Well, here we are AGAIN. Oh, and just a note to all of you who have asked misc. times: THE STORY IS 17 CHAPTERS LONG. Just so's you know. Yup! Just two more chaps after this. *sigh* :(
Responses:
Space Surfer: Orange MONKEYS?! Emn..okee then. ;) LOL!
Cassia: AAH!! Don't not post ESCAPE FROM MORDOR!!! *sniffle* well, as unpracticed as you are at threatening, that about did it for me…I was crying ALL OVER THE PLACE. ;) LOL!!! I love seeing that little :o) cause it means CASSIA'S BEEN HERE! *grin* :D Hehe- well you ARE part of a Kleenex conspiracy…it's just…we are too! ;) Ysma? Yeah, I happen to sympathize with finding her in feedback more than I care to. :P LOL!
SilvanLegolas: LOLOLOL!!!! I was laughing SO hard. The mental picture of you bawling all over your keyboard is just so GREAT! ;) LOL! My sister and I both found it hilarious. :D *still giggling*
Julie: Well, if this story is ANY two things, it's "angsty" and "confusing" I'm afraid. But as I've said, everything will be revealed, and we're still kind of in the "Still discovering what our problem is" zone for Mirkwood and Legolas in particular, so once we get past THAT to the "no we must FIX what our problem is" zone, we're going to be hearing more answers, I guarantee it. :)
Lady Sandry: JUST AS BAD AS CASSIA AND SIOBHAN?!?!…*sniffle* that's about the sweetest thing anyone has EVER told me. *grin* LOL! ;) Thanks SO much! Being in a rank with MC is really a goal for LOTR fanficers if ever there was one! :D
LegolasLover2003: A cup of coffee and a good cry…I dunno, sounds like a fair combination to me! ;) LOL!
Triklu-sama: *twiddles thumbs innocently* depressing? Really? Well, actually, I'm very glad you told me that, I was considering putting "Comedy" or "Parody" as a subcategory rather than "angst" but I'm glad you let me know. ;) LOL! Yeah, sorry if I'm depressing you. You could always swing over to Darkest Night, although that one, if my sisters are anything to go by, is going to be VERY angsty as well.
ImaginaryWhisper: Ooh! I'll miss ya, Whisper! Can't wait for you to get back! :) As for what I'll write, well…let's just say there's only two more chapters left to this thing, sooo…the story kind of needs…extending. ;)
Szhismine: More insane than CASSIA?!?!?!?! *has a heart attack* Don't ever DO that AGAIN! You're going to give me nightmares… ;) LOL! Yeeah, I'm nuts, but I don't know…Cassia is pretty scary with that character torture of hers…not to MENTION Sio-the-mush-queen… ;)
Elfling: Ooh, having fun at school are we? LOL! :D What reason to trust me? Eh…no reason. ;) Oh well. LOL!
Bill the Pony: Nothing EVIL? Really? Weird… :P
Here we go, guys!
******
Chapter 15
A Voice in the Dark
"Halt! Everyone halt!" Edren cried, and all listened, reining all their beasts to a stand-still at the command. Edren slid off his horse, and Legolas followed.
"What is it?" the prince whispered.
"I am sure we're close…can you not hear the orcs?"
Legolas paused, listening closely to the open air. "Yes…I believe I can."
Nyarin and Daurrè, who had dismounted as well, approached quietly behind the two. "That didn't take long, finding their lair…" Nyarin's breath hissed in Edren's ear.
"No, but we were looking for it, that helps. So far, all the ones who've been caught were looking for something else entirely when they stumbled across the orcs. That group of elves were looking for the cave of Bengwiil, and Legolas and Est…Legolas was looking for Daurrè and I."
Nyarin nodded, not even catching the abrupt halt of Edren's words. Legolas caught it, and almost smiled in the darkness. Dear Edren.
"What is our plan?" Daurrè asked.
"Not entirely sure…Legolas, does any of this look familiar to you?"
Legolas went forward a few steps, probing the darkness with wide eyes. "I see firelight, I think. If we could only get around some of these thicker trees and see past the fog…"
"Very well," Edren nodded. "Leave the horses here, we shall continued this way. Keep it quiet, all of you."
