Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction. I do not own any of the character, places, names, or anything associated with the works of J.R.R Tolkien or the Lord of the Rings (books or movie, whatever). My characters are Anita, Leila, and Arlandria and that is all.
The Art of War- Matias Puumala
Chapter 66: The Art of War
The Gate burst apart in a spectacular fashion; the sound of iron and rock being ripped apart at the hinges, wood splintering in rhythm with the crashing battering ram, all against the backdrop of chanting voices and beating drums. Swords in hand, every soldier bore down and planted their feet, determined to stop what ever was to come through the, now useless, gate from entering the city. Like all the soldiers around her, Anita stood at the ready with her weapon in hand though her nerves were frayed and her body ragged with exhaustion from the hours upon hours of fighting she had already endured. Had her mind been sharper, unclouded from the fight, she would have known the first horror to come through the now opened doorway. Instead it remained a muted idea hidden beneath layers of adrenaline and instinct which were the only forces propelling the elf and all other soldiers forward.
Blue fire hurled at them from beyond the Gate, terrifyingly accurate given the close range, the source of the weapon hidden beyond the light of the fires burning within the City. Even in her enervated state, Anita was fast enough to dodge the napalm missiles as they shot across the courtyard...many of her fellow men were not so lucky. The screams of the wounded could be blocked out, but the acrid smell of burning flesh and hair was not easily escaped. Smoke from the newest burning wreckage was quick to fill the empty areas of the lowest level, making breathing and seeing difficult to accomplish.
That's when the trolls came.
Heavy iron armor covered the trolls from shoulder to thigh, their heads were adorned with equally as thick helmets, and each brandished a morning star big enough to clobber a bear. Gandalf called for a volley, and the archers were happy to oblige his request. Arrows rained down on the behemoths as they bulldozed through the line of pikeman, so few of the small projectiles flying true enough to do much damage. The trolls were ripping through the soldiers like stalks of wheat, simply throwing them aside or smashing them into the stone streets with little effort. They were too well protected by the iron chestplate that was molded over the most vital of organs; swords would bring them down but no one was fool enough to get within swinging distance with a sword. Anita was frozen in place, flashing back to being chased by one such awful creature on her way to Lothlorien. All at once she was overcome with the need to flee, but her limbs were like concrete and just as ill flexible. Gandalf rode into her view on Shadowfax, his white robes shining like a beacon even through the thick smoke. With some quick maneuvering and a well timed swipe of his blade, the wizard slashed the back of a troll's knee and the creature crumpled to the ground where a blade to his neck finished the job. The old man shot the elleth a confused look which shook her loose of her trance. She gripped Laure a little tighter and zeroed in on the closest troll. The beast locked eyes with her at nearly the same time and ,with a surprising amount of speed given the creature's brute size, it charged at her with it's club raised high above his head.
Speed. Agility. The element of surprise. These were the things that made her deadly according to Glorfindel, and these were the gifts she would use. With a ferocious scream the elleth raced at the troll, who was too stunned and too limited in movement by his armor to block the black haired elf that came at him. Ani dropped to the ground and slid between the trolls legs, her blade catching the soft unprotected flesh of it's calf and sliding across the troll's leg to cut muscle and tendon , bringing the animal to it's knees. In one smooth motion Anita stood and continued the powerful arc of her sword to catch the back of the troll's neck as it fell, finding the small unprotected space between the collar of the chest plate and the bottom of the helmet. The girl didn't stop to see if the troll was dead, he was incapacitated and that was enough for her to keep moving on. Out of her periphery the elleth saw orc hordes coming through the gap in the Gate, she could pay them no mind right now as the trolls were a far bigger threat.
She danced around as a troll swung his club at her, the elf was far too fast to be caught by the spiked ball so she simply dodged a bit until an opening made itself obvious to her. The troll swung the morning star will all it's might, becoming exponentially more irritated every time it missed the lithe elf. When the opportunity finally presented itself, Ani didn't miss it. Scooting herself out of the troll's reach once again the beast gave a great roar and swung the massive club like it was a baseball bat, the swing went wide missing the elf completely... but collided with the face of a troll that had come up behind the first one. The sound reminded the elleth of watermelon shattering against the floor when the second troll's face was obliterated under the force of the first troll's great swing, and the mere second of shock that passed over the first troll's face was all the time the elleth needed. Without hesitation the girl stepped forward and jammed her sword up and under the chestplate as far as she force it, slicing lungs and intestines which spilled across the stone road when she pulled her blade back.
