Shadow and Flame
Disclaimer: If I give you a dollar will you stop asking me this? O_O
A/N: I am grounded! Off of the computer for 1 week so this won't be posted for awhile. Sorry. Well any way the main concentrations on characters are Shade and Pippin. I am sorry all you Merry fans but I don't know too much about him so he'll be there just not that much, sorry again. And the reason I'm using Pippin so much it's because the first part of the book is concentrated on him, and it's a lot easier.
Chapter seven, Don't worry I'll catch up with you later, go on.
When Pippin awoke he was lying on the ground again, it was early night, but the slim moon was falling westward. They were on the edge of a cliff that look out over a sea if pale mist. There was the sound of falling water nearby.
Pippin heard the Orcs yelling nearby, something about shooting a white- faced scout that got away.
[Yes now we've got a chance] He thought to Shade who was just set down next to him.
[Hopefully] Shade said dryly, she sounded all but hopeful. She leaned forward drew her knees up to her chest and set her head on her knees. Then Pippin noticed the huge bruise that had formed at the base of her neck; he could only see it because her brown hair was so short
[Good lord! Shade, how did you get that?!]
[Oh, the Orcs didn't want to carry me when I was conscious, can you tell? It'll make a great story when we get back.] She flashed him a grin.
Pippin grinned back [I can see it now, meet Shade the Orc burning wonder. They'll be talking about in the Shire for years. I'll give them all a full tale.]
A shadow suddenly was cast over Pippin. It was Uglùk. "My lads are tired of lugging you about, you in particular." the Orc jammed his thumb in Shades direction and glared, Shade glared back. "Be helpful now. No crying out, no trying to escape. We have ways of making you pay for tricks, without spoiling you for the master."
He cut the ropes on Pippin's legs and ankles and hauled him up by his hair. Pippin fell down. Uglùk pulled him up again, and Pippin cried out, the Orc hit him across the face.
Shade leaped up and the ropes around her legs snapped, she gave a low feral snarl and threw herself at the Orc shoulders first knocking him down.
[Pippin quickly throw you elven broach down at the tree line! The others are tracking us they might find it!] Shade yelled in his mind.
The broach, Pippin realized was one of the only things the Orcs hadn't taken. He raced off towards the tree line; glancing back at Shade who was using her still tied hands as one like the spiked maces he'd seen in Rivendell's armory. Bringing them up fast and swift, at an Orcs jaw, even from the distance Pippin could hear the crack of bone.
He reached the tree line and threw down the broach, for good measure he stamped his foot next to it, hoping that Aragorn would find the print.
Pippin turned around, and was over taken by three Orcs, who picked him up and dragged him back to their camp.
Two other Orcs held Shade on the ground on her knees each of them had a cloth rapped around their hands. Pippin could see a faint glow on Shade's skin. He also saw several piles of ashes around the area. Shade's head was dropping slightly she was semiconscious.
**That's it.** Pippin thought ** They have to touch her. Skin to skin, I didn't think Orcs were that clever.**
Pippin would have smiled had it not been for Uglùk who came up behind her carrying whip. His blood froze and he felt the blood drain from his face.
"You'll see now halflings, what happens to you when you disobey me." He raised the whip high.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
What was happening? Shade thought. Wait, Pippin, she glanced around Pippin was white faced. His green eyes where wide with fear. Why?
What was holding her down? She looked around two Orcs were holding her arms at her sides, cloths separated their skin from hers. That's right, they had found the loophole, in her fire skin charm.
Why was Pippin so afraid? She looked at the ground. The torchlight created abstract shadow, which Shade could read, with a fare amount of skill.
Someone was behind her. But who, he's got something in his hand. What is it? Wait I recognize that shape, it's a whip. Shade sobered instantly, then wished she hadn't.
Crack. The first strike burned but not as much as the others would her skin would not be raw for at least three strikes.
She would not cry out or shed one tear in front of these beasts. After five strikes the pain really set in.
There were ten lashes with a second of space in between to give the pain time to set in before the next. After it was over her back was on open sore. The two Orcs holding her threw her on her stomach. Uglùk marched over and put one foot on her back, and ground it in.
