CHAPTER NINE - FINDING
Kelly lifted her hand and rubbed her eyes. She felt like she'd slept an entire week and the pain in her back was almost gone. She slid her arm down to feel the wound but winced before she even got near it. Maybe the pain wasn't entirely gone.
She pulled herself into a sitting position against the dirt wall behind her and looked around the room. It was obviously underground by the lack of light and dirt walls, yet something felt strangely familiar. She noticed a crude carving into the wall; a bat, it's wings caught in mid-flight.
Kelly smiled. So Fred had succeeded in getting the sect's help in rescuing them. Looking over the edge of her bed, she noticed Fred and Chrissie cuddled up against the wall, gently snoring. Laughing slightly, she got tenderly out of bed and hobbled across the room.
Holding onto the bandage on her back, as if by doing so she could hold herself together, she poked her head around the doorway. Not seeing anyone coming, she started off. Even when she'd been near death twice in the last few days and was still beat up pretty bad, her sense of curiosity and adventure still got the better of her.
***
Kelly heard someone coming and instantly melted into the shadows, cursing slightly as her stitches pulled. Realising it was only Lee as she saw his fiery hair, she stepped out in front of him.
"What? You shouldn't be up yet, let alone playing hide and seek in the shadows. Get back to bed, before I carry you there myself, kicking and screaming or not."
Kelly looked at him for a moment, then snuck back to her original room. Lying down quietly in her bed, she noticed Chrissie stirring slightly. Drawing on some of the boundless energy she seemed to have gained in the last few hours, she pretended to be asleep. It was time for a little prank.
Kelly heard Chrissie pull herself to her feet and walk over towards her. She fluttered her eyelids and rubbed them slightly, feigning that she was just waking up.
"Kelly?" Chrissie whispered.
Kelly opened her eyes. "I feel the end is near, Chrissie. I'm sorry I got you into this. I didn't mean to, honest." Kelly tried to smile innocently whilst looking like she was on death row.
"Does it.hurt?" Chrissie asked, tact never having been one of her virtues.
Kelly nodded, letting a stray tear fill her eyes. "It's terrible.like."
Chrissie leaned forward to catch what she thought might be Kelly's last words.
"Get off me you big oaf!" She cried loudly, making Chrissie jump a mile. Kelly couldn't stop herself from laughing after that. "You should have seen your face.you actually thought I was dying."
Fred woke up hearing all the commotion. "What's going on? Is Kelly alright?"
Chrissie gave Kelly a murderous glance. "Well she's fine for now, but I wouldn't count on her surviving much longer."
Fred looked stricken. "What's the matter with her?"
Chrissie smiled tightly. "I may have to kill her soon."
Fred let the corner of a smile touch her lips. "She didn't.oh, well at least she's back to some sense of normalcy. Do you prefer her or scary 'I'm going to kill you' Kelly?"
Chrissie thought for a moment. "Fair enough." She slumped back down to the ground. "So Kelly, about this Canetha person. Are these people leading us to them?"
Kelly stopped laughing and looked at them long and hard.
"Well.do they suspect that you're not initiates?" She asked quietly. The eyes and ears of assassins were everywhere.
Chrissie nodded. "Once the healer tells what she knows, it'll be common knowledge."
Kelly thought for a moment. "You have to go then."
Chrissie visibly snapped. "What? Are we supposed to just wait around until you finish your 'business' like lap dogs or something? Just do your errands when we're told and nothing more? How do you know you can even do 'it' in your present state?"
Kelly scowled, but thankfully Fred intervened. "Mark is here. We left him in one of the stable inns with the horses."
Kelly thought to herself. "Mark is here? Wow. Well that's gives you the perfect excuse to leave. Go check on Mark and take yourselves about three or four miles north of Cair Andras. As soon as I find out the details of the meeting, I'll join you there so we can finish our 'business' as you call it."
Chrissie shrugged. "I'm not going to kill anybody." She said stubbornly.
"Fine, then. I'll do it. But it's to save Frodo remember."
Kelly slumped back into her bed, wishing she could just wake up and this would all go away.
She was doing the right thing she told herself, if any of the sect found out their true identities, they'd all wish they were dead. If Mark really was here, then he had to be found and brought away from the sect as well. Yet, considering all this, Kelly did not relish the idea of spending time alone with the sect.
"At noon I'll make a big deal about sending you both on an errand. Since you're not full initiates they will expect you to follow my command. Look humble and honoured, leave quickly and you'll be forgotten sooner. The next time you see me, Frodo will nearly be in the clear."
Chrissie pouted at Kelly's back, despite the large blood-stained bandage still remained tied there. Blushing slightly she whispered her final question.
"Where or what is Cair Andras?"