A glance around her told her that her fellow soldiers had been extremely successful in taking down many of the other trolls in their own rights, but the orcs that she had chosen to ignore were quickly becoming a big problem. The only advantage they had was the limited space, there wasn't enough room for the thousands of foot soldiers that Mordor had at it's disposal to come through the Gate. Moving as close to great gaping hole in the wall as she could fare, the elleth began hacking away at the masses of disgusting creatures that surrounded her. Slash and hack, slash and hack. With any luck, she figured, if they could pile enough bodies in front of the area the Gate used to occupy, then the corpses of orcs would themselves block the way enough to prevent more orcs from coming in.
All around the sound of weapons meeting in battle could be heard, the rolling smoke made it near impossible to see friend or foe until they were face to face. Shouts and screams penetrated the air, orc and man alike in a great cacophonous din. The pile of corpses grew. Barely could one take a step in any direction without stepping on the body of a fallen orc. Anita knew they weren't pushing them back, she knew that the hundred or so creatures that lay dead at her feet was barely a dent in the great army just outside the wall; but for one brief shining moment there was the sense that the plan was working, that they could block the hole in the wall well enough to slow the advance of the enemy. It was a moment of hope that did not last long enough.
A fireball came hurling over the wall, lighting up the courtyard in a flash of orange before it crashed into a building, decimating the structure. It wasn't the bluish liquid of napalm this time, these appeared to be large boulders which had been dipped in pitch and lit aflame. These were clearly for the intent of destroying the stone structures that made up the heart of the city; people's homes and businesses. The first fireball was soon followed by a second and a third, the great flaming rocks knocking over the stone architecture with no more difficulty than if the homes had been made from toothpicks. The fourth fireball landed near bales of livestock hay and quickly consumed the dried stalks; the already thick air was now completely unbearable and the soldiers of Gondor scattered like cockroaches.
While the Men searched desperately for a breath of air not tinged with smoke, the beasts of Mordor rapidly filled up the empty spaces left behind. The courtyard was overtaken completely, and now the orcs were racing through the streets, chasing down any soldier or citizen of Gondor for the slaughter. Any strategies or plans were abandoned, chaos took over the streets of Minas Tirith. Anita found herself being swept away with the crowd as they sought to escape the rising flames and choking smoke, being pushed and pulled down narrow streets that were void of any lights. With great effort the girl pulled free of the crowd and stepped into a doorway to an Inn that hung ajar. Desperately the elleth looked around trying to catch a glimpse of Gandalf's white robes, but to no avail. All around the only thing to be seen were the retreating forms of Gondor's soldiers or the advancing army of orcs.
The next logical step the girl could think of was the Second Level. The hordes of Sauron were already inside the city, streaming through the streets of the First Level, the elleth reasoned that if she were Gandalf the next logical step would be to prevent the spread of the orcs to the next level up. Throwing her small body back into the foray, the elf knew she had to find the main road again and do what was within her power to stop the flow of orcs up to the next Gate. Easier said than done. Anita soon realized that for all the time she had spent in the great city of Minas Tirith, the invading beasts and the fires ripping through the buildings stripped her of near all recognition she had of the layout of the city, making navigation difficult. She ducked down a series of narrow alley ways which she hoped was taking her in the general direction she wanted to go , the only tool she had to navigate were ominous sounds of battle punctuated by the screams of the dying...that was the direction she was heading. Running as fast as the limited space would allow, the elleth focused her ears to follow the loudest bits of racket to where she needed to go. The first part of her plan work splendidly as she exited a passage between two buildings and was dumped onto the main spiraling street of the city and right into the trajectory of the oncoming horde or orcs. It was at that moment the elleth realized she hadn't decided on a second part of her plan as she stood exposed in the middle of the roadway staring stunned at a troll who was just as surprised to see her. Their mutual shock lasted less than the span of taking a breath before Anita broke her gaze and turned on her heels to run. The troll let out a terrible sound and the girl knew without a doubt that it was giving chase.