Shade grunted she could hear Pippin and Merry sobbing at him to leave her alone.
"Silence you two, if the Master didn't need you so much you'd suffer the same fate." He turned back and looked down at Shade. "Are you going to give up and obey me or must we do this again?"
"Damn you, Orc bastard!" Shade spat out.
"Wench! You would do well to hold your tongue." His boot grounded in deeper. Shade grunted.
"Is that all my grandmother could do worse." It was the biggest bluff she'd ever made, this would probably be the most painful night of her life, and she was amazed she'd stayed conscious this long.
"Oh dear, not had enough had you?" He brought his foot up and slammed it down on her back.
"Ouch! Watch it don't you know how to treat a lady." She could taste her blood in her mouth.
"How to treat a lady?" He circled Shade and came around to her front. "Such a pretty face it would be terrible if something happened to it." Uglùk pulled out his dagger. "Such a shame." He cut Shade's face, from the bottom of her right eye to nearly her chin.
The blood began to seep down her face. "You know, they say scars are a warriors silver, if that's true, I'm now more of a warrior than you'll ever be."
The other Orcs were slightly unnerved by this, if a woman could take this much how would the human men hold out in battle.
Uglùk was furious he kicked Shade as hard as he could in the direction of the hobbits, the blow had caught her hard in the stomach on her arrow wound.
White light danced in front of her eyes when she landed next to the hobbits; she curled into a defensive ball.
Merry and Pippin leaned over her as Uglùk stomped over to her carrying iron shackles. Hoping that they could somehow help her.
"If ropes can't hold you I'll wager these can." He pushed Merry and Pippin off to the side and locked the shackles around her wrists and ankles. " You can still walk and you will."
He signaled for two more of his troops to go to the hobbits and force them to drink from a flask, they resisted at first but then gave in. The Orc method of healing worked fast, and neither of them where troubled by their wounds after words.
But Shade did not get even a meager bit of healing.
"You are easier to handle when you're wounded." Uglùk sated pointing towards her.
"What makes you so sure?" Shade sneered at the Orc.
[Pippin can you still hear me?] Shade asked.
[Yeah, are you all right? Merry and me are scared for you.] When talking telepathically she could feel curtain emotions anger, sadness, happiness, and in this case fear.
Shade didn't want to tell them of her plan. She was trying to get all of the Orcs attention on herself so hopefully they would be forgotten just a little and they could escape.
"Are you sure you're all right?" Pippin said out loud this time.
"I'm fine, Pippin."
"Are you sure?" Merry asked. He hadn't talked to her because she had been silent. Almost the whole time. He did not want to hinder any plans of escape she might have been formulating.
"Absolutely! I've had worse." Shade said cheerfully, she was lying.
"Enough!" Uglùk shouted the whip snaked across Pippins legs, Shade snarled again. "Get up all of you! You'll run!"
They all got up; Shade stretched her arms and legs to see how far they could go. Her legs went about twenty inches apart her arms only went two inches. She tested the iron. It was old, but remarkably strong, she could not break them, even if she was fully healed. She chooses to ignore Uglùk, sort of a holier-than-thou thing.
That suited the Orc just find he was focused on the hobbit Pippin. **She likes him best, I can get her to obey through him**
"I won't forge your little escapade" He snarled at Pippin. "Payment is only put off. Leg it!"
Shade snarled and spat at his feet as he passed.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Pippin had any easy time running. Merry had an easy time though a little harder, he had lost a lot of blood, and the drought the Orcs had given him didn't help replenish lost blood, just kept him from losing more.
Shade jogged, then walked, she never ran, her bonds kept her from running. That was the point, she wasn't supposed to run, no chance of escape.
Pippin and Merry where given a stale piece of bread and a strip of dried meat. All Shade got was a piece of bread, which she split and gave to the hobbits. They needed it. She did to but she was too proud to take anything they gave her. It would be her downfall one day, but when is what she had trouble with.
All the while the only thing that kept her going was the hope that Boromir was alive. That he was thinking of her, waiting for her to come back to him. She would, she vowed escape. Maybe not now, but she and the hobbits would get away. She would find Boromir they would go to Gondor. Together again, and she would never lose him. She did not know however that miles away Boromir was making that same vow.