Kelly smiled without even looking at them. "It's an island in the middle of the Anduin river, several miles north of Osgiliath. Just follow the river north and you'll find it. It's only about a day's hard ride. Meet me somewhere on the west bank."
Kelly listened to them leave the room and their footsteps disappear down the corridor. She hadn't told them about the palantir, but she had no idea why. She supposed she didn't want them to think any less of her than they already did, if that were even possible. What if they thought she was communing with Sauron with it or something?
She'd put them both at risk countless times, where if she'd have just kept her mouth shut, things would be so different. This was all her fault.
In fact, if it's wasn't for her, they would probably be sat in some classroom now, safe and sound. She checked her watch: November 25th 10:51am. Kelly sighed. It was her Dad's birthday and her parents thought she was probably dead. What a mess she'd made of everything.
***
Mark glanced at the sun again, well what he could see of it through his small window. He'd waited patiently for the first four days, thinking perhaps Faramir just needed a lot of convincing. Afterwards he started asking questions around the local inns and taverns, for any news of some girls around the Steward's palace. The news that he received had shocked him.
He'd heard that two girls had attempted to rob Faramir, but had quickly been apprehended by the Steward's Men. Shortly before their punishment was due to be administered, another girl, named Kelly had arrived. All the innkeepers in Minas Tirith knew of Kelly and whispered her name as if saying it might draw the wrath of Sauron himself. She'd tried to fight for the thieves' freedom but the brave and righteous Captain Faramir had taken her on himself and fought her to the death.
He'd heard that the thieves were now imprisoned again and that the carcass was to be burned soon.
Mark had stalked around the edges of the prison, looking for weaknesses, but after he began to be recognised by the guards, he stayed away. He'd stayed in his room in the inn all that day, afraid one of the guards might find him.
***
He was looking around, seeing if there was anything to do when he'd come across a sack stashed in the corner. Whatever was inside it was heavy and on taking it out of the sack, he came face to face with a palantir.
If he'd have seen this more than a few weeks ago, no doubt he wouldn't have had a clue as to what it was. Studying at an Elven library had changed that and now he knew what evil these things could do, twisting men's minds and distorting their will. He knew they were not all accounted for and if he was to use it, Saruman could easily find him, or worse and closer, Sauron himself.
But what about Chrissie and Fred. It wouldn't hurt to look just once, to see where they were and see if they were okay. Just once.
Mark put a hand on each side of the palantir and looked into the swirling patterns of purple and black inside it. At first he saw nothing, then a stone texture appeared within it. Then straw at the bottom and two shadowed figures. The picture sharpened and he could easily pick out their features. He smiled. So they were alright.
He thought of the Elves back at Lothlorien, those he'd met and talked with and without his consent, the image wavered and changed, showing him the green of the trees. Mark tried to pull his hands away. He didn't want this to get caught up in the magic of Lothlorien, it could draw unwanted attention.
He flung his whole body back and laid gasping on the floor for several seconds. He felt so.worn.tired. He'd just go to sleep for a little while, just to recover his strength. Not for long.
***
When Mark finally awoke, dawn was just breaking. He rubbed his eyes wearily and heard his stomach rumbling. He'd could believe he'd been asleep for nearly fourteen hours, it just didn't seem natural. He looked around the room and when he saw the palantir, he jumped a full foot in the air. He crawled backwards against the far wall and clung to it, as if it might protect him.
He had used the palantir to find Chrissie and Fred; then he had fallen asleep for over fourteen hours, exhausted. He resolved never to use the thing again, no matter how desperate things got. He chucked his cloak over it, so no passing fool would see it and started downstairs.
***
He didn't come back to his room until late that night, trying to put off his confrontation with it for as long as possible. Putting it as far away from him as possible, he lay down to sleep, but his dreams were plagued with the eye of Sauron and strange purple balls that constantly chased him and plagued his thoughts.
*** Hobbit-Eyes: Yeah, Kelly's alright for the moment. I got the feeling several people were quite upset at the thought of her being dead, so I had to bring her back.
Freddie loves Frodo: Well you would like my suffering wouldn't you? You were such a rebel being intoxicated like that, I mean you didn't have to take the drug, you could have fought one of them and they probably would have listened to you afterwards. Not that you would have survived with your skill with a blade, but let's not fret about details, that gives me an idea.
Chrissie: You are so presumptuous, I mean how do you know that has anything to do with you? It could be Fred's old bit of crumpet but you've already jumped to conclusions. Remember it's an angst Fanfic, so if there's no angst, it's a bit pointless.
Tbiris: Duin-Shiel's out of the story for a while, he's got a lot of travelling to do getting all the way from Rivendell to Minas Tirith. And since they're leaving Minas Tirith, they won't be there anymore.