They silently agreed and snuck almost noiselessly past the gnarled trees and tangled roots. At last, they broke through enough to get a look at the clearing past them. Sure enough, there were campfires and torches set all over the clearing. Orcs lounged over the ground, slumped against trees here and there, as well as several who appeared to be having some sort of tussle. None them were doing much of anything.
"Is it familiar, Legolas?" Edren whispered from just over his shoulder.
Legolas' eyes landed on a stiff tree somewhere in the middle of the campsite. A great root spilled from beside it, ducking under the ground and coming out the other side. It was snapped in two places, and sitting on it, a tall lazy orc picking his teeth with a stick. Maklu.
"Aye," he whispered back. "Very familiar."
"Where might we find the other elf?"
Legolas' eyes snapped to where another stout tree stood feet away from the first one. He couldn't see around the trunk, but orcs were standing all about it, laughing and shouting. "There, by that tree."
Nyarin nodded resolutely. "Daurrè can make a commotion from over here, Edren and Legolas can take up positions to the far right and the far left of Edren, and shoot from the sides. When most of the orcs have come over here, I'll fight of the rest around the tree, and free the elf."
Edren nodded slowly. "Just avoid being seen as much as possible."
"Right."
"Be careful, Nyarin!" Daurrè whispered, as the other disappeared into the undergrowth.
Legolas nodded at Edren, and swung around to the right as Edren took off towards where Nyarin had gone to the left, leaving Daurrè where he stood. Legolas pulled to a stop when he felt he'd gone far enough, and took up a position on a midlevel branch in an oak tree.
Stringing the bow Edren had lent him, he aimed down into the camp. He could still see where Daurrè stood, the elf's light glow his only hint. He gazed over past Daurrè to see the strung bow of Edren pointing just a little out of the undergrowth.
Then, instantly it seemed, four orcs were dead down by Daurrè's position. A cry arose from the rest of the orcs who sped towards Daurrè's hiding spot. Orc after orc fell dead with arrows in them, and the *SHOONT-SHUNK* of arrows releasing and finding their target echoed on loud air. It didn't take long, however, for the enemy to come a little too close to Daurrè's position, and soon, Edren was shooting arrows from the left.
Even more orcs, almost and endless supply of them, rushed to the battle, this time splitting off towards Edren's position. Then, when they came too close to Edren for Legolas' comfort, the prince began a volley of arrows down at them. Now, they were all in an uproar, so much so that even the jeering orcs around the captive elf bagan to run off towards the shooting elves.
Legolas soon found himself shooting directly down at orcs instead of across the clearing at them. Taking a few precious glances towards Edren and Daurrè, it appeared he wasn't the only one who'd been seen by the enemy. So much for staying unseen.
"A ghost!" one of them cried, staring up at the elf's faint glow. "It's a ghost!" a few back by a step or two.
Taking advantage of the silly fear, Legolas stood up on the tree branch, and aimed two arrows down towards the retreating ones. "Ea-al! Us-ulund, ea-al!"
Several screamed and turned, while several others shouted in anger at hearing elvish, and started to hack their way up the tree. Legolas began to shoot non-stop into their seemingly endless midst.
"A ghost!" the orcs were screaming through the clearing. "A ghost!"
"Not a ghost! It's not a ghost, you fools!" Maklu's voice shrieked. "It's an elf! Snaga! Kill the filthy elf!"
Legolas shot down as many orcs at a time as he could, several times piercing one through another. Once, he shot down one who fell back, loosing his own arrow on accident, and shooting a companion. Every once in awhile, Legolas was sure he felt a slight rumble beneath his feet, but he ignored it, battling on, and hoping Daurrè and Edren were doing as well.
A stinging pain shot through Legolas' foot, and he looked down to find one of the orcs leering up at him from where he hung from Legolas' branch. His crooked dagger, it seemed, had driven through the toe of the elf's boot, pinning his foot to the tree, and slicing the side of his foot in the process. Legoals angrily jerked his foot from the branch, taking the dagger with it. The orc screamed angrily, and made a swipe for the elf's ankles. Legolas jumped in the air, snapping his knee back, and jerking the dagger from his boot. When he landed again, his feet planted evenly on the branch, he had the orc's dagger in hand, and drove it swiftly through the other's neck. With a scream, the filthy beast fell from the tree branch and lay dead on the ground where he'd taken down one of his own comrades.
