Chapter 8
The Mewlips
Estel felt his limbs surrender to the cold. His mouth was clogged with water and his vision blurry. Faces and hands flashed over his face. He was slowly feeling his energy leave him. The skeletal hands pulled at his tunic and hair. He had no strength to push them away. The surface of the water seemed to grow farther and farther away.
The phantoms swirled around him. He felt himself being turned over so he faced upward. He could see light shimmering. It lit the world around him in bright beams. The ghosts spun around like fish. They pulled harder at his tunic. Finally, it ripped down the middle and exposed him. The touched his cold flesh and burned him. He couldn't cry out or resist. He felt his energy leave him. It was swallowed by the dead things around him that felt power growing in them.
Estel could feel them pulling him again. He summoned what was left of his strength to lift his head and see them pillaging his cloths. One reached in his pocket and pulled out the crystal figurine. Its eyes suddenly seemed blacker. It gazed at Estel with them as though it could see through them. Its withered lips suddenly twisted into a smile and its eyes narrowed.
No... thought Estel. He started to lift his hand towards the figurine. Don't take that. Anything but that.
'Arwen...' the word came out quiet and hoarse. The phantoms around him laughed maliciously. They spun around him and faded away into the water. Estel let his hand drop. The figurine was gone.
The water began to freeze his lungs. He no longer moved his bare chest up and down and felt icicles piercing his skin.
*
'Estel! Estel!' Arwen cried as she hit her knees in the swamp. She reached around with her hands and groped the water. Reeds scratched her hands and insects bit her neck and ears. She ignored them and continued to search the water. 'Where are you? Estel!' her calls became shrieks of terror.
She had awoken and looked into the swamp. She could see the figure of Estel in the mist and watched him fall backwards like a rag doll. She knew he had been waylaid by a Mewlip and had to find him before they took all the energy from him.
Her hand came across something solid. She grasped it and pulled. Estel's head and upper body was pulled from the waters. His eyes were shut and his chest immobile.
'Estel!' she cried as she laid him over her lap. 'Please wake up!' she pressed his chest three times and breathed into his mouth while plugging his nose. 'Please!' there was no response. She tried again, pressing three times and breathing. 'Wake up, Estel! Please!' still nothing. She tried one more time. 'Don't fade Estel...' something gurgled in his throat. She pressed three times and breathed once more. He coughed violently and water poured out of his mouth. He turned his head to the side and spat up the water that had entered his lungs. He gasped for breath. His chest ached and his head spun.
'Arwen?' he wheezed. Arwen cradled his head like a child's.
'Estel, oh, thank Valar!' Estel shut his eyes and concentrated on breathing.
'They... they took the crystal...' he coughed again once he finished.
'Oh, it doesn't matter!' she said as tears streamed from her eyes. 'I thought you were gone, Estel. I don't know what I would have done.' she gently cupper his face in her hand. Estel barely felt it before he passed out.
He's lost so much energy... thought Arwen. I need to get him out of here.
She pulled him up and began to carry him from the bog. She could hear the cried of the Mewlips all around, along with the voice of her brothers.
'Arwen, help us!' they cried. 'Please! They'll kill us!' she knew better then to even look at the source of the plea. She finally made it to the edge of the swamp and set Estel down. His tunic was half ripped off and his pockets turned out. His boots were soaked with mud along with his trousers up to his knees.
She slowly fed him water by tilting up his head and tipping the top of the flask into his mouth. He would swallow, cough, the take a large drink. After every three gulps or so he would pass out again. He couldn't even find enough energy to close his lips when he drank.
As the morning stretched on, the mist slowly began to fade. The sun beamed down on them and warmed them both. The mud all over them dried and scabbed off. Arwen finally ran out of water and let Estel rest. The bedroll had almost completely dried so she placed him down upon it. She searched her bag and pulled out a soggy piece of Lembas. After taking a single bite herself, she broke off some more and tried to get Estel to eat. He couldn't chew so she moved his jaw up and down. When it went down, his eyes fluttered open.
'Do you hear that?' he asked weakly. Arwen looked up.
Hooves.
Elves.