The elf cursed herself, this was the exact OPPOSITE of what she had wanted; she was trying to lead the enemy away from her fellow soldiers not leading them up the main walkway! Ani needed to come up with something and quick. As she rounded the first bend in the great spiraling road she saw an opportunity. Up ahead one of the buildings along the side of the road was supported entirely by columns leaving the first floor as an open air atrium; the first day that she had rode up these streets with Gandalf there had been an artisan market filling up the empty space with multi colored booths but now the space lay vacant. The empty space made it easy for Ani to see that one of the boulders that had been catapulted over the wall had damaged a good portion of the columns holding the large stone building aloft. If one or two more columns could be destroyed the whole thing would come crumbling to the ground. Anita glanced behind her to make sure the troll was still following and then slowed her pace some when she saw the distance she had put between herself and the creature chasing behind. When she got close enough to her target, and the troll had closed some of the distance between them, Ani feigned a fall. Pretending to trip the girl rolled to a stop just beneath one of the columns she hoped would bring her plan to fruition. Seeing her fall, the troll let out a cry of victory, buying every bit of her theatrical performance. Laying the drama on thick, Anita acted as though she were too injured from tripping to pull herself up to stand and simply leaned against the pillar, her hands up in front of her as if to beg for mercy. She watched the troll draw his spiked club back for the final blow and swing it ferociously with the intent to rend her head from her shoulders, and at the last possible second to spare herself the elleth ducked out of the way. The spray of gravel and shards of stone informed her that the troll had indeed struck the column, the scraping sound that accompanied the shifting of brick overhead let Ani know that her plan held merit. The columns crumbled and the building swayed dangerously as the elleth scrambled to get out of the way of the bricks that had come loose and pelted the road beneath...but it did not collapse.
"Well..shit." The elf mumbled as the troll refocused it's murderous gaze on her. It had been irritated before from having to chase her, now it was down right pissed. The troll swung at her again, and again, every time the swing fell short of it's target as the elleth easily dodged around the brutish attacks. Every step she took backward the troll advanced on her swinging the morning star without finesse or grace, knowing that by merit of it's strength alone were it to connect with enemy flesh the enemy would surely die. So focused was the troll on wielding the club with deadly force that it was not aware that Anita was leading right back under the building where the already damaged columns were. The animal had no awareness of it's surroundings, it did not notice that now for every swing of the club that missed the elf he was connecting with at least one column, destroying the supporting pillars one brick at a time. Ani lost count of how many columns the troll had struck with his club as the pattern repeated itself over and over again: stop, swing, dodge, destroy, move away, repeat. Again and again. Until the building above gave a loud groan and bits of dust rained down from the cracks between bricks. The elleth didn't hesitate as she took off as fast as her already tired and strained legs could carry her and she didn't look back as she fled the collapsing structure. Ani didn't pause until she was already halfway around the bend in the road, the crashing stones behind her were deafening as the structure swayed and finally fell under the strain of it's own weight no longer being held up by pillars. The elleth paused for only a moment when the world went quiet again to view her work, the once tall structure now lay as rubble blocking the main street and many of the adjacent alleyways. It wasn't going to stop the enemy from advancing, but they would now be forced to go around the destruction or go over the pile of jagged broken bricks, either choice would slow them greatly.
The girl was near winded by the time she jogged across the threshold to the Second Gate, as soon as she stopped to catch her breath the soldiers slammed the doors shut and bolted them with a large beam of wood. Anita was too tired and out of breath to chastise the group of men for keeping the gate open for only her since it was clear everyone else had already retreated to the second level and she was the last person expected to make it.
"Where is Mithrandir?" She asked as soon as she could muster the breath to do so, not caring who had an answer for her.
"A Halfing came and spoke to him," a young guard the elf didn't recognize answered her back, " They have retreated up to the Citadel". Anita had to force her face to remain stoic in response to the new information. It didn't make any sense to her.. why would Gandalf have gone up to the Citadel? Why would Pippin came come to retrieve the old wizard in the first place? What could possibly have been more important than the current battle? The soldiers were all looking at her with the same confusion she felt written in their expressions. They were looking to her for an answer. They were looking to her to lead now that they felt Gandalf had abandoned them.