*CRACK* without warning, the tree beneath Legolas snapped, and he realized too late that the rumbling had been orcs working at the tree trunk with their little axes. As the oak tree tumbled uselessly towards the ground, Legolas made a leap from the branch, flying over the orcs' heads, and towards the clearing. He hit the small incline on his way down, and rolled the rest of the way into the clearing. Pushing himself quickly to his feet, he started to run as fast as he could.
He was running out of the firelight, and off towards the darkness. Knowing he wouldn't stand a chance with orcs in the dark, he grabbed a torch from the campsite. His feet seemed to almost glide over the dark grounds, and the torch fluttered so much in the rushing air, it almost went out. All he had to do was run far enough to turn and get a good twelve shots in edgewise before it came to hand-to-hand combat.
At last, he pulled to a stop. Breathing as evenly as he could, he looked around him. He was alone. Why had they not followed him? Perhaps they were waiting for him to double back so they could spring on him? What could he do?
He looked around for an answer, and realized his back was resting against a hard-packed wall of rock and dirt. Holding the torch out in front of him, he walked around the wall, until he found an opening. It was a great, yawning opening. It was a cave.
"The cave! To the cave! We'll do it there!"
He shivered all over, his heart pounding painfully in his chest. He felt like something was fluttering about in his stomach. "I shan't go in…I couldn't bare it, I know I couldn't…" His feet moved him a pace or two into the cave. The torch only reached so far, and it looked like it was a huge cave that couldn't be illuminated by a torch alone.
He looked down at his feet, and saw something that made his stomach turn upside down. Blood. The ground underneath him was covered in it. It was spattered here and there, and even against the opposite wall. He could feel his skin growing cold. Leave. something whispered to him. Leave this horrible place. but he couldn't leave. The yawning emptiness of the cave seemed to call him. It beckoned to him, and asked that he come in. Just a little farther. A little farther more.
Suddenly, Legolas came to himself just enough to realize that something was brushing against his ankle, exposed by the tear in his leggings. Slowly, he looked down.
A leaf. It was green, green as the grass after rain. Green as poison. It was shaped like an arrowhead, rearing it's pointed end up proudly at a diagonal angle, allowing it's pointed sides to fall beside it. It was like a great bird who flew high as she could, and then, tipping her head back to look up at the sky she never reached, allowed her wings to fall sprawled to the sides, useful for nothing but making her graceful fall more majestic.
At its stem, two like-shaped leaves, though much smaller than their bird-like top, curled leafed fingers about their stem, trying to touch the top leaf with pointed ends, but failing to do so, and reseeding into the ground along with the thick, furry stem.
It was an unnerving site, that plant making its reach for the sky. The pointed end of largest leaf atop the plant flickered this way and that along with the flickering torch-light, as slight breezes crept in and out of the cave. As the leaf flexed and wavered on its stem, it seemed to greet Legolas, trying to reach up and touch his ankle again.
Its light, baby-green smiled at his eyes, as if it were a small, innocent plant. A still-young plant. As though it had not been here for years and years and ions and ions. As though it had walked through the cave with Legolas and wanted to converse with him about what was to happen next. As if it were friendly, and only wanted to touch the prince's ankle.
It seemed to whisper poison into the air and all its surroundings. Like a ruler feigning innocent ignorance of what he has done. I'm just here. I'm just down here by your foot. I'm just small. Walk past me, I don't care…it's your life, I shall not hinder you. I shall not hinder you…for you do not know what I am. You don't know what I can do. I shall not hinder you.
But Legolas did know. Legolas did know what it could do. Legolas knew…he knew…
"Bengwiil."
The world spun around him, his feet felt unsteady, and the torch was forgotten though the light remained. He felt like he was going to be sick, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from the leaf. The great leaf that reached out to touch his ankle again.
Look around, Legolas. Where are you? he nodded, and finally tearing his eyes away from the plant, listened to his better judgment and looked around. Raising the torch high, he realized something that made his whole body summersault, it seemed.
