AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanx to Ebony for the tip! Additional thanx to Airedur,
Elvish Fairy, and Nova S. for the kind words. Special thanx to edinarain
for helping to inspire the story itself!
Nadena peeled her eyes open, to find an angel an inch from her face. While she felt uncomfortable to have her personal space invaded, she was too distracted by a migraine behind her left temple to protest. The angel had long, white hair that fell in perfect strands of silk to his chest. His skin was the palest shade of ivory, which seemed to glow in the sun. The angel's jet-black eyes were boring into her own.
"Eyes as gray as the morning haze of Isengard," the angel said. Nadena immediately recognized the voice, and groaned. That damned elf! He grabbed her chin and roughly turned her face to inspect her ears. "Rounded lobes." She realized he wasn't speaking to her, and looked over his shoulder to find the rest of the group huddled around a fire.
The elf pinched her nose, turning it from side to side. "No gills." Nadena tried to resist his prying, only to find her hands chained together. Her inspector turned to her chains, and his expression intensified even more at the sight of many deep scars along her forearms. He took out a small knife and reopened one wound. Nadena pulled away weakly, not out of pain but out of arousal by way of pain.
The elf easily retrieved her arm and looked at her with an odd expression, which revealed that he was somehow aware of her hormones. He lightly licked the old cut, and suddenly snapped his head up, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Our companion has the blood of a vampire!" He drew away from her, instinctively reaching for his arrow.
The powerful old man put a comforting but firm hand upon his shoulder to stop him, and kneeled before the captive. "Young lady, I am Gandalf, a wizard of 30 lifetimes in age. I have seen many tragedies, and many miracles at the hands of all species. Therefore, I will give you the opportunity to save yourself from a rather unpleasant demise, and I am prepared to listen, free of bias, to your answers. I advise you resist the temptation to lie, as my elfish friend can small deceit."
"As well as fear," the brute added. Nadena glared at him, and turned back to Gandalf.
"What questions do you require of me?" she asked.
"What is your name?"
"Nadena." The council awaited further response, and she added, "I have no family of origin, and I know of no other name by which to call myself."
"Are you in the service of Dracula?"
Knowing resistance to be futile, she quickly answered, "Yes."
"And you live within the borders of Mordor?"
"That I do."
"Again, why have you been following our path these past-" he paused to look to Legolas, who finished, "two nights."
"I was employed to kill you. You know this as well as I."
"Bold words," came the gruff voice of the dwarf, "especially from one whose fate rests upon them."
"I care not for my life," Nadena stated blankly, "nor for Dracula."
"Then why obey his instructions at all?" asked one of the humans.
"An assignment is an escape from Mordor."
Gandalf sat pensively upon a stone near the fire. The camp was quite for a few seconds, until the darker of the men spoke up. "This girl can lead us into Mordor. She will not falter in her navigations."
The other nodded in agreement. "She may also serve as protection."
"What arrogance have you that you believe me to follow your orders? I fear not pain, nor death."
"No; you long for death," Legolas whispered from behind her. He squatted to a position close to her back. "And if you do not obey us, I shall make sure that you cannot embrace it."
While the rest of the party didn't understand the elf's motive, none challenged him when they saw the effect his words had upon the vampire.
"And if I take you to Mordor?" she asked, sarcastically. "I shall return the same fate I have finally escaped."
"No," the elf rebuked. "If you lead us past the Black Gate, I shall slay you immediately."
The girl turned to Gandalf with a tired sigh. "I will take you."
The wizard nodded, and Legolas added, "But you shall continue to bear the chains."
Nadena gave a small nod in acquiescence, though her heart grew heavy at the thought of being bound once more. 'Tis worth such a burden, she told herself, for the end draws near.
Nadena peeled her eyes open, to find an angel an inch from her face. While she felt uncomfortable to have her personal space invaded, she was too distracted by a migraine behind her left temple to protest. The angel had long, white hair that fell in perfect strands of silk to his chest. His skin was the palest shade of ivory, which seemed to glow in the sun. The angel's jet-black eyes were boring into her own.
"Eyes as gray as the morning haze of Isengard," the angel said. Nadena immediately recognized the voice, and groaned. That damned elf! He grabbed her chin and roughly turned her face to inspect her ears. "Rounded lobes." She realized he wasn't speaking to her, and looked over his shoulder to find the rest of the group huddled around a fire.
The elf pinched her nose, turning it from side to side. "No gills." Nadena tried to resist his prying, only to find her hands chained together. Her inspector turned to her chains, and his expression intensified even more at the sight of many deep scars along her forearms. He took out a small knife and reopened one wound. Nadena pulled away weakly, not out of pain but out of arousal by way of pain.
The elf easily retrieved her arm and looked at her with an odd expression, which revealed that he was somehow aware of her hormones. He lightly licked the old cut, and suddenly snapped his head up, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Our companion has the blood of a vampire!" He drew away from her, instinctively reaching for his arrow.
The powerful old man put a comforting but firm hand upon his shoulder to stop him, and kneeled before the captive. "Young lady, I am Gandalf, a wizard of 30 lifetimes in age. I have seen many tragedies, and many miracles at the hands of all species. Therefore, I will give you the opportunity to save yourself from a rather unpleasant demise, and I am prepared to listen, free of bias, to your answers. I advise you resist the temptation to lie, as my elfish friend can small deceit."
"As well as fear," the brute added. Nadena glared at him, and turned back to Gandalf.
"What questions do you require of me?" she asked.
"What is your name?"
"Nadena." The council awaited further response, and she added, "I have no family of origin, and I know of no other name by which to call myself."
"Are you in the service of Dracula?"
Knowing resistance to be futile, she quickly answered, "Yes."
"And you live within the borders of Mordor?"
"That I do."
"Again, why have you been following our path these past-" he paused to look to Legolas, who finished, "two nights."
"I was employed to kill you. You know this as well as I."
"Bold words," came the gruff voice of the dwarf, "especially from one whose fate rests upon them."
"I care not for my life," Nadena stated blankly, "nor for Dracula."
"Then why obey his instructions at all?" asked one of the humans.
"An assignment is an escape from Mordor."
Gandalf sat pensively upon a stone near the fire. The camp was quite for a few seconds, until the darker of the men spoke up. "This girl can lead us into Mordor. She will not falter in her navigations."
The other nodded in agreement. "She may also serve as protection."
"What arrogance have you that you believe me to follow your orders? I fear not pain, nor death."
"No; you long for death," Legolas whispered from behind her. He squatted to a position close to her back. "And if you do not obey us, I shall make sure that you cannot embrace it."
While the rest of the party didn't understand the elf's motive, none challenged him when they saw the effect his words had upon the vampire.
"And if I take you to Mordor?" she asked, sarcastically. "I shall return the same fate I have finally escaped."
"No," the elf rebuked. "If you lead us past the Black Gate, I shall slay you immediately."
The girl turned to Gandalf with a tired sigh. "I will take you."
The wizard nodded, and Legolas added, "But you shall continue to bear the chains."
Nadena gave a small nod in acquiescence, though her heart grew heavy at the thought of being bound once more. 'Tis worth such a burden, she told herself, for the end draws near.