dying..." His voice caught and he fought to keep it steady. "It was that traitor. I know it was. He's already killed Tuiw and now he's killed Quick-wing too."
Lord Elrond looked very grave. "Those are dire words, Legolas. That someone in Rivendell would be willing to betray Greenwood - and me? But the Council is a most well-kept secret, let be that Mithrandir let it out. Perhaps someone is afraid of an alliance between Rivendell and Greenwood the Great, and have been working to prevent it - perhaps, indeed, from inside our borders. Of course, it must be investigated. Rest assure that if there is indeed a traitor, we will find him."
"And?" Legolas looked from lord Elrond to Saruman, trying to read their faces. "You will wait for Tinuhen and Radagast or what?"
Lord Elrond sighed. "That is a matter for the Coun..."
"No, it's not! It's a matter for Greenwood - we didn't go all this far just for you to send us home again. Tinuhen's been stuck in the mountains for a month! You can't just make all of that for nothing -"
"He and his parents has also been plotting against us for longer than that", lord Elrond reminded him sternly. "And you, Legolas, you have lied not only to me but you all your friends here. I do not think you are in a place to make demands."
Legolas clamped his mouth shut, fuming. He wanted to tell lord Elrond that he knew the elf-lord had been plotting too, but that would require telling him how he knew, which would require telling him about the Greenwood chest and the bottle of wine, which would require telling on Elladan.
"Legolas", lord Elrond said patiently, "you must trust me and Saruman to do what is best for all parties. You have been pulled into something that is far greater and more dangerous than you can imagine, and that should never have been allowed to happen, but you have done what you could and you have done well. From here on I ask that you let me take over. For your own safety I must keep you out of this. Return to the feasting. Echail can..."
Legolas flew up from the chair. He had forgotten about Echail. "Lord Elrond, there's one thing more. I think Echail is the traitor."
Lord Elrond raised an eyebrow. Saruman's face became unreadable.
"I - I know you trust him", Legolas said. "But that's the point. If Echail is the traitor that explains why he knows about the council - "
"Legolas, I have noticed that you and Echail doesn't get along..."
"But it's not just that! When we were in Netherford there was a thief - I mean, Arahad thought it was a thief but I think it was Echail - "
Lord Elrond glanced at the door, apparently worried that Echail might hear, and sighed. "While Echail is certainly not an elf of purely good and noble qualities, he is neither a thief nor a traitor. I know him well. He has never been anything but loyal to me."
"Except when lady CelebrÃan..."
"Child", Saruman said, his voice suddenly sharp. "I think it is time you leave."
There was no arguing with that, Legolas could tell. He got up, slipped out the door and walked quickly away before Echail could think of something mean to say, but all the time he had the feeling he'd left something important behind. Lord Elrond wasn't going to delay the council - he was sure of it, because lord Elrond didn't want Tinuhen there and now he knew he had the power to prevent it. Maybe Legolas had done things worse. Tinuhen would have known what to say, but Legolas had failed him. And all of Greenwood, in the end.
He stopped, turning around. At the far end of the corridor Echail was watching him, arms crossed over his chest. He knew who Legolas was now. If he was the traitor - what would he do? He'll try to kill me, Legolas thought, shuddering - it would be easy, because no one was listening to him anyway. All Echail had to do was follow him to somewhere out of sight...
Panicking, Legolas fled, dashing blindly through the empty house to his room, slamming the door shut behind him. The safety was only imaginary, and he knew it - a wooden door was no protection. If Echail wanted to kill him, he would.
What was he to do? Legolas pressed his back to the door and hid his face in his shaking hands. Fear rose like a tidal wave inside him, blocking out all rational thoughts. Maybe - he could go back to the Hall of Fire, seek refuge among others... but Echail was clever and ruthless, and being surrounded by others had not protected Legolas at the Midwinter market. No, that was no good. He cast aside the thought, then turned back to it, his mind going in circles: Arahad had taken him seriously at the market, but he had seemed to have forgotten it after the goblin cave - and Echail was his friend. Glorfindel? Hardly - he would listen to lord Elrond, as would Erestor. Still, wouldn't the Hall of Fire be safer than here?
Expect he did not know if there was more than one traitor - in which case there might be someone else in there waiting for him...
Legolas sank down on the soft carpet, heart pounding. He felt as though he stood on thin ice and saw cracks spread from under his feet, opening wider and wider, and there was nothing he could do to stop them. He'd been so careful, and still it had not helped - he'd tried to be brave, and still everything was lost, and this was not like when he went into the goblin cave - this time he was the one standing in plain sight, and he did not know when or whence the traitor might attack.