Rescue.
The Mewlips
Estel felt his limbs surrender to the cold. His mouth was clogged with water and his vision blurry. Faces and hands flashed over his face. He was slowly feeling his energy leave him. The skeletal hands pulled at his tunic and hair. He had no strength to push them away. The surface of the water seemed to grow farther and farther away.
The phantoms swirled around him. He felt himself being turned over so he faced upward. He could see light shimmering. It lit the world around him in bright beams. The ghosts spun around like fish. They pulled harder at his tunic. Finally, it ripped down the middle and exposed him. The touched his cold flesh and burned him. He couldn't cry out or resist. He felt his energy leave him. It was swallowed by the dead things around him that felt power growing in them.
Estel could feel them pulling him again. He summoned what was left of his strength to lift his head and see them pillaging his cloths. One reached in his pocket and pulled out the crystal figurine. Its eyes suddenly seemed blacker. It gazed at Estel with them as though it could see through them. Its withered lips suddenly twisted into a smile and its eyes narrowed.
No... thought Estel. He started to lift his hand towards the figurine. Don't take that. Anything but that.
'Arwen...' the word came out quiet and hoarse. The phantoms around him laughed maliciously. They spun around him and faded away into the water. Estel let his hand drop. The figurine was gone.
The water began to freeze his lungs. He no longer moved his bare chest up and down and felt icicles piercing his skin.
*
'Estel! Estel!' Arwen cried as she hit her knees in the swamp. She reached around with her hands and groped the water. Reeds scratched her hands and insects bit her neck and ears. She ignored them and continued to search the water. 'Where are you? Estel!' her calls became shrieks of terror.
She had awoken and looked into the swamp. She could see the figure of Estel in the mist and watched him fall backwards like a rag doll. She knew he had been waylaid by a Mewlip and had to find him before they took all the energy from him.
Her hand came across something solid. She grasped it and pulled. Estel's head and upper body was pulled from the waters. His eyes were shut and his chest immobile.
'Estel!' she cried as she laid him over her lap. 'Please wake up!' she pressed his chest three times and breathed into his mouth while plugging his nose. 'Please!' there was no response. She tried again, pressing three times and breathing. 'Wake up, Estel! Please!' still nothing. She tried one more time. 'Don't fade Estel...' something gurgled in his throat. She pressed three times and breathed once more. He coughed violently and water poured out of his mouth. He turned his head to the side and spat up the water that had entered his lungs. He gasped for breath. His chest ached and his head spun.
'Arwen?' he wheezed. Arwen cradled his head like a child's.
'Estel, oh, thank Valar!' Estel shut his eyes and concentrated on breathing.
'They... they took the crystal...' he coughed again once he finished.
'Oh, it doesn't matter!' she said as tears streamed from her eyes. 'I thought you were gone, Estel. I don't know what I would have done.' she gently cupper his face in her hand. Estel barely felt it before he passed out.
He's lost so much energy... thought Arwen. I need to get him out of here.
She pulled him up and began to carry him from the bog. She could hear the cried of the Mewlips all around, along with the voice of her brothers.
'Arwen, help us!' they cried. 'Please! They'll kill us!' she knew better then to even look at the source of the plea. She finally made it to the edge of the swamp and set Estel down. His tunic was half ripped off and his pockets turned out. His boots were soaked with mud along with his trousers up to his knees.
She slowly fed him water by tilting up his head and tipping the top of the flask into his mouth. He would swallow, cough, the take a large drink. After every three gulps or so he would pass out again. He couldn't even find enough energy to close his lips when he drank.
As the morning stretched on, the mist slowly began to fade. The sun beamed down on them and warmed them both. The mud all over them dried and scabbed off. Arwen finally ran out of water and let Estel rest. The bedroll had almost completely dried so she placed him down upon it. She searched her bag and pulled out a soggy piece of Lembas. After taking a single bite herself, she broke off some more and tried to get Estel to eat. He couldn't chew so she moved his jaw up and down. When it went down, his eyes fluttered open.
'Do you hear that?' he asked weakly. Arwen looked up.
Hooves.
Elves.
Rescue.