"Take a minute to rest, the enemy advance has been slowed at least temporarily. Catch your breath and see to your wounds." The men were only too grateful to oblige with Anita's command and many crumpled to floor right where they had been standing. Finding a bit of unclaimed road to sit on the elleth took a seat an allowed herself to ponder the strange series of events that could have led to Gandalf to leaving the soldiers in her care. Pippin had been assigned to remain at Denethor's side since the aging Steward had taken such a mental blow with Faramir's injuries that he could no longer lead the city in its defense. Perhaps the Nazgul had gotten up to the Citadel and had rid the world of self-absorbed Steward. Even then she didn't know if the little Hobbit would risk coming down to the heat of battle to tell Gandalf that the Steward had been killed...in fact Anita could not think of a single reason the Hobbit might have come down to the lower levels unless he had been ordered to do so by the very person he was supposed to be keeping an eye on. Ani pushed out a strained breath as a heavy weight landed on her chest with the understanding that Pippin would have come down here only if Denethor had sent him, Denethor would have only sent Pippin down if he needed Gandalf for something, and Gandalf would have only left if that something was majorly important: Faramir. The young captain hadn't been in the best shape when she saw him last and she hadn't received an ounce of good news related to his condition in the times between. The elf forced herself to remain expressionless so as not to alarm the men, but in her mind the reality that Faramir was most likely dead had her wanting to scream in frustration. What if she hadn't been able to save him after all? Anita looked around at the rest of the men left in her care, how could she hope to save any of them if she hadn't even been able to save the one person she had fought so hard to save? Despite the facade she had been putting on for the soldiers around her to give them strength she could feel her own hope ebbing away under the burden of her failure to save the young captain.
The sound of a battle horn resonated from far away setting every soldier on edge all at once. "Who sounds a horn?" , "More reinforcements from Mordor!", the voices all battled to be heard at the same time, causing panic to spread through the ranks. Anita hauled herself up to her feet and clambered up the nearest building as fast as her aching body could, though it protested with every movement that aided in her climb. Standing atop the slanted roof, the elleth had a good range of vision to the fields below and the mass of orcs trying to enter the city. Far beyond the field Anita could make out movement near the light gray horizon. It was an army, of that the girl could be sure, but with the faint light it was impossible to know from this distance whether they were friend or more reinforcements for Mordor. Even as she stood there and stared at the army growing ever nearer, the clouds along the horizon broke apart just as the sun rose above the great expanse of hills and mountains. So long and hard had they been fighting through the night that the girl didn't even realize that it was already near dawn. Sunlight filtered through to touch the city for the first time in days; strained and faint, barely a hint above gray but it was still sunlight. It was all the the light the elf needed to catch sight of the colorful standard being carried by the approaching army. She let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding when she saw the green, white, and gold emblazoned across the flags.
"It's Rohan!' She called down to the waiting soldiers, " King Theoden and his Rohirrim have come!" A cheer went up from the men below as the news passed up through the city. Rejuvenated hope swelled in her chest as the cheer became deafening around her, they still had a chance to survive this, all they had to do was hold of the advance of the orcs up the City levels. Jumping down from the roof, Anita used the excitement to rally the exhausted soldiers further. " You see? Gondor has friends yet! If we can hold them here at this Gate then we still have a chance to push these creatures back to hell where they belong!" The men roared in agreement all around her, their strength renewed by the arrival of allies. As the battle cry died back down, Gandalf re-appeared on Shadowfax looking down right haggard.
"Jeez you look rough, what the hell happened?" The elleth asked in a low concerned voice as she moved to stand next to the horse.
The wizard dismounted to stand with her and answered in a quiet voice, "Denethor slipped into utter madness, he was completely consumed. There was naught to be done for him." His meaning was all too clear to the young woman standing before him.
"And Faramir?" She asked with a tight throat, afraid to know the answer.
"He lives still. Pippin has taken to watching over him." Gandalf took the dark haired elleth by the arm and pulled her away from the crowd of soldiers. " I need for you to aid the evacuation of the upper levels. Find as many people as you can and lead them up to the Citadel, the guards and soldiers stationed up there will heed your command so that you may lead the defense."
Anita gave Gandalf a confused look, " Mithrandir, Rohan has come! Theoden kept his promise and brought his men here to save this city. With Mordor's army split and fighting two different armies on two different fronts we have a real chance, there is no need to retreat."
