Chapter 33
Elrohir woke to the buzz of voices. Blearily, he opened his eyes and was reminded of his location, and his mission, and how it had all gone terribly wrong. He took a deep breath and grimaced at the ache in his middle. He barely then realized he was tied upright to a tree. Well this just makes things harder, he thought as he moistened his parched lips.
He still had to try and make their plan work. A glance above proved that Elladan was still there and waiting.
He filtered through several possibilities, still leaning limply against the bindings, just in case, though by the sound of it, no one neared him by more than a few meters.
A grin spread across his face when he recalled just what Legolas had told them about the superstitious manner the humans acted towards him, a Firstborn. Maybe we can make this work after all...
A quick glance proved that the Edain had not yet noticed his return to the waking world. Elrohir let his head fall forward and he closed is eyes, fingering the rope around his wrists. He felt around his leather vambraces and could hardly believe his luck. His small knife was still in it's hidden sheath built into his right vambrace. He did remember Legolas mentioning that most of the Edain were simple farmers and other such common folk, and did not exactly have a knack for weaponry, thus not detecting the clever possibility of having a knife hidden in such a way. They had only managed to besiege the stronghold with sheer overwhelming numbers, after all.
Listening closely to make sure there was no one near him, Elrohir slipped the small, finger-length blade from the sheath and got to work on sawing his restraints.
He suppressed a smug smirk and killed his glow down to the minimum. Had his eyes been open, they would have shone with a light of pure mischief, a look that if detected early enough, might mean you still had a chance to run and not look back.
Let the show begin...
Elrohir began mumbling elvish under his breath—Quenya just to be safe— to get attention. Shuffling footsteps and bewildered murmurs neared him and indicated it was time to implement the next section of his spur-of-the-moment plan. He began to speak louder, eyes still closed and still slumped forwards. This time he worded his sentences in an understandable way, telling Elladan his plan. The rope was almost completely severed now...
"Alright, alright now! This had better be worth the disturbance!" said a voice that Elrohir recognized to be the Man that was the supposed leader here. Besides the other one he had already eliminated apparently... the Man who was conjuring suspicious concoctions in that tent of his...
The accumulated crowd parted to let the man through to the ominously chanting elf.
Jaen wiped his hands on the handkerchief that was ever in his pocket and looked over Elrohir, squinting.
The rope is nearly severed...
He chanted louder, postponing the thought of how ridiculous he might look right now. He nearly pitied Elladan for having to keep quiet through his act. Hopefully his brother was at least paying attention to what he was saying.
Jaen approached the bound elf and shoved the handkerchief in his pocket with a scowl, pulling at Elrohir's eyelids.
In a split second, Elrohir's hand flashed up with the glint of steel soon stained red as he slashed it across the Man's throat.
Jaen was dead before he hit the ground.
The crowd recoiled in shock, looking dumbly at each other in a silent question of who should assume the position of leader. Jaen hadn't been a leader, but Gresham—the Man Elrohir had eliminated first—had been. Everyone had followed Jaen's commands simply because he was very close to Ausocitin and had a tent full of mysterious and foul-smelling potions and poisons. He had made his entire tent disappear and blend in with the very forest around it at his command, and that was a feat that inspired caution, if not fear.
Elrohir was quickly free of all restraints. He stood uncertainly in the middle of the quavering throng, Jaen's corpse sprawled awkwardly at his feet. All was silent but for the faint dripping of blood into the earth off his small knife held upright.
A few of the Edain surged forward with sudden shouts. Elrohir unleashed his light with a sudden blaze of brilliance, shouting the next command in Quenya to Elladan at the exact same moment, and causing any that had been close to him to turn tail and run.
Someone came from behind him, trying to tackle him to the ground from his waist. A few practiced moves had the assailant flipped over the elf's slight shoulder and unconscious on the ground within seconds, quite impressive really, but for the fact that he had lost hold of his knife.
Elrohir had barely the time to lift his head before another weight crashed into his side, causing him to sidestep rapidly to not be crushed under the bulk. He let another flash of light surge through him as he shouted an affirmative to his brother in the trees. An arrow appeared in the attacker's back and he slumped lifelessly to the ground.
