Chapter 29: Foreboding
With barely a thought for his own safety Éomer called out orders, wheeling Firefoot about so his men could move along the path and out of harm's way. The road was wider and allowed both man and horse to thread around boulders and underpasses, shielding them from whatever ambush they'd walked into. The young man who'd been shot, Iothain, was moved to the center of their group to avoid further injury. Gamling pulled his mare off the road near Éomer, the warrior's expression drawn along with his sword. The mountains were quiet and there was nothing to be seen from the misted peaks. No sign of their attacker.
Four scouts dismounted at Éomer's silent signal, leaving their horses with the remaining mounted guards. On foot, two with arrows the other two with raised swords; they took the wordless command to creep along the protected edges of the road to find the attacker. The same protection their assailant used hid Éomer's men sufficiently from view. There was no telling how many enemies lurked just beyond view but the King estimated it was likely only one or two. Had there been more, a larger number of his company would've been attacked.
Meanwhile, the arrow embedded in Iothain's armor had been removed and, to his credit, the lad barely made a sound of discomfort. The weapon was passed through the group until it reached Éomer and Gamling. Without much scrutiny it was evident to both warriors the arrow was made by Orcs. Whether the marksmen was an Orc remained to be seen, but the dart-like appearance and roughly fletched end was indicative of Orc-weaponry.
Éomer felt the stab of guilt for leading his men into an ambush, though he really hadn't anticipated meeting any trouble. True, orcs had spread out in groups attacking and assaulting the kingdoms of Man, but laying in wait in the mountain pass hadn't crossed his mind. While it was a good way to attack unsuspecting travelers, very few (if any) used the Dimholt passage and there wasn't much in the way of food to be had. Any encampment of orc or otherwise would likely starve or move on. But it appeared he was wrong. The King had not the time to reproach his stupidity for the sound of a fight echoed hazily through the mountains. The noise of struggle ensued and then silence. After a moment, a voice rang out:
"We have them secured, my King."
Upon dismounting Éomer, flanked by Gamling and Gárulf, lead a number of their company in the direction of their men. The four scouts were standing some distance beyond on a rocky ledge overlooking the path. On the ground lay three Orcs, two dead and one bound foot and hand like a pig. While the wretches generally had a sickly appearance about them this trio looked particularly emaciated. The hollowed cheeks of the live orc rose and dipped as he pulled rattling breaths in. The leader of Rohirric scouts kicked the toe of his boot into the creature's ribcage, causing a sputtering gasp from the orc.
"Didn't put up much of a fight, my Lord," the man informed them, nodding to the deceased beasts. "Looks as though they'd been preying upon birds and rodents."
Éomer hadn't taken the time to investigate the scene, now looking upon the narrow ledge to find the bones of small animals scattered. The location was well hidden by the boulders and gave a fairly decent view of the road below. Gamling pointed to a larger pile of bones with the tip of his sword.
"Seems they resorted to eating their own."
As the King scrutinized the skeleton further he realized his Captain was correct. A humanoid skull lay cracked beside a robust femur and weathered mandible. Perhaps this lot was truly desperate. Turning his attention back to the bound orc, Éomer nodded to scout, who prodded the captive again and switched to the language of Gondor.
"Speak now, cur. You cannot save your life but you may at least receive a quick death for your trouble. How long did you stalk our party?"
"Dead door," came the raspy response in poor Westron. Éomer hardly expected the orc to speak Rohirric, much less understand it, and its Westron was pathetically lacking. It seethed for a moment before another kick to the torso elicited another sentence. "Hunger."
"Why are you here when there is no food?" Gamling inquired curtly. The brute paused to cough heavily, mucus and bile spilling from its thin lips onto the stone.
"Ordered. No choice. Here or death."
"By whom were you ordered?"
"Piss 'n rot."
The orc received a swift beating that left it gasping heavily, murky eyes bulging from its sockets. Gamling repeated the question and they waited until the creature regained its breath enough to offer an answer.
"Mordor orcs," it wheezed, tugging uselessly at its bound wrists. "Said guard dead path. Kill Man. Left us to die. To die we have."
Silence followed, the sound of its hissing breaths slowing. Éomer caught Gamling's uneasy gaze. This was both helpful and unhelpful news. Mordor orcs were ordering groups of their kind to kill men. Clearly it hadn't worked so well, but the thought was unnerving. Aragorn would wish to hear these tidings, though there was little sense to be made of them. The orc before them rallied somewhat, shifting its gaze to Éomer's feet.
"No peace to you will come, shara bolvag."
"You have yet to pass, worm. Speak your intentions or know my blade!" Came Gárulf's swift response, to which the dying orc laughed laboriously.
"Man can have no victory," it rasped, pausing for a breath and enjoying the bemused look on its captors' faces. "Evil in your soul. No life without. Destroy the Dark One, yes." The orc hesitated to cough once more, putrid liquid flung in heavy drops before the mens' feet. None of them could follow the creature's babbling but that didn't seem to bother it. "Fall with your greed…" it trailed of, grumbling in the tongue of its kind without much attention to the sword aimed at its head.
"I think he's done for," Gamling remarked grimly. Éomer nodded and left the orc to be dispatched. As they walked back to their makeshift camp, the King mused on the strange events. It was decidedly better to know their attacker was a trio of starved orcs rather than trained mercenaries or Dunlendings. But it spoke to some level of organization or planning on behalf of the Mordor orcs to send sentinels (pitiable though they were) to kill men attempting to pass beneath the mountains. When they reached the location of the men and horses, Gárulf offered a quick relay of the events to the soldiers. Éomer noted with satisfaction that Iothain had already been patched up and sat astride his horse as if nothing had happened. The arrow was tucked away in his saddlebag to present to Aragorn upon their arrival in Minas Tirith. One of the men noted with equal concern the oddity of the Mordor orcs leaving sentries.
"I cannot make sense of it," the King conceded with a deep-set frown.
"Seems they weren't terribly concerned for it though," Gárulf pointed out as he received the reins from another soldier. "Left those poor sods to waste away. Surely they couldn't expect them to handle any large group of men. They could hardly loose an arrow, let alone contend with a company of armed riders."
"Indeed," Éomer nodded as he mounted Firefoot. "I wonder at his final comment."
"Curses of a dying orc," another man suggested. The King shook his head thoughtfully, brow furrowed.
"I don't know."
"They have been disposed of," the lead scout announced as his men returned to the group. He mounted up followed by the others, awaiting the King's orders.
"We make for Blackroot Vale," he announced as he gathered his reins. They still had a while yet before they made it to their intended location. They hadn't entered the tunnel beneath the mountain yet and that would take them several hours to navigate. Éomer had no intention of bedding down at in the cavernous temple of the Dead. "We will push on and ride until we reach it."
With that, the King pushed Firefoot on leaving the dead orcs behind, his mind abuzz with distress and uncertainty.
A/N: shara bolvag = cursed man
Input and comments would be fantastic now because I'm coming to another fork in the creative road. Do things seem realistic up to this point? Lothy's chapter is coming up soon! Thanks guys!