The wizard gave her a deathly serious look. " Sauron has more than just orcs at his command. He has legions of Haradrim from the South coming to aid him, and Corsair ships coming up the river to bolster his army. Even with Theoden's soldiers here, this battle is far from over. We still need to look to the defense of the people of Minas Tinas. Now do as I tell you."
Anita couldn't answer but to violently shake her head. She wouldn't do this again, she refused to run and hide behind a wall or a gate while someone else fought the battle for her. She had lost Glorfindel because she hadn't stood by his side to fight when he needed her. Instead she had led the retreat of the women and children into the mountains while her friend and mentor died to defend her. She would NOT allow that to happen again.
"Child you must!" Gandalf stated firmly in response to the elf shaking her head.
"No," Anita fought to hold back tears that had remained unshed for Glo, " I won't run and hide while good people stay out here and die. If this is where the battle is then this is where I will be and I do not care if that means I die too. You promised you would stop trying to protect me from this." She was struggling to keep her voice low and not draw attention from the men who were still riding the high of knowing Rohan had come to defend their city.
"I am not asking you hide. I am not trying to save you. I do not know if Rohan's army will help turn the tide of this battle, and if they do not we will not be able to hold them at this gate forever. They will break through eventually. The Men of Gondor will listen to you, woman or not: I am sending you to the Citadel because there is no other elf, hobbit, man, king, or soldier I would trust to protect this city above you in my stead. Go." It took a moment for Gandalf's words to sink in, but as Ani searched his withered and tired features she knew in her heart there would be no trace of a lie on his face. Silently she conceded, and without a word she pushed her away through the soldiers massing around the Second Gate so she could continue upward through the city.
Anita knew the Second Level had already been evacuated in the waning hours of the night, so she headed straight up the road to the Third Level to carry out Gandalf's orders. As much as it pained her to agree with the wizard's logic that had led to her abandoning her post with the soldiers, she knew that as an Elf she would have a much easier time aiding in the evacuation than any Man would. Quick and agile, Anita darted through the streets with ease while listening for sounds of any life hidden away. In spite of the time constraints, Ani was meticulous in checking every street and every alley, intent on not leaving any person or family behind. When she felt satisfied that every corner of the Third Level had been checked, the elf hurried upwards to the Fourth Level; Ani's saving grace was knowing that each level higher she climbed the area she had to search grew smaller. The sound of a small child whimpering caught her attention as she swept through the Fourth Level, it didn't take long for her to locate the source of the noise coming from a a small house wedged between two shops. Without a thought of the consequences the elleth kicked the door in and found a family of five huddled together in the small living space. The eldest woman in the room held a toddler in her lap, desperately trying to quiet the crying child while the other three children of varying ages hid behind her.
"You must leave this house, head up to the Citadel and the Guards will grant you access to the barracks, that is where you have to stay until Mordor's armies are pushed back." Ani's tone left no room for argument. The terror mixed with uncertainty was plain to see on the woman's face, but time was limited and Ani still had most of the Fourth Level to search. The elf herded the children out the door with the mother following close behind, clutching the toddler to her chest with white knuckles. "Head back to main road and find cover, wait for me there." Ani firmly held the trembling woman's eye contact as she spoke to ensure she was being listened to, when she was certain that her instructions would be followed she continued her search of the city.
Every other house held a scene similar to the first: a gaggle of children hiding behind the matriarch in absence of the father who was no doubt down at the Second Gate fighting for their safety. Ani had collected fifteen families and repeated the same instructions by the time she felt every house had been searched and the Fourth Level was now completely empty. Racing back to the main street, the families she had found were gathered together anxiously waiting for her to return. It was not a small group. Mostly it was made up of children, the eldest was a boy who looked to be no more than eleven years.
