Awaking she found her wrists were bound tightly. Cautiously she opened an eye. Nothingness! It was as dark as night. Robbed of vision her other senses sharpened. The ground beneath her felt jagged and uneven and she became aware of a hard lump resting uncomfortably in the small of her back. The dull plink of water droplets hitting the surface of a pool could be heard somewhere off to her right-hand side. The air smelt damp and musty and she could taste rottenness on her lips.
Shifting her weight, she rolled onto her side. Pins and needles exploded in both her hands, which had been tied at the back. As the circulation returned, spasms of pain almost made her cry out. She sensed, however, that it would be wise not to bring attention to herself until she had worked out where she was and how much danger she was in.
'How did I get here?'
Her mind remained frustratingly clouded; her temple ached as though she had been struck. Trying to free her hands again she gently rotated her wrists within her roped restraints. The joints in her shoulders popped, protesting at the brutal angle at which they were held. There was only a little give, little more than the natural elasticity of the fibers that were used in the rope. Not enough to free herself.
Resting again she fought the urge to sleep. Her head was throbbing now and she felt slightly ill. Confusion at her situation threatened to overwhelm her. Claustrophobia gnawed at the pit of her stomach, ever present and slowly feeding her rising fear. Resisting panic, she tested her legs to find that her ankles were also shackled, though not so securely. Wriggling a little, she fought to loosen the rope at her feet. It was a slow process and it took a good five minutes before she felt it drop off.
Beads of sweat collected at the corners of her eyes. Her muscles trembled in exhaustion. Perspiring heavily, she attempted to sit, but immediately lay back down as waves of nausea engulfed her. A trickle of warmth rolled down her forehead into her eye.
'I must be injured. But why? And how? If only I could see.'
She lay for a while, readying herself for another attempt at rising. Mentally checking her body she became aware of various aches and pains. Her knees felt tender and raw, as though she had fallen upon them and her wrist were chafed by her struggles to free herself. Her hip was numb and cold where it rested on the hard ground.
At her next attempt she sat with less trouble. Hissing with pain, she moved onto her knees and slowly rose to her feet, fighting the dizziness that threatened to fell her a second time. This took a great effort and she felt out of breath, weakened by her injuries.
'I think I must be in a cave of some sorts. But how?'
A faint thought tickled her consciousness, just beyond her mind's grasp.
'Not how… who? Someone has brought me here. Tied me and left me. But what if they come back?'
The thought terrified her. She knew she needed to get out, but blinded and handicapped by her bonds, she had no idea of the direction in which freedom might lie. Straining her eyes against the darkness, she fought the urge to call out for help. Whomever, or whatever had left her here might not be so far away. It would be perilous to alert them to her potential escape.
Tentatively she took a few steps forwards, stopping abruptly when she sensed a great emptiness yawning before her.
'I cannot escape if I cannot see. I need my hands freed, but how?'
Changing direction she stepped backwards. After a dozen steps she came into contact with a wall. She recoiled at first from the damp, almost slimy texture. Overcoming her initial fright she twisted her hands so that the palms touched the surface and began walking.
'If I cannot see with my eyes, I can see with my hands.' She thought triumphantly.
Feeling her way along the rocky floor with her feet and guided by the wall she walked for what seemed to be hours. Listening for any sound of her unknown enemy's approach she was met with a foreboding silence. When it seemed she could walk no more, she became aware that where previously there had been nothing but darkness, she could make out faint outlines. A ghostly light cast a greenish hue, which reflected eerily off the crystalline calcite that formed the sandstone walls. Glancing up at the high ceiling she saw the dim light filtered down through a crack nestled amongst a forest of ancient stalactites.
On further examination she concluded that while the underground cavern had been formed by the erosion of time and water, the passageway in which she had awoken was manmade. Only a few feet across, it ran in a straight line, too uniform to have occurred naturally. The floor was strewn with small rocks and the occasional larger boulder. Rivulets of water ran down the ragged walls, gradually wearing shallow depressions into the surface and resting in shallow pools on rocky ground. Mildew grew wherever the rough stone was wet.
'I must be careful not to slip.'
Encouraged by her newfound sight, she set out at a faster pace, hoping she was not so far underground that she would become lost. It seemed straightforward enough, the passage she was in seemed to travel in one direction and there had been no forks in the path so far.
Memories came back to her as she walked.
'I was traveling. Something happened. It was night, dark like this cave. Screams. Oh the screams! I was not alone, there were others. The horses had stampeded, running away. From what? Something bad. Deargán panicked. Reared up. I fell. Hit my head on something.'
She shook her head, trying to clear it. Everything had happened so quickly, one minute she had been on her horses back, the next flying through the air. And then… nothing.
A noise up ahead jolted her from her thoughts. Adrenaline flushed through her body, her stomach churned sickeningly and her heart jumped in her chest. Looking around desperately for somewhere to hide she saw a boulder against the wall and, without thinking, threw herself on the ground behind it. She jarred her shoulder as she landed, biting her tongue as her chin scraped the floor. Ignoring the metallic taste that flooded her mouth she pressed herself as close to the wall as she could get.
The noise echoed around the walls as many marching feet came closer. It became unbearably loud and she bit her tongue in the effort of preventing screams of terror issuing forth. The din of many voices chanting in an alien tongue filled the air. The sound was dark and guttural and utterly terrifying. Unable to shield her ears with her hands, the deep roar assaulted her to the core of her being.
When she thought she could take it no longer, that she would have to scream or lose her sanity, the clamor receded. As it faded she risked a glace and at once wished she had not. A host of orcs traveled into the darkness from where she had just come. Some carrying the limp bodies of unfortunate captives over their shoulder like sacks.