Bengwiil. It was everywhere. It was far beyond the one he'd been staring at, stretching in clumps and ankle-deep forests into the cave. It was growing up the walls, dangling from its vines from the ceiling. It was behind him as well. He'd waded through much of it already. He was trapped in the midst of it.
"Calm down…" he told himself aloud, and tried to probe his mind for where he was. It was then that a distant memory came to him. One he was sure he'd never purposefully remember…
"When I learned the elves had killed my father, I had no desire to live in their accursed forest any longer. I ran away from the tunnels my father had begun, and now my uncle continued to build, and into the darkest parts of Mirkwood. There, I found a lair of spiders. Having every intension of letting them kill me, so I might be out of my misery, I went deep into their cave. But there I found a whole cluster of Bengwiil. I only recognized it, because my uncle carved it above the inscription on my father's tomb. The elves had not searched for it amongst the spiders, of course, and so it was mine for the taking."
Bodruith's voice rang as clear as day in his memory, and it made him tremble all over. So this was the cave. This was the old spiders' cave that Bodruith had found a "small cluster" of Bengwiil in. Well, it appeared that small cluster had become much bigger, or else the elves had been very ignorant to miss this mass of it.
This was the cave. This was the Bengwiil Bodruith's crop of Bengwiil came from. This is what had nearly killed Legolas as well as Aragorn. Right here. At his feet. This plant. It hardly seemed possible.
He began to back up slowly, still staring wide-eyed at the plants around him, when he felt something tickling the back of his ankle. He turned to look, and found a thin Bengwiil root sticking up out of the ground. He jerked his foot to free it.
He didn't know he'd tripped until he was on his stomach amidst the short sprouts of Bengwiil. He mentally kicked himself for being so jumpy about the Bengwiil that he'd become clumsy, and then realized something…he didn't really react to it at all. With a sigh of relief, he realized that the plant had to be burning or torn for him to smell it. As long as the leaves grew where they were, they were covered by a protective casing that held their aroma inside. But something was still wrong…
It took him a moment to realize, but once he did, it was too late. The torch had landed feet away from him and the Bengwiil had taken to it instantly. The cave was suddenly filled with light as the flames licked up the vines climbing the wall, and burned slowly along the Bengwiil's leafy fingers.
Now that there was light, Legolas pushed himself to his knees and looked around. The cave seemed to yawn into the hillside forever. He had to get out of there before something worse happened. His mind was whirling. He couldn't seem to grasp the idea; he was in a cave full of Bengwiil.
He shook his head, closing his eyes a minute. He had to think straight. Get out of there, Legolas. he nodded. Yes, out. He had to get out. He was afraid of what he might see here…the blood only reassured him of something he didn't want to know.
What if he stumbled across Aragorn's dead body? He was sure he couldn't keep his promise to Estel then. He knew that despair would be nearly automatic, and he didn't…he couldn't go back t that land of hurt that had no location you could touch. He staggered to his feet, trying not to look at the Bengwiil.
Perhaps- had they fed Bengwiil to Aragorn when they took him to this cave? Was that why he cried out and then was suddenly silent? Maybe they gave him an overdose, and if that was the case…maybe Aragorn wasn't actually dead-
"Wait."
Legolas froze. What? He glanced around him, trying to figure out who it was that had spoken. He was alone, save for the waving plants and the playing fire. "Hello?" his voice echoed eerily off the walls around him, calling back into the deep of the cave, repeating the question to places he didn't know and couldn't see through the dark. Hello?…Hello?…Hello?
He strained his ears. What had he heard? Someone calling him? No, it couldn't have been that. He was alone, wasn't he? He felt a shiver run down his back as he squinted into the dark of the cave once more, biting back the erg to call again, afraid of hearing the word played with in the empty cave. He had to go. He had to leave this strange place.
"Wait…"
He couldn't help it anymore. "Is someone there? Hello?!" Legolas walked just a step or two forward, afraid to believe his own mind. ere? Hello?!…er? Hello?!…er? Hello?!
"Legolas…I'm still here…please wait, don't go yet…Legolas?"
Legolas broke into a run, allowing himself to be swallowed in the deep of the cave. "Aragorn! Aragorn, I'm coming!"