It was just as Anita was about to lead the family up the road to perceived safety when she heard it. Holding her hand up to signal the gathered families to remain in the places of cover, the elleth cocked her head to one side and listened for it again. The sound of large wings wasn't mistakable for much else, and it sent a chill up the girl's spine. Ani had hoped the Wraiths would be too occupied with the arrival of Rohan's army to care about her little evacuation in the upper levels. Clearly she had been wrong. The Fellbeast that the Wraith flew on let out a scream that echoed off every stone surface surrounding them. The children began to sob and cover their ears while the mothers tried to console them but were scarcely less afraid themselves. The beast dove low, raking it's claws across the roofs of nearby buildings. The Wraith knew where they were, it was only by the mercy of the narrow streets and overhanging buildings that they were currently safe...that would all change when they tried to head up the main road. The elf listened past the whimpering children and shushing mothers for the sound of the wings again. Anita didn't know where the other wraiths were, but she was near positive based on the sound of wings that there was only one flying above their heads and terrorizing the families hidden in the streets. Yes, only one, she would bet her life on it...no, she was going to bet the lives of these children on it.
"You are going to have to make a run for it," Ani stated, her eyes trained upwards looking for the wraith.
"Where are you going?!" One hysterical mother cried desperately.
The elleth sighed and turned her gaze to the group of women and children gathered around her, " We won't get very far with that Nazgul circling overhead waiting for the opportunity to strike at us. I will distract him while you lead your families up to the Citadel and take refuge in the barracks."
"No Man has ever survived an encounter with a Wraith." A mousy looking woman whispered harshly, clutching her young daughter close to her.
"It's probably a good thing I'm an Elf then." It wasn't her favorite idea either, but as far as the dark haired elleth could see they were out of options. She could outrun the wraith, of that she felt pretty confident, but the small children would be too slow and easily picked off by the beast. This was the option she was left with. "Wait for my command, then you need to go as fast as you are able up the road. Do not pause, do not seek refuge in any building that is NOT the barracks, am I understood?" Heads bobbed all around her in affirmation. "Wait for my signal." She commanded again before darting down an empty alley.
The elleth made her way to the center of town and the sheer rock cliffs that waited there. The houses built up against the mountain were tall structures squeezed close together, making it easy for Ani to climb up the walls to the roof. She picked the tallest house she could find and scrambled atop it's slanted tile roof. The elleth crouched there, hidden behind the chimney as best she could. From her high vantage point the girl took a moment to look out over the city and the fields below. The battle was raging fiercely; a mess of horses, men, orcs, and what looked like massive elephants swarmed around each other making it impossible to see who had the upper hand. The First Level of Minas Tirith lay in a pile of smoking rubble, there was almost no single standing structure that had escaped damage in the siege.
The sound of the wraith's screech drew her attention back to the task at hand. Remaining hidden behind the chimney, Anita pulled her dagger free from it's sheath and gripped it tightly. This was by far the worst idea she had conceived in her twenty five short years. Peeking around her hiding spot, she got a clear look as the Wraith flew low over the buildings, searching for the those that Ani was trying to save. The creature was gliding low over the roofs, the wraith never looked up to where she was crouching. What wraith expects an attack from above? Her muscles were tense, and her breath was locked up in her chest, her jaw clenched. She had one shot at this.
With a burst of adrenaline, the girl sprung into a run and flung herself off the edge of the roof with a powerful leap. "GO NOW! RUN!" Her voice filled the air as she jumped, and she hoped the families hidden below had been listening for her command because that would be the only one they would get. The wraith responded to the sound and turned his gaze upward to locate the origin of the yelling. Too Late. Even as the wraith jerked the reins of the dragon Anita was already upon him.
Their bodies collided solidly as Ani slammed into him, the force causing the dragon to veer dangerously low as the wraith hauled on the reins to keep himself saddled even as the elleth tried to tackle him from his seat. Using her dagger, Anita slit one of the leather straps that the wraith was using to rein the dragon, causing the winged beast to pull harshly to left and out over the edge of the wall to the lower levels. Suddenly there was a lot of empty air beneath them. The Nazgul let out a furious howl and used the back of one armored hand to slap Anita soundly across the face, causing her to lose her balance where she was precariously seated on the flying creature. She tumbled backward. Using her dagger she tried to stab the beast's side, making an effort to steady herself and prevent falling to the city below. The scales which adorned the creature's back were impenetrable, and the dagger glanced off and left the dragon unscathed and with nothing to grip as she slid off the animal. Anita hit the wing as she tumbled off the creature's back and desperately grabbed at the thin membrane connecting the wing bones, her finger abandoning her dagger which fell away to the city streets and beyond her sight. The extra weight of her hanging on the dragon's wing caused the beast to pull down sharply and the lower levels of the city were rising up to meet them at an alarming rate. The Nazgul pulled back on the one intact remaining rein trying to prevent a crash and the beast let out a pained cry. The sound of metal being unsheathed was all the warning the girl needed that her presence was no longer welcome on this ride. Risking a fall, Ani released the wing with one hand and pulled out one of the two remaining throwing knives she possessed. Without hesitation she dragged the small blade across the thin membrane of the wing in a wide arch. At that point there was no salvaging the creature's ability to fly and it entered a nose dive.