Kelly lifted her hand and rubbed her eyes. She felt like she'd slept an entire week and the pain in her back was almost gone. She slid her arm down to feel the wound but winced before she even got near it. Maybe the pain wasn't entirely gone.
She pulled herself into a sitting position against the dirt wall behind her and looked around the room. It was obviously underground by the lack of light and dirt walls, yet something felt strangely familiar. She noticed a crude carving into the wall; a bat, it's wings caught in mid-flight.
Kelly smiled. So Fred had succeeded in getting the sect's help in rescuing them. Looking over the edge of her bed, she noticed Fred and Chrissie cuddled up against the wall, gently snoring. Laughing slightly, she got tenderly out of bed and hobbled across the room.
Holding onto the bandage on her back, as if by doing so she could hold herself together, she poked her head around the doorway. Not seeing anyone coming, she started off. Even when she'd been near death twice in the last few days and was still beat up pretty bad, her sense of curiosity and adventure still got the better of her.
***
Kelly heard someone coming and instantly melted into the shadows, cursing slightly as her stitches pulled. Realising it was only Lee as she saw his fiery hair, she stepped out in front of him.
"What? You shouldn't be up yet, let alone playing hide and seek in the shadows. Get back to bed, before I carry you there myself, kicking and screaming or not."
Kelly looked at him for a moment, then snuck back to her original room. Lying down quietly in her bed, she noticed Chrissie stirring slightly. Drawing on some of the boundless energy she seemed to have gained in the last few hours, she pretended to be asleep. It was time for a little prank.
Kelly heard Chrissie pull herself to her feet and walk over towards her. She fluttered her eyelids and rubbed them slightly, feigning that she was just waking up.
"Kelly?" Chrissie whispered.
Kelly opened her eyes. "I feel the end is near, Chrissie. I'm sorry I got you into this. I didn't mean to, honest." Kelly tried to smile innocently whilst looking like she was on death row.
"Does it.hurt?" Chrissie asked, tact never having been one of her virtues.
Kelly nodded, letting a stray tear fill her eyes. "It's terrible.like."
Chrissie leaned forward to catch what she thought might be Kelly's last words.
"Get off me you big oaf!" She cried loudly, making Chrissie jump a mile. Kelly couldn't stop herself from laughing after that. "You should have seen your face.you actually thought I was dying."
Fred woke up hearing all the commotion. "What's going on? Is Kelly alright?"
Chrissie gave Kelly a murderous glance. "Well she's fine for now, but I wouldn't count on her surviving much longer."
Fred looked stricken. "What's the matter with her?"
Chrissie smiled tightly. "I may have to kill her soon."
Fred let the corner of a smile touch her lips. "She didn't.oh, well at least she's back to some sense of normalcy. Do you prefer her or scary 'I'm going to kill you' Kelly?"
Chrissie thought for a moment. "Fair enough." She slumped back down to the ground. "So Kelly, about this Canetha person. Are these people leading us to them?"
Kelly stopped laughing and looked at them long and hard.
"Well.do they suspect that you're not initiates?" She asked quietly. The eyes and ears of assassins were everywhere.
Chrissie nodded. "Once the healer tells what she knows, it'll be common knowledge."
Kelly thought for a moment. "You have to go then."
Chrissie visibly snapped. "What? Are we supposed to just wait around until you finish your 'business' like lap dogs or something? Just do your errands when we're told and nothing more? How do you know you can even do 'it' in your present state?"
Kelly scowled, but thankfully Fred intervened. "Mark is here. We left him in one of the stable inns with the horses."
Kelly thought to herself. "Mark is here? Wow. Well that's gives you the perfect excuse to leave. Go check on Mark and take yourselves about three or four miles north of Cair Andras. As soon as I find out the details of the meeting, I'll join you there so we can finish our 'business' as you call it."
Chrissie shrugged. "I'm not going to kill anybody." She said stubbornly.
"Fine, then. I'll do it. But it's to save Frodo remember."
Kelly slumped back into her bed, wishing she could just wake up and this would all go away.
She was doing the right thing she told herself, if any of the sect found out their true identities, they'd all wish they were dead. If Mark really was here, then he had to be found and brought away from the sect as well. Yet, considering all this, Kelly did not relish the idea of spending time alone with the sect.
"At noon I'll make a big deal about sending you both on an errand. Since you're not full initiates they will expect you to follow my command. Look humble and honoured, leave quickly and you'll be forgotten sooner. The next time you see me, Frodo will nearly be in the clear."
Chrissie pouted at Kelly's back, despite the large blood-stained bandage still remained tied there. Blushing slightly she whispered her final question.
"Where or what is Cair Andras?"