There were, of course, the twins. He'd be safe with them, surely, but what about the council? Nobody truly listened to the twins. They weren't reliable like that. So Legolas would be safe, but the council would not be moved. And Tinuhen? Surely Echail would tell the Old One, and maybe the Old One would realise that if one prince was here, the other might be too - and then he'd try to kill Tinuhen as he neared Rivendell and...
The last thought cleared his head. He looked up, trying to calm his racing heart, because now he saw it: Tinuhen and Beren and the others were in danger, and they didn't know it. Legolas was the only one who did. So he must stay calm and save them - it was their only chance.
He stood up and began to pace the room. What he needed to do was to warn Tinuhen, and that as soon as possible, but he must keep in mind the danger he was in too. If he just rushed heedlessly out in search of another bird that could take a message, he would be an easy prey - Echail was probably just waiting for him to go somewhere he could kill him. Maybe the twins would follow him out to look for a bird if he asked them. But Quick-wing had already been killed, and he had been as clever as sparrow hawks come - how would another bird safely get out of Rivendell, fly across the mountains, find Tinuhen in time and deliver him the message when Quick-wing had not been able to? The kestrel would never understand, and Legolas doubted there were many more birds nearby that could do better. And there was not just the traitor, but that black bird too. Legolas had not seen it for a while, but he was certain it was still somewhere around Rivendell, waiting to strike.
But if Legolas could not send a message with a bird - then how? The answer struck him, frightening and obvious at the same time. It was madness, but on the other hand, if Rivendell was not safe then Legolas ought to leave it. The traitor would never expect it. And he was a wood-elf. The wilderness outside the valley was huge. He would never be found.
Legolas stopped in the middle of the room, thinking fast. Quick-wing had mentioned a cave. Hadn't Erestor pointed out that other pass, the one above the Gladden River, on his first lesson? He'd said the wood-elves wouldn't like it, and if it was a cave, that made sense. It had not been too far from Rivendell. If Legolas could find the entrance to that cave he could lay in wait there until Tinuhen showed up. It would be dangerous, of course, and he would have to be very careful. But it was better than cowering here when the traitor knew who he was.
Before he could think too much about it, Legolas set to work. He changed into his own, warm travel-clothes, turned the cloak inside out so the white fur would hide him from view, and strapped on his dagger; it was all that he had, because he did not dare to sneak into the armoury too. Then he pushed the window open and looked out. The courtyard was empty, but the fire still burnt, making it impossible to cross it in the dark. How fortunate, then, that Legolas knew other ways.
He listened a long time for sounds outside the door, then went out and down the corridor to the left, stealing from pillar to pillar through a quiet gallery, then slipping out a door and into the garden. He knew all the places to hide, where all the paths between the hedges led, and from which windows someone might see him. Like a shadow he came around the back of the house, pressed close to the wall as he went past the practise ranges, crossed the herbary and trusted the trees to hide him from the windows of the Hall of Fire, where the feast was still going on as loud as ever. Finally he had rounded the house and in the dark of a waning moon crossed the southern bridge and headed down the path. He passed the first fire and the second without any hindrance. Frost crunched under his feet and his fingers were already stiff, but he did not dare to stop and hesitate. It would become colder, and it would become darker, but he could not turn. From the bottom of the valley he went up and up until he stood beneath the cliffwall...
There, by the last fire, he did stop and turn around.
There was nothing there, but a moment ago he had felt like he was being watched. Had somebody followed him?
He backed out of the fire-light. Except for the crackling of flames and the rustle of wind in the pines it was completely quiet - as though the birds had fled for something, and the mice lay still under the snow. Nothing moved. Legolas held his breath.
A tawny owl called.
He breathed out. The owl was out hunting; it would not have called if something dangerous was nearby. A moment later it landed on a branch behind him, causing a heap of snow to fall down.
"Are you looking for something?"
"Uh - well, I am", Legolas said. "Do you know of a cave that goes through the mountains? I think it should be coming out somewhere nearby."
"It does", said the tawny owl after a moment. "But it is very dangerous for elves to be in the mountains at night. Why would you want to go there?"
"Because my brother will be coming that way and I need to meet him."
"I see", said the owl and tilted its head. It had a soft, very pleasant voice.
"Could you tell me where it is?"
"Could show you. It is not far."
"Would you do that?"
"Perhaps you will do something for me another day."
"Oh, I will!"
The tawny owl spread its wings and flew ahead. It took it mere seconds to reach the top of the cliffwall, of course, while Legolas had to follow at the slow, uncertain pace dictated by the snow and the rocks littered across the path. The owl waited patiently on top. Finally standing on the edge, Legolas allowed himself a moment to catch his breath, and looked back. The House of Elrond looked very small and very homely at a distance, the row of fires still blazing along the path in cheerful rebellion against the dark.