The sensation of being weightless took over for a second as the flying beast and its two passengers plummeted to the paved stone streets. Anita waited until they had dropped far enough that she felt the fall was no longer fatal before releasing the beast's wing and hurtling to the ground. The elf had been prepared for it to hurt when she landed, but she still out a yelp of pain when she smashed into the road , trying to roll with the fall to minimize the damage she sustained. The sheathed sword on her back made the maneuver far from comfortable as she eventually rolled to a stop in the middle of an empty road, the harsh stone bricks that bit into her skin were a welcome reassurance that she had in fact landed in one piece. Anita remained motionless on the cold stones, tallying up all the bruises and scratches she could feel forming...and there were many to count. With a groan the Elf lifted her head to search for where the dragon had landed. The beast crashed into a home less than a block away, it's crumpled body lay mangled in a heap.
The wraith however appeared to be just fine as it bore down on her with it's sword drawn. With a squawk of surprise Anita pushed her aching body up to fight and drew her own blade barely in time to block the wraith as he brought his weapon down. The force of the swing knocked Anita back to the ground, the wraith's repeated attacks keeping her pinned momentarily. He was strong, and he was pissed. The only thing the elleth could do was block the onslaught until the opportunity to roll away from the strike and get back to her feet appeared. Exhaustion had taken it's toll, her bruised and hurting body was not as fast as it could have been as she rolled to her feet and held her blade out in front of her, ready to defend against the next attack.
"You foolish girl!" The Wraith hissed in it's strangled and tortured voice, "Do you not know Death when you see it? I will destroy you and then I will destroy this city! I will rend the head from the shoulders of every man after he has been made to watch the women and children suffer their fates! This city will be razed to the ground and buried beneath the bodies of Men! Then we shall seek out the Elves, hidden in their trees and forests, we will burn all that is green in this world til you have nowhere left to hide and then they shall be slaughtered as well!"
"Hidden?" Anita forced out a chuckle as she gasped for air, " Maybe you haven't noticed but we aren't exactly going quietly." The Nazgul shrieked in fury as it charged her again, sword raised to strike a blow. Ani got her own blade up in time to parry the strike, but the force of the weapons colliding jarred her arms and rattled her teeth. And the seriousness of the situation flooded the young elleth all too quickly.
She was strong, he was stronger.
She was fast, he was faster.
Hope to survive this encounter would come in one of two ways; Anita either had to outwit her opponent or outlast him. Neither option seemed like a strong possibility. It was taking all of her effort just to block his attacks and that didn't leave her much time to even think about a strategy for victory. Right now it was just surviving. Lifting her sword to deflect a strike, the Wraith caught her edge in such a way that before she could react, Ani felt the grip being pulled free of her hands. The distinct 'clang' when the metal of the blade bounced and skidded across the street stretched an eternity as she watched her only viable way to defend herself come to a stop across the street and well out of her reach. She backed up a few steps, but it would do her little good. She had no sword, no dagger, and only a single throwing knife left.
Anita clenched her fists as the wraith advanced on her. She hadn't given the fleeing women and children enough time to get to the Citadel. It appeared they had crashed on the Third Level of the city, and if Ani couldn't hold him here at least for a little while longer it would take no time for him to simply walk up the main road of Minas Tirith and hunt down those trying to escape. The elleth drew her fists up and slid her right foot back assuming her Taekwondo ready stance. She wasn't delusional, she wasn't going to take down a Nazgul in a fist fight, but she needed to stall him for as long as possible, and her twelve years of training in martial arts might buy her that time.
