I own not the world or situation or species types of fantasy creatures seen in this chapter. I did however sub-create these specific characters.

I make no profit from this, so please don't sue and just read on!

After being still so long, Lathwinn shifted her gaze and narrowed her eyes before going still again. Seeing this, Sarnin risked turning her head to look the same way while soundlessly bending her knees toward the ledge for fearing of a rush of enemy arrows. There most certainly would be one once Lathwinn launched an arrow at the orcs clinging to the canyon walls below. Later, Sarnin heard horse hooves echoing against the canyon walls. Her eyebrows rose for there were only one set racing in their direction. They sounded heavy like the horse carried a burden greater than she and Lathwinn had been for her niece's mount. Then, Sarnin heard several other sets of like heavy hoofbeats farther behind the first. Why was one rider so far ahead of others? How well armed were the likely riders? Surely the heaviness meant armor? That was something at least, but the other riders seemed too far behind to lend aid as fast as the first or even her niece and she would need it.

Around the bend Sarnin saw the first horse and rider appear. In the dim starlight filtering through the clouds, she saw bright armor and maybe a sword as well as flecks of foam on the horse. She also saw the orcs stir and their fangs gleam as they grinned. The first rider would be among them before the others even appeared around the bend.

"ORCS!"

Sarnin startled at her niece's voice. The whoosh as an arrow flying past sounded in her ear next. The orc body reaching farthest out over the rider's path went rigid. It then fell before the horse's hooves. The beast reared. Some orcs roared and leapt at the rider then while others hissed and turned their gazes up to spy Lathwinn. She had already letting another arrow fly.

Ascarant's form had stiffened at the sound of an elleth's shout. He'd barely registered its warning before his eyes widened on seeing an orc body fall into his horse's path. His fingers clenched around his mount's mane as the beast reared. He gripped the hilt of his sword. As his horse's front hoofs met the ground again he drew his weapon. All around, more forms were falling, no, "leaping" toward him. He slashed out at them. Fingers and hands flew as clawed arms reached out to him.

Lathwinn shot an arrow at every orc raising a bow to aim their own arrows at her or the rider. Other orcs had to climb to reach her or her aunt or get within reach of the rider's weapons to wound him with theirs, but not archers. Lathwinn though was helped by having studied her foes long before they'd seen her and already having been aiming her ready weapon down at them. The orc archers had to turn from aiming down into the canyon and up toward her while being bumped by those at their elbows leaping down upon the rider or fleeing her aim. Still there were at least half a dozen of these orc archers. One neither aimed at her nor the rider but leapt toward the canyon wall she stood upon.

The other riders rounded the bend. Once his horse ran straight again, Tarman drew his sword and held it out away from his mount. The twins pulled theirs to the side letting Rombar ride through while the strung their bows. Tarman rode up behind his youngest brother. He watched Ascarant's sword flashing through sprays of orc blood and falling fingers, hands, and half-arms. His brother's beast was kicking, bucking, and biting their foes as well. As the horse reared to escape grabbing orcs hands another orc leapt from a shelf behind Tarman. This foe landed before him on his brother's back. Tarman's eyes widened as he watched a hairy arm wrap around Ascarant's neck before another stabbed a knife through his youngest brother's temple.

With a shout Tarman decapitated his brother's killer knowing he might have cut into his brother's neck as well. But it hadn't mattered by then. His brother's body and that of his headless killer fell off the horse. The now riderless beast barreled forward only to be leapt upon, bitten, and dragged down in the falling horde. Tarman turned and halted his own steep before sweeping his gaze around and up at those still leaping upon the place his brother fell. Tarman took his brother's place hacking through their reaching limbs.

The twins arrows began to fly piercing the eyes and flying into the mouths of the stronger and taller orcs aiming their weapons at Tarman. Then an arrow flew out of the shadow of the far canyon wall far below the elven archer standing atop it and out of her range. This bolt struck Thalacam through the eye. His twin screamed and jerked as if hit himself before being felled through the throat by a black-feathered bolt. Palanhen fell with less than an armlength separating one of his hands from his twin's.

Lathwinn bit her lip upon seeing she hadn't been quick enough and missed one more cunning and patient archer among their enemies. She turned and began running along the edge of the canyon with a few arrows left in her quiver. Sarnin ran behind her. No arrows flew their way as the lone orc archer left concentrated on the ellon in armor.

Rombar attempted to cleave a path toward the far canyon wall to slay this archer himself and save the only brother he had left alive in the canyon. A leaping orc landed on Rombar accidentally causing an arrow aimed at the musician to hit his shoulder not the elf's heart. But after they both landed his successful attacker drew a dagger pinning the ellon with his other hand and knee before piercing his heart anyway.

Lathwinn barely forced herself once she'd stopped to kill the last orc archer alive before the orc licking elf blood off his knife. Sarnin glanced behind her and screamed her neice's name. "Lathwinn!"

Her niece turned to see orcs climbing up the canyon wall after them had made it and were running toward them both. "Behind me!" She aimed her last arrows taking out the biggest members in the group before pulling forth two knives. They were hardly twin blades. One flashed clear dwarf steel carried home with her from the caves she'd escaped to after fleeing her orc-kidnappers so long ago. The other was much newer made by Celuant of brown obsidian, but both bit into orc flesh though the steel slashed while the obsidian stabbed.

Sarnin stood off and watched eyes wide in horror as her niece moved like a striking snake under arms waving knives, axes, and maces only to jab in at throats, chests, and thighs. As an orc ran by this melee and approached her though, she swung her bag of stones at its head as she had when defending herself and Celuant causing the stunned orc who had thought himself attacking the weaker prey into the canyon where his landing broke his neck. Sarnin looked back up after watching his fall.

Her niece continued her dangerous dance and Sarnin circled around again letting fly her bag at the head of one orc charging her niece causing it to turn away to growl at her and letting Lathwinn bury her obsidian knife in its neck. Sarnin looked up from its body to see her niece cleaning her blades while watching three orcs hanging back and studying her in return over the six bodies of those who'd already charged. Then a shout made Sarnin look back down into the canyon.

A great orc with one arm hanging cut off at the elbow and still bleeding nonetheless grinned back up at her with one of his feet planted on the mail shirt covering the chest of Tarman as he lay among orc bodies. His arms were pinned down by two more grinning orcs while another's body lay over his legs. His horse lay dead some lengths away. The orc half-standing on the last ellon alive called up, "Come down little elleth or I crush him slowly!"

Lathwinn pursed her lips as Sarnin looked back at her profile. Lathwinn squinted at the now grinning three rather thin, short, but armed orcs before her also wearing knives. Then she whispered, "Follow me .." She side-stepped in front of her aunt and then stepped and swung over the edge of the cliff. Sarnin followed after not wanting to face those grinning faces alone. Sadly, they followed the elleth's actions climbing down out of Lathwinn's reach but still too near for comfort gibbering at them the whole time. Lathwinn stepped on overlapping bodies of orcs as she backed away from the cliff-face still facing it while keeping her three following would-be attackers to one side of her gaze and the clinging to life Tarman and the orcs holding him down in the other. Sarnin braced her back against the cliff-face once at its bottom doing the same, but her eyes kept drifting more to the grimacing face of the ellon on his back already struggling for breath.

What do you think?

God bless

ScribeofHeroes