Chapter 6

Salvation

Kunai cast down his battered and defeated enemy and ordered his men into action.

"Find them. Catch them, but don't kill them"

 His Men mounted and rode after the two hobbits which had escaped.

 "Their coming!" Sam cried.

"Spilt up" Frodo called as they ran. Instantly the pair broke apart Frodo headed West and Sam East, the ground trembled beneath their feet as the mortal army of Sauron gave chase.

 Sam ignoring the stinging pain in his foot from where he had trodden on a barb planted in the forest – he was now more cautious not to do the same thing as before.He glanced over his shoulder nothing had tracked him let, he kept running none the less. His bare feet scurried across the lose stones down a steep drop, his short fingers groped for a handhold as he slide down, his knees bending against anything solid. Once on the bottom he ran onwards, checking behind him for the riders.

Frodo ran hard and blindly his feet slipped on the lose stones scattered across the ground in his haste. The riders were in close pursuit, his eyes darted about looking for anything that would aid him. The riders drew closer, he could hear the ragged breathing of the horses. One rode ahead and swiped at him as he ran. Frodo ducked and lost his footing falling to the ground. He hasty rose and ran onwards still searching for something to help him.

Then he saw it. A hole in the ground in-between two boulders, not there by chanced but had been burrowed by a creature. What ever made it, surely it would be better then pursued by the riders. He quickly slipped into it and the curses and cries of the men filled the tunnel from above.

Frodo crawled deeper into the unknown.

 Sam paused to catch his breath. No rider and chased him, he just hoped that Frodo had also been lucky and Legolas too. Kunai was a cruel elf and Sam hoped he would never meet such an elf ever again. Something stirred nearby. Sam turned caching his breath. Had they found him? Or had something else? Something worse, maybe? Suddenly Sam wished he was armed. He felt unsafe and exposed. He fled, though he would not admit it, he was afraid.

The noise sounded again he spun but nothing moved. He ran on, the noise followed him and he ran faster. In his haste he tripped and rolled to rise and his vision was filled with ugly orc faces. He cried out loud in surprise and sprung up. The orcs had been taken back for they had not seen a hobbit before. They chased after him keeping a distance until they felt confident enough to spring an attack. Sam franticly changed direction attempting to lose his pursuers; he ran blindly checking over his shoulder every few paces.

 Suddenly he hit something hard, it moved under his weight and he fell over. He looked up – he had ran straight into one the horses legs that Kunai's men rode. The  rudderless horse turned to him, its hind leg which Sam ran it twitched. He scrambled to his feet and glanced around no one had seen him. He fled again, and voice around him shouted hands franticly stretched to catch him, many legs stood in his path. But he dogged them nimbly and kept on running. Someone fired an arrow, it struck the ground inches away from Sam's feet, he kept running but began to feel as if he was trapped. The archer fired again and Sam's shoulder burned with pain, he glanced at it and saw a shaft poking from his shoulder. He grit he teeth and ran on, but another arrow was shot, it hit him in the calf and Sam stumbled and fell only to be scooped up by the enemy. He just hoped that Frodo had better luck then he.  

Aragorn checked the speed of his horse as they traveled onwards they had little rest since they started early that morning, there was a sense of urgency in this trip. Gandalf had warned him that if the Ringbearer feel into the wrong hands it could be disastrous. He had forced Merry and Pippin to stay behind and himself also stayed and had not given neither Aragorn or Gimli a reason why.

"Be alert, though Sauron has been defeated there is no peace to be found in Mordor yet." He had said before they set out.

 Aragorn and some of the Rangers from the North had scanned the ground for any sighs of footprints belonging to either friend or foe. They had found nothing. That worried Aragorn he had expected that Legolas and the two hobbits would have made good time, but they had heard and seen nothing. He felt his throat go dry. What had happened to them?

Frodo coughed in the darkness, his eyes streamed as the tunnel filled with smoke and he ventured deeper to escape the foul smoke. No doubt this was the Men's plot to force him out. Frodo just prayed there was more then one way out of this burrow.  He shuddered as he thought about the last tunnel he crawled into where he and Sam had meet Shelob, an great and ugly Spider under the land of Mordor. They had been betrayed by Gollum/Sméagol and were lucky to survive.

 Above the Men cursed and added more green moss onto the fire to make it smoke.