Later they heard thunder in the distance they looked back, and saw men on horses, they were miles and miles back, but they could see the dust from their horses.
The Orcs redoubled their paces. They picked up the hobbits. And once again a sword hilt came down on Shade's neck. That bruise was getting bigger every day. And she was carried away.
Night came and Pippin awoke. The riders had not gotten close enough for battle. Many Orcs had fallen but a full two hundred remained.
They came to a forest. It would have been lovely, autumn was truly setting in and the clashing colors were beautiful.
Uglùk had given a speech to the Orcs something about them being kept alive. When were his speeches not about that?
He only caught the last bit. "Bind their legs! They are not to cry out and not to be rescued."
His order was carried mercilessly. Pippin's legs went numb and he had the sinking suspicion it was the same for Merry. Shade was tossed onto the ground beside Pippin.
[Ouch. Don't they know when to quite; it's getting old.] Shade said trying to raise the hobbit's spirits. It didn't come out right; she was too pale to sickly too every thing. She knew the slashes across her back were infected, most likely from the dirt ground into them by Uglùk's boot. The cut on her face had scabbed over but she knew she would have a scar there.
He would pay. Shade would make sure of it.
Pippin and Merry started to talk something about Lembes. Shade didn't catch all of it. Her mind was a million miles away.
Merry said something about having some in his back pocket. That caught Shade's attention again.
"You won't have to. I've------------"; but a savage kick warned Pippin that the guards were close and were watching.
Shade threw a rock at the Orc. But at an angle so it came from the direction of another Orc. Pippin seeing this did the same. The three Orcs started yelling. Merry, Pippin and Shade smiled their first real smile in three days.
A sudden outcry from the east of the camp showed that something was wrong. It seemed some of the men snuck into the camp killed several Orcs and then slipped back out again. Uglùk dashed off trying to stop a stamped of angry Orcs.
The captives sat up their guards had also ran off with Uglùk. If the hobbits had any hope of escape it was quickly gone when a long hairy arm dragged them off by their necks into the dark. Shade was left behind.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Shade jogged after the Orc who had taken the Hobbits. This was too easy. She hadn't dared to hope that one of the Orcs would be this stupid. When she came to the grove that the Orc had taken the hobbits, she jumped out at the Orc and hit him over the head, he dropped like a stone. She could hear the other Orcs trooping around. Their absence would not remand unnoticed for long.
"Pippin, Merry are you guys able to move?" Shade asked bending over to look at them.
"Yeah we're fine." Pippin separated his hands and rubbed his head and then began to untie his legs, then he helped Merry.
"Pippin how long have your hands been free?"
"Oh, I tried to tell you, but things came up."
"Oh, I see had a date or something I didn't know about."
They laughed for a minute. Then Shade heard the steps get closer.
"Listen you two make for the trees and don't look back." Shade began to shoo the hobbits towards the trees.
"What about you?" Merry asked rubbing his wrists.
"Don't worry I'll catch up with you later, go on."
[No you won't] Pippin said in her mind. He began to cry silently.
[Oh, Pippin. Of course I will.] Even to her it did not sound convincing. [But if by some slim chance I don't, tell Boromir that I'll always love him. I will miss him so much were ever I'm going.]
She hugged Pippin for a moment and cried with him. She knew then that she would not be able to catch up with them, she would be killed or recaptured and taken to Isengard. She turned to Merry "I haven't gotten to know you much, but when we get out of this I want to."
"Sure." Shade hugged Merry. Then the hobbits ran towards the woods and didn't look back.
Shade turned around wiped her tears and raced as fast as her shackles would let her go. She came into the camp and fought like a demon killing a few Orcs wounding many of them until, she was over taken, beaten down and dragged the last few miles to Isengard.