'That was me not so long ago. Oh! How can I leave knowing there are more like me? Hidden in the darkness. A live food store for these dark beasts. How many have suffered such a terrible fate?'
When stillness had returned she rose from her hiding place. Throwing caution aside she began to run, desperate to escape from a shadowy doom. It was not long before she saw the opening, a great circle of light that dazzled her eyes. She was almost out!
***
Coming into the pale morning light, the girl dropped to her knees forgetting her injuries. Turning her face to the sky she wept tears of relief. Though her ordeal was not yet over, escaping the cave was the first step to regaining her freedom.
'Thank Illuvatar! I will see the sun rise once more.'
She was in a small clearing in the foothills of a snowcapped mountain. The snowy cap of the huge mountain reached aloft behind her. Below her thick pine forest covered the stony terrain. The air smelled fresh and sweet in contrast to the dank reek of the cave. She greedily sucked in a deep lungful, almost choking in her eagerness to rid herself of the evil stench that clung to her body.
Her clothing hung in tatters, barely covering her battered body. The chilly mountain air bit at her exposed skin. Deciding it was best to keep moving, she set off keeping the rising sun at her back. Struggling slightly to keep her balance she gradually made her way down the craggy pathway.
'Where am I? I can't quite place it. A wooded mountain. I think it may be the Emyn Muil, but that would mean I have been taken at least fifty miles from where we set up camp. How long have I been unconscious?'
Her mind replayed the horrors of the orc-infested cave as she tried to remember what had happened. She knew that orcs could not stand the sunlight and that she was safe until nightfall. She had to use the time given to her to steadily put distance between herself and the evil beasts. It was mid morning, with noon fast approaching.
She gasped raggedly, out of breath at the exertion. Several times she had to force herself to keep moving as a deep exhaustion set in. The desire to lie down and sleep was almost overpowering. Her eyes felt gritty and leaked copiously, blurring her vision and making it difficult to see.
'How far have I come? It feels like ten thousand miles.'
She stumbled on an exposed tree root and, unable to use her arms to regain her balance, fell onto her right shoulder. Agony exploded through her body, causing her to scream. The joint felt loose and unnatural, and the pain was unbearable. Curling into a ball she sobbed noisily.
***
Some hours later she woke from a dreamless sleep. The sun had reached and passed its highest point. She jumped up, startled.
'Oh! I must have fallen asleep. Damn. There's no point in escaping if I'm going to get caught again.'
She forced her protesting legs back into the brisk walk she had kept up most of the morning. The land was almost flat now, the vast mountain peaks of the Emyn Muil diminishing in the distance. She had traveled fifteen miles before noon, and though she had slept a while, still had several hours before sunset. Not that it didn't get dark in the thickly wooded forest before that. She had to reach the edge as soon as possible to ensure the cave dwelling goblins could not creep up on her using the trees and bushes to hide their approach.
Her stomach grumbled as the days quick march took its toll on her flagging energy. As she walked she looked out for anything edible. It would not do to be fainting from hunger. If she did that she might end up being a meal for something else.
A rustling in the bushes ahead brought her to a sudden halt.
"Who goes there? Show yourself!" Her cry more confident than she felt.
The rustling stopped. As she readied herself to run, she heard the familiar throaty nicker that identified her young stallion.
"Deargán," she called softly, waiting for the wily beast to show himself.
She had named him for the deep chestnut color of his coat. He was her 'little red one' and when he ran his mane and tail flew out behind him and looked akin to flames in a fire. He stepped out from the bush, as handsome with twigs and burrs in his tail and mud up his legs as when groomed and prepared for his mares.
He was her stud stallion, descended indirectly from the great bloodline of the Mearas. He produced fine colts and fillies and had made her a wealthy woman. She was a well-respected breeder in her hometown and was slowly becoming recognized as a great trainer also.
She buried her face in his well-muscled shoulder, breathing in the familiar scent of straw and sweat. She loved this horse like he was her own child, and had thought him dead. She felt blessed that he had the intelligence to follow her, for he would be a great help in her escape from the cave. She could travel twice as fast on his back and perhaps reach her camp before dawn tomorrow.
Her first problem was releasing herself from her bonds, which had been tied behind her back. She had always ridden bareback, as Deargán would accept no saddle although he allowed her to use a rope halter to guide him. She sat on a grassy patch contemplating her problem.
'I can still ride with my arms behind me, but not as fast as I would like. Perhaps I could…'
She wriggled a bit, bringing her knees up to her chest and slowly pulled her arms around her legs. Her shoulder cramped and she screeched in pain, but it passed and she was delighted to have her hand back where she could see them.
"Look Deargán. They cannot keep me prisoner, I am too quick minded for those evil goblins." She smiled wryly at her own joke, realizing her escape would have been a lot easier if she had done this at the beginning.
"Tar anseo, Deargán!" * come here *
The great stallion perked up. He came to her and nudged her with his velvet muzzle. Blowing slightly through his flared nostrils, he seemed to be asking her what she wanted.
"Bhàn, luigh síos." * down, lie down *
It was something she had taught the stallion to do when he had become too big to mount without help. He knelt on his front legs and allowed her to get on without the usual mischief. He seemed to sense the urgency of the task.
"Nach maith an buachaill tú!" * Aren't you a good boy! *
She gripped his long mane and gave him the command to stand. He obeyed without his usual naughtiness and stood still as a rock.
"Ruith!" * run *
He set out at a steady canter, avoiding low hung branches and running smoothly. Although semi wild, he had been born and raised by his wounded passenger and they shared a close affinity with each other.
'I must get back to where we camped. There must be survivors, and they could be hurt. Damn those cursed orcs.'
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This is my second attempt at this chapter, edited and improved I hope… Let me know what you think