"Don't stop until you have him" one said. "I will be back I need to report to him" he rode off leaving the Men behind to smoke Frodo out.

Back at the camp Kunai was furious, he had not expected Legolas to succeed in freeing the hobbits let alone them actually escaping!  He kicked at the blond elf on the ground as he began to wake and turned to the sound of horse hoofs. Two riders rode towards him, one bore one of the hobbits he noted, the other a tight face.

Kunai questioned him immediately: "Where is the other hobbit? Where is Frodo?"

"He has crawled into a tunnel, sir. We are trying to smoke him out"

"You let him escape down a tunnel?" Kunai thundered.

The solider did not answer he simply bowed his head.

"Get out of my sight and do not return until you have him!"

The second rider threw down Sam and rode off to assist the other Men.

Legolas saw the hobbit through half closed eyes and felt angry to see Sam with an arrow shaft in his right shoulder and another in his calf. Kunai did not bother to question Sam but swore in his direction and continued storming the camp in a foul mood.

"Oh Legolas!" Sam whimpered, crawling closer. "What have they done to you?"

"And look at you Sam! You have been turning into a hedgehog" Legolas tried to joke, but now was not the time to joke.

"What are we going to do?" Sam asked softly staring at the red blood that seeped through Legolas' tunic.

"I don't know Sam, I don't know." Legolas sighed. "I just pray Aragorn will be here soon"

"Aragorn is here?" Sam cried, feeling hopeful.

"Hush not so loud. I sensed them leaving the White City in search for us, though I don't know how far away they are"     

"I knew Strider wouldn't leave us"

Frodo crawled in the darkness, the smoke mind his head swim. Twice now he had come into dead ends in search for a way out. The smoke was thickening in the tunnel, it made him cough so hard he thought he was going to be sick. He sat with his back against the soil wall feeling defeated when cool clear air blew across his face. He looked around him and light pierced the shadows. It was blinding in the darkness – there was another way out if the tunnel! He crawled towards it with renewed strength and hope. The hole was only small, but the solid around was dry and crumply it seems a stone above had shifted revealing the tunnel below. Frodo worked soil around the hole gently and it fell away. He peered through the hole he was in a different area and there were no Men in sight. He dug faster, glad to have fresh air into his lungs. Still coughing and spluttering he pulled himself from the tunnel and up to his feet, he looked briefly around and saw the area was deserted. He walked away from his exit and felt the ground shake beneath him. Fearfully he turned, but saw nothing. He turned and turned but saw nothing. The ground shook more violently with regular beats. Then he understood. It was horses. He turned. The riders where right in front of him. They had seen him. They did not slow and Frodo had no where to run, he knew soon enough he would be in the hands of the enemy again. 

 As they approached Frodo frowned, these were not the same horses that chased him. The Mortal army of Sauron does not ride on such beautiful horses of bay, and grey. Nor do they carry banners and red, green and black.

 The leader rider called to the company, they slowed and halted paces from Frodo.

Frodo could have cried for stating down at him was a familiar face.

Aragorn and the riders of Rohan had found him.

Reviewers responses

Keeper of Dreams: Love your name! Thanks for your review even if it was quite some time ago! This fic is coming along nicely as you can read.

Deana: He he, I know I am being rather unfairly cruel to Legolas aren't I? Though a lot of people like torturing him (Poor thing)! Thank you for you continuing reviews.

Aronoiiel: Thank you for your view! Torture? Hmm I don't quite go that far! But all the same they take hurt.

Elessar*Lover: Thank you for your review – he he I know another cliff, aren't I horrid?

Yellowrose: My best mate is a Sam fan too, oddly that was one of the reasons why I wrote this as I have thing for Legolas and she has one for Sam – and this started. Can't remember how though, thanks for your review. You wanted more, I think you've had it!

Elfmage: A review for each chapter! Thank you for your compliments! I know I wanted more reviewers too!  Well I do try and keep my reviewers happy (when they do write to me) I do try and keep the suspense and add humor where I can! Awesome writer? Hmm don't think I'm that good! Glad you are enjoying the story so far, I don't think anyone expected me to bring in an unusual character in. I'm NOT a bloody good mystery/suspense writer! *Blushes* I'm not that good… But thank you for adding me to your favorites lists – I love it when people do that. Don't worry more will be coming soon! Promise!

ElizabethBlack4: Don't worry Lizze! Help will come to them!