We broke out of the treeline just before sunset on the second day. I felt as if an immense weight had lifted from my shoulders; even Shadow looked less strained. As we drew away from the forest, I glanced back over my shoulder out of habit. I wasn't as startled as I expected to be when I saw the Elf Legolas standing at the edge of the forest, watching us leave. He raised one hand in something that might have been a farewell; I lifted my own hand in return as he melted back into the trees.
~***~
We arrived at the Last Bridge earlier than we had planned; the forced ride through the Forest had cut half a day's journey from the trip. There was a small settlement on the far shore of the great river, more a resting place for travelers than an actual village. Shadow planned to cross the bridge to the settlement and make sure that I was well settled before continuing on his own journeys. As we crossed the bridge, I was lost in thought and so didn't notice anything amiss until Shadow reined his horse in hard.
I nearly allowed Gwenn to collide with his horse before drawing her up short. I glanced around me, confused by the sudden stop.
"What? What is it?"
He waved at me, an irritated gesture that silenced me at once. He pointed across the bridge toward the settlement.
"Trouble."
The settlement was gone. Here and there, we could see the ruins of a tent or pavilion, still in flames. A thick pillar of smoke rose from the center of the encampment; I assumed the heavier flames came from a wooden structure of some kind. As we drew closer, a terrible stench washed over me; I gagged and quickly wrapped the skirt of my hood around my face and nose. Shadow's face grew more and more grim as we rode. We left the bridge, the horses' hooves thudding on scorched and bloodied turf.
The field around the encampment was littered with the bodies of horses and livestock. A pile of sheep carcasses smoldered and reeked beside a string of pack mules still harnessed together with rope. The first human bodies were scattered throughout the animal carcasses.
The slaughter seemed entirely random to me; there appeared to be no pattern to the people slain, nor to the way in which the bodies lay. I saw dozens of bodies, adults and children both, merchants and travelers of all descriptions. Shadow slid off his horse to examine the bodies more closely.
I stayed on horse, deeply shaken by the carnage. I had seen dead things before, slaughtered livestock and accidental or natural deaths, but nothing like this level of violence. I felt physically ill, my stomach rolling in slow loops. I gathered my cloak around me, the soft warmth reassuring me. I urged Gwenn next to Shadow, as close as possible without interfering with his investigation.
"What happened?" My voice shook slightly; I hoped he wouldn't notice that my hands were also shaking under the edges of my robe.
He glanced up at me, then turned back to the body he was examining. He knelt by the dead merchant and tugged at a long arrow protruding from the man's chest. I looked away, struggling not to faint as the arrow pulled free with a wet, sucking sound. Shadow turned the arrow in his fingers, running the fletching across his palm, weighing it carefully. He faced me, his eyes flinty and hard to read.
"You hunt. Tell me, what do you see?" He handed the arrow to me.
I turned it over in my hands as he had done. I noticed a curious weight to the arrow, the unsmoothed angles of the shaft unlike those that I had seen before. My own hunting arrows were large, meant for bringing down deer, but this arrow was nearly half again the length of my arm and as heavy as three of my own arrows together. The point was a wicked triple triangle sharpened to a needle's point; I could think of no game that needed such a weapon. I handed the arrow back to him, quickly scrubbing my fingers on my cloak to wipe off the blood and fluids.
"I wouldn't use it. It looks like it would bring down an oliphant, and it's clumsy besides."
His lips twisted in a wry smile. "Seen one before?"
"The arrow, or an oliphant? Neither."
"You're lucky if you've never seen such an arrow. They're Orc arrows, meant for killing men, not game. The tracks are fresh enough that I think we'd best get out of the area quickly." He swung back onto his horse and gathered the reins. I hesitated.
"What about the caravan I'm supposed to meet? Shouldn't we wait, or leave some warning? They're expecting me to be here when they arrive."
He pointed toward a burning pavilion. A long banner, marred with soot but still intact, snapped and waved from one of the upright poles. I could see the silver tree of Gondor embroidered on the soiled fabric.
"It looks like they were here already. Let's go- it's getting dark, and I'd rather not meet these creatures without the light of day."