Chapter Four

The sun was shining weakly in the sky. The mists had been drawn up and the last of them floating away just overhead, as wisps of white cloud borne on the stiffening breeze. Figwit, Gimli, Legolas and Callysta bade farewell to the Lady of Eorl. As soon as the Lady's carriage disappeared down the road, they loaded their horses with their packs and prepared to start their journey.

Legolas lifted Callysta by her slim waist upon Oromel's back. She felt her body stiffened at his touch but if Legolas had felt anything, he did not show it. After making sure that she was secure in her seat, he mounted the horse, seating himself in front of her. As he turned back to speak to her, his mouth came within inches of her cheek and Callysta could feel his warm breath upon her cool skin.

"Hold on tight. We will be riding far and fast today." He told her.

Callysta nodded her head, dumbly, not trusting herself to speak a word. She placed her hands gently on his shoulders.

"When I say hold on tight, it means holding on like this." He said, taking her hands and placing them firmly around his waist. Callysta sucked in her breath, sharply. She had never held a man (with the exception of her brother, Jyohen) like that before, let alone an Elf. She felt very awkward but she kept her hands in place where he had put them.

"All ready?" Figwit asked. "Onwards to Rivendell!" He cried, and the riders set off.

It was high noon before they rode into a village for lunch. After lunch, Callysta took a stroll around the marketplace. She stopped to watch a juggler's act. Many spectators, like her surrounded the juggler. In her mind, she was calculating her moves, how she could escape without being caught. She was deep in her thoughts when she was approached by a beggar dressed in tattered rags. He tugged at her dress and she swept away his hand, absent-mindedly.

"I haven't any to give." Callysta told him.

"Perhaps you have a tale to tell me on how you came to be here?" The beggar asked, raising his hood slightly. Callysta gasped when she saw whom it was.

"Jyohen! Ho-How did you find me?" Her eyes wide with incredulity.

Making sure that no one had seen them, Jyohen took her into an alley, where they could have some privacy. Once they were alone, Jyohen took off his hood.

"Ceren is very mad, Callie. He wants to know what happened and he sent me to look for all of you. When I arrived, I found all of you dead but I could not find your body and that gave me hope. I followed your trail and found you at the inn." Jyohen told her.

"So, it was your shadow that I saw last night!" Callysta said, excitedly.

"Yes, I was going to approached you when a man came to you."

"He is Legolas." Callysta replied.

"And so I have trailed you till you came here. What happened and who are these strange men? One is a Dwarf, I know but the other two. Well, they look…odd."

"My dear Jyohen! They are not Men but Elves." Callysta said and quickly, she told him all that had happened and where they were taking her.

"They're taking me to see a High Elf, Jyohen! I think his name is El-something. And they're going to arrange for me to go home to Galathor. I don't even know where the hell Galathor is or if it even exists, except in my imagination." Callysta said, tapping her temple with her forefinger and she added with a shudder, "What if they find out I am one of the rogues? I really don't want to find out how High Elves put impostors to death."

"Don't panic, Callie. I know where Rivendell is…roughly. Your road will take you to the edge of the Forest. It is about half a mile from our camps. If all of you set off now, you will reach it by nightfall and no doubt, you will have to camp for the night. I will come for you. Wait and listen for my usual signal call."

"Callysta!" They heard Figwit calling for her.

"I have to go. I will wait for your call." Callysta said. With that, the siblings parted company.

Callysta found Figwit and Gimli loading the horses and preparing to carry on their journey. Legolas was not with them.

"Where's Legolas?" she asked.

"Right here." She heard his voice and turning around, she found him standing behind her.

"Oh my God, you scared me!" She said, placing a hand over her thumping heart.

"Where were you?" He asked.

"I-I was just watching the juggler's performance." Callysta replied, turning away and busied herself with her pack. She dared not look into his eyes.

She was glad when Figwit said, "Let's be hasty! The day is lengthening." They set off once more but unbeknownst to Callysta, Legolas was watching her in the marketplace…

By nightfall, just as Jyohen had guessed earlier, the company set up camp by the fringe of the Forest. They made their camp under some stunted alder-trees by the shore of a stream. Ahead, loomed against the dusky sky, are the break backs of the hills. The moon was waxing and in the early night hours, a cold grey light bathed the land. As the night wore on, the moon passed westward into thick cloud.

Gimli was set on the first watch but soon fell asleep as well. Figwit and Legolas were already fast asleep. Callysta, on the other hand, laid awake and watched the fire crackled over the dry wood. She waited for Jyohen's call with bated breath but no sounds could be heard except for the chirps of crickets and the songs of cicadas. These were interspersed with Gimli's snores.

Do you really want to go back? She found the small voice creeping back into her head.

Shut up! I want to go back. If I go to Rivendell, there's no way I'm coming out alive.

And is that any better than going back to the life of looting and plundering?

Then, she heard the distinct signal call from Jyohen. It was a low whistle. Callysta rose from her position and crept quietly towards the call on her left. She whistled back in reply. She hadn't crept more than a couple of feet away from the camp when she heard some rustlings and grunts coming from the far right side of the camp. Then, she heard something that made her hairs stood on ends. Orc-voices.