Then he frowned, slowly sinking to the ground. There was someone by the second fire - or more than one. Were they looking for him already?
"Anything wrong?" the tawny owl asked.
"I, uh - yes. I think I'm being followed. I am... you see... I sort of ran away."
The owl thought again. "Go south. I will look who they are and catch up when I know. Be careful!"
"I will! Thank you."
Immensely grateful for having found such a generous companion, Legolas set off. He found a deer-track between the scrawny pine-trees that went more or less in the right direction, and followed it past boulders twice his height and over icy streams cutting like scars through the rocky ground. The winds had whipped snow from the higher slopes and pitted them in dunes down here, so that at some places the path was completely buried, and at others bare. The owl took its time. Not the slightest sound warned Legolas it was coming back, and he jumped when it suddenly landed on a branch nearby, its eyes glowing yellow in the moonlight.
"They are looking after you", it said. "Ten scouts with sharp eyes are coming up the path right now. They'll track you down easily."
"No!
"Do not worry", the owl said softly. "I will take you to the cave. They will not be able to track you there."
"Are you certain?"
The owl could not smile, but it cocked its head in an amused sort of way. "No one knows the mountains as well as the owl, little one. Come now, we must hurry! They will be here any minute."
It was hard to believe lord Elrond had actually sent out scouts after him, but then again, he could not let a prince trusted to his care get in danger. Legolas must follow the owl. It was the only chance he had.
They ran fast, and soon left the forest behind for an open area of boulders and scrawny bushes, sloping up to where the mountains rose high into the dark. A dark crack revealed an opening in the mountainside. Legolas shuddered when he saw it, but the owl took him that way.
"Is that were my brother is?"
"No", the owl said. "Just a safe place. You are not safe here."
"I think I'd be safer down there..."
"You would not. Down there, there is snow. They will track you over snow, no matter how little imprints you make. In the ravine there is stone. They will not track you there."
Legolas bit his lip. "But they will track me to the ravine, and I don't want to go too far in."
The owl circled him impatiently. "I am trying to help! The ravine is not deep, and it is not a dead end. It will lead you out again a little higher up. Out here the wind is strong, it will cover your footprints. They cannot track you here."
"Then must I go into the ravine?"
"Not if you see anywhere else to hide."
Legolas looked around. He saw no such thing. He looked down - and there were shapes moving among the trees. Not ten, but maybe three, or four. He was not certain.
"Lead on", he said and the owl set off, Legolas following as fast as he could. It was hard to walk on the uneven ground, and at some places the snow had melted and then frozen so that it had a layer of ice over it. Legolas slipped several times, and every time he wanted to stay down and hide like a young hare, but the owl made him get up and continue. When he looked over his shoulder, the scouts were still tracking him through the forest.
The mountainside was an almost straight rock, impossible to climb, and the ravine cut through it like an open wound, ragged and twisting.
"Are you sure this place is safe?"
"Positive. It is too close to Rivendell for evil to take root. Look behind you."
Legolas looked. Someone stood on the stone field far below, gesturing at his comrades to follow. That settled the matter. Legolas drew a deep breath and dashed after the owl into the ravine, stumbling over loose rocks and uneven ground. The wind whistled above him, and the ravine twisted and bent and...
And ended.
He stared, shocked, at the wall of stone rising before him.
"You said there'd be no dead end!"
The tawny owl did not even bother to answer. It flew over his head and over the edge and left him standing there, stunned.
Trapped.
No, not yet. The elves had not come into the ravine - Legolas had been too fast for them, or the tawny owl had overestimated their tracking skills. He turned and ran back the way he had come. When he came to the opening, only one of the scouts stood close enough to see him, and he was still far below. Legolas could not tell who it was; he wore a thick winter coat and a fur hat and boots, and had a scarf over his face to protect from the wind.
He could follow the scouts home without struggle, tell them he thought he might be in danger, and hope that they would take him more seriously this time. If Gandalf had heard that he was gone, maybe he would want to talk to him - to scold him if nothing else. Gandalf would listen. He always did.
Legolas was just about to walk down to them when the scout lifted his bow and put an arrow to the string, aiming straight at him.
That was not right.
*shows up two weeks late with a cliffhanger* I'm so sorry guys. Thank you for your patience.
As you've probably guessed, it's not that many chapters left. We're entering the final stages of the story, moving towards the finale. The story will still be going on for a couple of months more at this rate though. Thank you for staying with me this far :)