Shouts of alarm rang through the camp as everyone scurried in opposite directions. Elrohir's heart became heavier as each life was cut short. This is necessary, he told himself. For the sake of Greenwood. We need chaos. Elrohir had the sudden urge to laugh at the thought. Him and his dear twin brother were quite well-versed in the ways of chaos.
He deftly glanced around the clearing. People ran around screaming as realization dawned about them that the elf was vastly dangerous. The flames of an abandoned torch licked at the dry leaves littering the forest ground and they quickly blazed to life. His eyes darted to a stack of the vial-filled crates and back to the armed men advancing on him.
oOo
Ashtan could hardly believe his eyes. He watched frozen as a recruit lunged for the elf, swinging his sword high as to free his head from his shoulders. The elf ducked quickly and stepped into the man's swing. Another burst of light from the creature nearly blinded him as he heard it's accursed voice call out once more. The frightful glow extinguished and suddenly the recruit was thrown to the side, dead. The elf had done it once again! How mighty must this dark creature be to kill with a mere touch?!
Ashtan backpedaled as swift as his injured leg could carry him, shivering with fear and shaking his head disbelievingly. He had been considerably intimidated when Jaen had completely transformed the mastermind behind the whole scandal—also an elf he noted with increasing anxiety— from a brown-haired, slim-shouldered, angular-faced sprite, to a silvery-blond, considerably sturdier, fine featured lord. He had even gotten taller! The sight of it had left him reeling, but this—! This was beyond his comprehension.
He had spent the whole while they had held the younger blond elf watching the creature; how his unnatural skin shimmered and how his soulful eyes pierced the back of your head, and that his remarkable skill mismatched his youth. And now here was another of these beings—wreaking havoc on their whole camp. And there was only one of him! Ashtan was suddenly very grateful the blond elf hadn't had a fiery temper.
The elf erupted in another flash of light that made Ashtan jerk with horror. The flash died out and suddenly it was near the fire that had begun to creep across the forest floor of dry leaves.
They needed aid. And quick.
Ashtan angled himself toward Jaen's tent. He wasn't going inside it—heavens no— but from the support pole at the entrance hung a commander's horn. He would summon the other camps if they had not already been attracted by the all the ruckus.
oOo
Elrohir spotted a limping man making a dash for the tent. His first immediate thought was that there must be something of importance, or some sort of weapon, so he should most definitely follow.
He was beginning to weary and didn't know how much longer he could keep up the brilliant flashes of light and still manage to not get caught by the swarming hoard of humans. Though he doubted that they would still keep him alive after this...
The merry thought encouraged him to erupt into another flash of light. It was considerably dimmer than the first and he could feel the ache in his bones. He needed an alternative.
The limping man was at the tent entrance and Elrohir gritted his teeth under the strain of trying to run and fighting off the persons plaguing such movement. The man was at the entrance but it was there that he stopped. Cold horror seeped into Elrohir's veins when he heard the shrill, piercing cry of a horn that was held up to the man's lips.
Elrohir lunged, toppling the injured man and cutting the blast short. But the damage was done. The least he could do now was buy himself a bit more time.
Man grappled with elf, the former clawing at his opponent's face to bring him down to compensate for his weak leg. Ashtan looked into the fair face so similar to the elf child that had planted it's knife in his leg and rage heated his face. The little worm had gotten away from him last time, but he would most certainly kill this one to make up for it.
Ashtan twisted his wrist out of the elf's grasp and jabbed the horn into his side with the other. The horn shattered upon impact, breaking with a sickening groan as he then let it drop to the ground. Adrenaline rushed through his veins and a fell smile crept across his lips. He had just broken some of the elf's ribs. He steeled his foot into the ground, his hands going back up to claw at the elf's face, this time clutching a knife from his belt. The vain creature grappled and twisted to escape the blade.
The din increased as another legion of men crashed through the underbrush and into the clearing, weapons poised for attack.
Shouts from the human passerby's informed them that a dark elf had broken free and was now decreasing the camp to shambles. They charged forward to eliminate the threat.