The wraith didn't even slow when saw her change stance, he plowed her at full speed with his sword raised high. The blade arched downward and the wraith leaned into his swing. Instinct took over as the elleth side stepped the blow and spun into a hook kick in the attempt to knock her opponent off balance. The wraith's sword clanked to the ground when her foot connected hard with his hand, Anita barely registered that the weapon had been dropped before she hooked her foot under the grip and kicked it with all the strength she could muster, sending it far beyond the wraith's reach. The Nazgul was hardly derailed by the fact that he now stood as weaponless as she did, and Ani had no time to bask in the glory of disarming her opponent before he was on her again.
She threw a few defensive punches, trying to keep distance between their bodies, but the wraith was undeterred as he reached for her and wrapped one armored hand around Anita's throat. All the years of training disappeared from her mind, every strategy, every lesson was gone as soon as her air was restricted. None of it mattered if she couldn't breathe. Panic rose fast. Anita started thrashing and kicking as his grip tightened, his touch burning the flesh of her throat as he choked her. A mere second of clarity before alarm flooded her had her reaching for the last lonely throwing knife on her belt. She gripped it clumsily and pulled it free.
It was to no avail.
As soon as her arm swung the little knife free the wraith used his unoccupied hand to grip her wrist. The last bits of air trapped in her lungs were pushed free in a scream when the Nazgul wretched the blade from her grip and simultaneously dislocated her arm from it's socket with a crack. There was nothing left to fuel her cries of pain when she felt the petite blade slide into the flesh of her shoulder, and then again into her side where the force of the stab broke ribs. Pain blinded her as she continued to fight weakly, the loss of air already taking it's toll. She drew her right leg up and pushed with the limited power she had left hoping to break his grip on her throat. The small knife was driven into her upper thigh as the wraith ripped it across her leg mercilessly. Tears were flowing freely down Anita's face as the elf struggled to breath, blood flowing freely from her open wounds. Every nerve ending in her body flared up as she felt herself being thrown to the ground, the impact of the stone barely noticeable against her already broken body. With her throat free from his grasp the elleth drew in a rattled breath and screamed in agony into the bricks beneath her. Taking gulps of air, Ani hardly had the strength to push up with the arm that was not broken only to see the wraith retrieving his sword from where she had kicked it.
Her head was dizzy and disoriented and she was losing blood from her stab wounds rather quickly. Using her good arm and undamaged leg, Anita tried to crawl away from the Nazgul, but every movement tore a whimper of pain from her lips. A glint coming from the crevice between two stone bricks in the road caught the elleth's eyes. The wraith had discarded her knife without a second thought when he went to retrieve his own weapon. Continuing to scoot despite the pain that was wrought with the effort, Anita reached forward and gripped the small blade in her hand. Rolling over with some difficulty, the elleth clutched the blade to her chest with her still working left hand and sent up a silent thank you to Glorfindel for making her practice throwing her knives with both hands.
The wraith didn't see the blade as he drew his sword over his head to deal the final blow. Anita mustered whatever stores of adrenaline were deep inside her as she gripped the blades small handle and whipped it a the wraith's face. Though he had not facial features to aim for, Ani knew the blade struck true when he let out a terrible shriek and stumbled back, clawing at the stuck knife with his hand. The shrieking continued for a moment and then the heaviest silence Anita had ever known settled around her.
She was too tired to lift to head much less stand up. Pain radiated from every limb, every wound, and every nerve ending. But she couldn't see or hear the wraith, and to remain lying in the street exposed was a death sentence.
"Get up," She whispered hoarsely, trying to motivate herself. The whisper was more than a harsh gasp, her throat swollen and injured from being choked. "Get up." Even as she spoke the edges of her vision were starting to cloud over and get dark. God she was tired. Unconsciousness was starting to pull her down, and she found she had no will to fight it. Slipping to the darkness meant relief from the pain... and there was so much pain...
"Get up." The words struggled to make it past her stiff lips. Coldness rushed all around her and she lost the strength to keep her eyes open. Thoughts were becoming less coherent, fewer words to attach the pictures in her mind as they faded away. She focused hard on a memory from years past; sitting next to a small pool of water, there were waterfalls cascading over the rocks. She remembered tree roots. She remembered the summer sun. She remembered Legolas...and she remembered being happy. Ani held tightly to that feeling, cherished the memory as long as she could...
...before the approaching darkness washed over her...and she went under...