Kelly smiled without even looking at them. "It's an island in the middle of the Anduin river, several miles north of Osgiliath. Just follow the river north and you'll find it. It's only about a day's hard ride. Meet me somewhere on the west bank."
Kelly listened to them leave the room and their footsteps disappear down the corridor. She hadn't told them about the palantir, but she had no idea why. She supposed she didn't want them to think any less of her than they already did, if that were even possible. What if they thought she was communing with Sauron with it or something?
She'd put them both at risk countless times, where if she'd have just kept her mouth shut, things would be so different. This was all her fault.
In fact, if it's wasn't for her, they would probably be sat in some classroom now, safe and sound. She checked her watch: November 25th 10:51am. Kelly sighed. It was her Dad's birthday and her parents thought she was probably dead. What a mess she'd made of everything.
***
Mark glanced at the sun again, well what he could see of it through his small window. He'd waited patiently for the first four days, thinking perhaps Faramir just needed a lot of convincing. Afterwards he started asking questions around the local inns and taverns, for any news of some girls around the Steward's palace. The news that he received had shocked him.
He'd heard that two girls had attempted to rob Faramir, but had quickly been apprehended by the Steward's Men. Shortly before their punishment was due to be administered, another girl, named Kelly had arrived. All the innkeepers in Minas Tirith knew of Kelly and whispered her name as if saying it might draw the wrath of Sauron himself. She'd tried to fight for the thieves' freedom but the brave and righteous Captain Faramir had taken her on himself and fought her to the death.
He'd heard that the thieves were now imprisoned again and that the carcass was to be burned soon.
Mark had stalked around the edges of the prison, looking for weaknesses, but after he began to be recognised by the guards, he stayed away. He'd stayed in his room in the inn all that day, afraid one of the guards might find him.
***
He was looking around, seeing if there was anything to do when he'd come across a sack stashed in the corner. Whatever was inside it was heavy and on taking it out of the sack, he came face to face with a palantir.
If he'd have seen this more than a few weeks ago, no doubt he wouldn't have had a clue as to what it was. Studying at an Elven library had changed that and now he knew what evil these things could do, twisting men's minds and distorting their will. He knew they were not all accounted for and if he was to use it, Saruman could easily find him, or worse and closer, Sauron himself.
But what about Chrissie and Fred. It wouldn't hurt to look just once, to see where they were and see if they were okay. Just once.
Mark put a hand on each side of the palantir and looked into the swirling patterns of purple and black inside it. At first he saw nothing, then a stone texture appeared within it. Then straw at the bottom and two shadowed figures. The picture sharpened and he could easily pick out their features. He smiled. So they were alright.
He thought of the Elves back at Lothlorien, those he'd met and talked with and without his consent, the image wavered and changed, showing him the green of the trees. Mark tried to pull his hands away. He didn't want this to get caught up in the magic of Lothlorien, it could draw unwanted attention.
He flung his whole body back and laid gasping on the floor for several seconds. He felt so.worn.tired. He'd just go to sleep for a little while, just to recover his strength. Not for long.
***
When Mark finally awoke, dawn was just breaking. He rubbed his eyes wearily and heard his stomach rumbling. He'd could believe he'd been asleep for nearly fourteen hours, it just didn't seem natural. He looked around the room and when he saw the palantir, he jumped a full foot in the air. He crawled backwards against the far wall and clung to it, as if it might protect him.
He had used the palantir to find Chrissie and Fred; then he had fallen asleep for over fourteen hours, exhausted. He resolved never to use the thing again, no matter how desperate things got. He chucked his cloak over it, so no passing fool would see it and started downstairs.
***
He didn't come back to his room until late that night, trying to put off his confrontation with it for as long as possible. Putting it as far away from him as possible, he lay down to sleep, but his dreams were plagued with the eye of Sauron and strange purple balls that constantly chased him and plagued his thoughts.
*** Hobbit-Eyes: Yeah, Kelly's alright for the moment. I got the feeling several people were quite upset at the thought of her being dead, so I had to bring her back.
Freddie loves Frodo: Well you would like my suffering wouldn't you? You were such a rebel being intoxicated like that, I mean you didn't have to take the drug, you could have fought one of them and they probably would have listened to you afterwards. Not that you would have survived with your skill with a blade, but let's not fret about details, that gives me an idea.
Chrissie: You are so presumptuous, I mean how do you know that has anything to do with you? It could be Fred's old bit of crumpet but you've already jumped to conclusions. Remember it's an angst Fanfic, so if there's no angst, it's a bit pointless.
Tbiris: Duin-Shiel's out of the story for a while, he's got a lot of travelling to do getting all the way from Rivendell to Minas Tirith. And since they're leaving Minas Tirith, they won't be there anymore.