Elrohir jerked to face the oncoming trample of feet and jangle of steel. Making good use of the distraction, Ashtan lunged forward, throwing both of them into the tent with a cry in that cursed language from the elf as a flash of light blinded him.
Elladan whirled in stunned surprise when the horn's blast ricocheted amongst the trees. He looked down just in time to see Elrohir struggling for purchase with the Adan that held the horn. Elladan nocked another arrow and whipped his head around for his eyes to be met with the reinforcements.
Elrohir was locked in combat for a second before tumbling backward into the tent, just as he let out one last burst of light. Elladan could tell it would be his last for he must be very weary for conjuring so much light so suddenly in a consistent pattern as he had been doing.
The Edain below let out shocked gasps. Elladan was confused for a moment, then realized that from the humans' angle on the ground, it probably looked like his brother had entirely disappeared along with his human opponent.
Elladan's heart had dropped like a rock in his stomach when Elrohir had gotten caught and doubt shadowed his mind for the success of their flimsy—and quite ridiculous, now that it was mentioned—plan. But his dear, ingenious little brother had turned it around. The sight of Elrohir's head lolling and the muttered instructions in Quenya was laughable, but had evidentially worked.
Now Elladan just had to keep anyone else from going inside the tent to buy his twin some time...
A trademark grin of mischief lit up his eyes as he rolled one of the white orbs between his fingers. Twin... yes.
Stuffing as many as would fit into the pouch strapped to his belt, Elladan flitted through the branches with surprising agility for a Noldo to the side of the camp opposite the tent Elrohir had 'disappeared' into.
He hurled one of the orbs into the ground right below and dropped into the explosion of fog, hoping it would give the effect that Elladan had appeared. Or rather that 'Elrohir' had appeared. Elladan didn't exist to the Edain... just a very magical, very terrible elf that could kill with a mere touch.
"He's appeared!"
"Over here!"
"Move, move!"
"No! Run!"
"We are all doomed!"
"Save yourself, run!"
"Where is he?"
"Kill him! Kill him!"
As soon as Elladan landed, he released a volley of arrows while the fog was still too thick for mortal eyes, punctuating each release with a shout in Quenya. May as well keep up the tradition, he thought with a humorous twinge.
He grimaced as several screams tore through the air, attesting to the accuracy of his marksmanship. He could not shake the clinging feeling that he was dirty in a way with each life he took. FortheGreenwoodfortheGreenwoodfortheGreenwood, he chanted mentally. This is necessary.
The churning of feet through the carpet of dead leaves added to the deafening din of shouts and yells. Several humans were vainly trying to stamp out a fire at the edge of the camp, while others were advancing on him through the dissipating fog, pushing their fleeing comrades from their path.
They are coming closer! Elladan realized with alarm. He reached behind him for another arrow; his hand met thin air.
His heart began to race. He sprinted into the middle of the chaos, desperate to keep the Edain occupied and give Elrohir a chance. Several humans recoiled in shock as Elladan appeared through the fog seemingly only seconds after he had 'disappeared' on the other side of the camp.
"It's over here!"
"Don't let it touch you!"
'It', thanks.
"He's out of arrows!"
"Go go go!"
"Beware it's dark magic!"
Elladan glanced around and grabbed one of the orbs from his pouch, shouting nonsense in Quenya before hurling it at the nearest human that had an arrow already aimed at him. He hurtled into the branches above, using all the skill and agility he possessed to make it to another spot as fast as he could, making sure to make his next spectacle of attraction away from the tent.
"He's disappeared again!"
"Where is it?!"
"Holy heavens, it disappears too?!"
Elladan repeated his prior process; smashing an orb into the ground and landing in the vortex of swirling fog and running into the chaos, tossing the next bomb to the nearest person with a shout, and disappearing back into the foliage above.
Several yelled fearfully in surprise; a good handful of others simply ran from the site.
I can do this. I can keep this up. He just dearly hoped anyone wouldn't soon realize his trickery.
oOoOoOo
This chapter and the next had originally been written as one long chapter the length of two, but I decided to split them and save the next chapter for some purchase in time while I work on chapter 35 :). Sorry for the length and the wait; the next chapter is much longer.
Scribbles, how could I do this without your support :3