A/N: OOOOOhhhhhh cliffhanger I feel evil! Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha! In order for me to update I demand **puts pinkie to the corner of her mouth* one hundred.billion dollars! Or a few reviews. Its you choice, choose wisely. ^_^
Disclaimer: If I give you a dollar will you stop asking me this? O_O
A/N: I am grounded! Off of the computer for 1 week so this won't be posted for awhile. Sorry. Well any way the main concentrations on characters are Shade and Pippin. I am sorry all you Merry fans but I don't know too much about him so he'll be there just not that much, sorry again. And the reason I'm using Pippin so much it's because the first part of the book is concentrated on him, and it's a lot easier.
Chapter seven, Don't worry I'll catch up with you later, go on.
When Pippin awoke he was lying on the ground again, it was early night, but the slim moon was falling westward. They were on the edge of a cliff that look out over a sea if pale mist. There was the sound of falling water nearby.
Pippin heard the Orcs yelling nearby, something about shooting a white- faced scout that got away.
[Yes now we've got a chance] He thought to Shade who was just set down next to him.
[Hopefully] Shade said dryly, she sounded all but hopeful. She leaned forward drew her knees up to her chest and set her head on her knees. Then Pippin noticed the huge bruise that had formed at the base of her neck; he could only see it because her brown hair was so short
[Good lord! Shade, how did you get that?!]
[Oh, the Orcs didn't want to carry me when I was conscious, can you tell? It'll make a great story when we get back.] She flashed him a grin.
Pippin grinned back [I can see it now, meet Shade the Orc burning wonder. They'll be talking about in the Shire for years. I'll give them all a full tale.]
A shadow suddenly was cast over Pippin. It was Uglùk. "My lads are tired of lugging you about, you in particular." the Orc jammed his thumb in Shades direction and glared, Shade glared back. "Be helpful now. No crying out, no trying to escape. We have ways of making you pay for tricks, without spoiling you for the master."
He cut the ropes on Pippin's legs and ankles and hauled him up by his hair. Pippin fell down. Uglùk pulled him up again, and Pippin cried out, the Orc hit him across the face.
Shade leaped up and the ropes around her legs snapped, she gave a low feral snarl and threw herself at the Orc shoulders first knocking him down.
[Pippin quickly throw you elven broach down at the tree line! The others are tracking us they might find it!] Shade yelled in his mind.
The broach, Pippin realized was one of the only things the Orcs hadn't taken. He raced off towards the tree line; glancing back at Shade who was using her still tied hands as one like the spiked maces he'd seen in Rivendell's armory. Bringing them up fast and swift, at an Orcs jaw, even from the distance Pippin could hear the crack of bone.
He reached the tree line and threw down the broach, for good measure he stamped his foot next to it, hoping that Aragorn would find the print.
Pippin turned around, and was over taken by three Orcs, who picked him up and dragged him back to their camp.
Two other Orcs held Shade on the ground on her knees each of them had a cloth rapped around their hands. Pippin could see a faint glow on Shade's skin. He also saw several piles of ashes around the area. Shade's head was dropping slightly she was semiconscious.
**That's it.** Pippin thought ** They have to touch her. Skin to skin, I didn't think Orcs were that clever.**
Pippin would have smiled had it not been for Uglùk who came up behind her carrying whip. His blood froze and he felt the blood drain from his face.
"You'll see now halflings, what happens to you when you disobey me." He raised the whip high.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
What was happening? Shade thought. Wait, Pippin, she glanced around Pippin was white faced. His green eyes where wide with fear. Why?
What was holding her down? She looked around two Orcs were holding her arms at her sides, cloths separated their skin from hers. That's right, they had found the loophole, in her fire skin charm.
Why was Pippin so afraid? She looked at the ground. The torchlight created abstract shadow, which Shade could read, with a fare amount of skill.
Someone was behind her. But who, he's got something in his hand. What is it? Wait I recognize that shape, it's a whip. Shade sobered instantly, then wished she hadn't.
Crack. The first strike burned but not as much as the others would her skin would not be raw for at least three strikes.
She would not cry out or shed one tear in front of these beasts. After five strikes the pain really set in.
There were ten lashes with a second of space in between to give the pain time to set in before the next. After it was over her back was on open sore. The two Orcs holding her threw her on her stomach. Uglùk marched over and put one foot on her back, and ground it in.
Shade grunted she could hear Pippin and Merry sobbing at him to leave her alone.
"Silence you two, if the Master didn't need you so much you'd suffer the same fate." He turned back and looked down at Shade. "Are you going to give up and obey me or must we do this again?"
"Damn you, Orc bastard!" Shade spat out.
"Wench! You would do well to hold your tongue." His boot grounded in deeper. Shade grunted.
"Is that all my grandmother could do worse." It was the biggest bluff she'd ever made, this would probably be the most painful night of her life, and she was amazed she'd stayed conscious this long.
"Oh dear, not had enough had you?" He brought his foot up and slammed it down on her back.
"Ouch! Watch it don't you know how to treat a lady." She could taste her blood in her mouth.
"How to treat a lady?" He circled Shade and came around to her front. "Such a pretty face it would be terrible if something happened to it." Uglùk pulled out his dagger. "Such a shame." He cut Shade's face, from the bottom of her right eye to nearly her chin.
The blood began to seep down her face. "You know, they say scars are a warriors silver, if that's true, I'm now more of a warrior than you'll ever be."
The other Orcs were slightly unnerved by this, if a woman could take this much how would the human men hold out in battle.
Uglùk was furious he kicked Shade as hard as he could in the direction of the hobbits, the blow had caught her hard in the stomach on her arrow wound.
White light danced in front of her eyes when she landed next to the hobbits; she curled into a defensive ball.
Merry and Pippin leaned over her as Uglùk stomped over to her carrying iron shackles. Hoping that they could somehow help her.
"If ropes can't hold you I'll wager these can." He pushed Merry and Pippin off to the side and locked the shackles around her wrists and ankles. " You can still walk and you will."
He signaled for two more of his troops to go to the hobbits and force them to drink from a flask, they resisted at first but then gave in. The Orc method of healing worked fast, and neither of them where troubled by their wounds after words.
But Shade did not get even a meager bit of healing.
"You are easier to handle when you're wounded." Uglùk sated pointing towards her.
"What makes you so sure?" Shade sneered at the Orc.
[Pippin can you still hear me?] Shade asked.
[Yeah, are you all right? Merry and me are scared for you.] When talking telepathically she could feel curtain emotions anger, sadness, happiness, and in this case fear.
Shade didn't want to tell them of her plan. She was trying to get all of the Orcs attention on herself so hopefully they would be forgotten just a little and they could escape.
"Are you sure you're all right?" Pippin said out loud this time.
"I'm fine, Pippin."
"Are you sure?" Merry asked. He hadn't talked to her because she had been silent. Almost the whole time. He did not want to hinder any plans of escape she might have been formulating.
"Absolutely! I've had worse." Shade said cheerfully, she was lying.
"Enough!" Uglùk shouted the whip snaked across Pippins legs, Shade snarled again. "Get up all of you! You'll run!"
They all got up; Shade stretched her arms and legs to see how far they could go. Her legs went about twenty inches apart her arms only went two inches. She tested the iron. It was old, but remarkably strong, she could not break them, even if she was fully healed. She chooses to ignore Uglùk, sort of a holier-than-thou thing.
That suited the Orc just find he was focused on the hobbit Pippin. **She likes him best, I can get her to obey through him**
"I won't forge your little escapade" He snarled at Pippin. "Payment is only put off. Leg it!"
Shade snarled and spat at his feet as he passed.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Pippin had any easy time running. Merry had an easy time though a little harder, he had lost a lot of blood, and the drought the Orcs had given him didn't help replenish lost blood, just kept him from losing more.
Shade jogged, then walked, she never ran, her bonds kept her from running. That was the point, she wasn't supposed to run, no chance of escape.
Pippin and Merry where given a stale piece of bread and a strip of dried meat. All Shade got was a piece of bread, which she split and gave to the hobbits. They needed it. She did to but she was too proud to take anything they gave her. It would be her downfall one day, but when is what she had trouble with.
All the while the only thing that kept her going was the hope that Boromir was alive. That he was thinking of her, waiting for her to come back to him. She would, she vowed escape. Maybe not now, but she and the hobbits would get away. She would find Boromir they would go to Gondor. Together again, and she would never lose him. She did not know however that miles away Boromir was making that same vow.
Later they heard thunder in the distance they looked back, and saw men on horses, they were miles and miles back, but they could see the dust from their horses.
The Orcs redoubled their paces. They picked up the hobbits. And once again a sword hilt came down on Shade's neck. That bruise was getting bigger every day. And she was carried away.
Night came and Pippin awoke. The riders had not gotten close enough for battle. Many Orcs had fallen but a full two hundred remained.
They came to a forest. It would have been lovely, autumn was truly setting in and the clashing colors were beautiful.
Uglùk had given a speech to the Orcs something about them being kept alive. When were his speeches not about that?
He only caught the last bit. "Bind their legs! They are not to cry out and not to be rescued."
His order was carried mercilessly. Pippin's legs went numb and he had the sinking suspicion it was the same for Merry. Shade was tossed onto the ground beside Pippin.
[Ouch. Don't they know when to quite; it's getting old.] Shade said trying to raise the hobbit's spirits. It didn't come out right; she was too pale to sickly too every thing. She knew the slashes across her back were infected, most likely from the dirt ground into them by Uglùk's boot. The cut on her face had scabbed over but she knew she would have a scar there.
He would pay. Shade would make sure of it.
Pippin and Merry started to talk something about Lembes. Shade didn't catch all of it. Her mind was a million miles away.
Merry said something about having some in his back pocket. That caught Shade's attention again.
"You won't have to. I've------------"; but a savage kick warned Pippin that the guards were close and were watching.
Shade threw a rock at the Orc. But at an angle so it came from the direction of another Orc. Pippin seeing this did the same. The three Orcs started yelling. Merry, Pippin and Shade smiled their first real smile in three days.
A sudden outcry from the east of the camp showed that something was wrong. It seemed some of the men snuck into the camp killed several Orcs and then slipped back out again. Uglùk dashed off trying to stop a stamped of angry Orcs.
The captives sat up their guards had also ran off with Uglùk. If the hobbits had any hope of escape it was quickly gone when a long hairy arm dragged them off by their necks into the dark. Shade was left behind.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Shade jogged after the Orc who had taken the Hobbits. This was too easy. She hadn't dared to hope that one of the Orcs would be this stupid. When she came to the grove that the Orc had taken the hobbits, she jumped out at the Orc and hit him over the head, he dropped like a stone. She could hear the other Orcs trooping around. Their absence would not remand unnoticed for long.
"Pippin, Merry are you guys able to move?" Shade asked bending over to look at them.
"Yeah we're fine." Pippin separated his hands and rubbed his head and then began to untie his legs, then he helped Merry.
"Pippin how long have your hands been free?"
"Oh, I tried to tell you, but things came up."
"Oh, I see had a date or something I didn't know about."
They laughed for a minute. Then Shade heard the steps get closer.
"Listen you two make for the trees and don't look back." Shade began to shoo the hobbits towards the trees.
"What about you?" Merry asked rubbing his wrists.
"Don't worry I'll catch up with you later, go on."
[No you won't] Pippin said in her mind. He began to cry silently.
[Oh, Pippin. Of course I will.] Even to her it did not sound convincing. [But if by some slim chance I don't, tell Boromir that I'll always love him. I will miss him so much were ever I'm going.]
She hugged Pippin for a moment and cried with him. She knew then that she would not be able to catch up with them, she would be killed or recaptured and taken to Isengard. She turned to Merry "I haven't gotten to know you much, but when we get out of this I want to."
"Sure." Shade hugged Merry. Then the hobbits ran towards the woods and didn't look back.
Shade turned around wiped her tears and raced as fast as her shackles would let her go. She came into the camp and fought like a demon killing a few Orcs wounding many of them until, she was over taken, beaten down and dragged the last few miles to Isengard.
A/N: OOOOOhhhhhh cliffhanger I feel evil! Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha! In order for me to update I demand **puts pinkie to the corner of her mouth* one hundred.billion dollars! Or a few reviews. Its you choice, choose wisely. ^_^