Chapter Five

Thunder rumbled as ten riders sought the shelter of a cave before the rain could fall. But they did not relax when they had set up camp; several times that day Orcs had attacked them. They were wary now of anything that moved in the gathering gloom.

"How is your arm, Gourry?" Link asked, after he'd lit a small fire.

"It's still a little sore, but otherwise, I think I came out all right." Gourry replied, as Xellos took up a position at the mouth of the cave.

"How much farther is Marmo from here, Lina?" Kage asked, as he checked his quiver of arrows to see whether or not it had replenished from the last fight.

"We still have a few days of traveling to do. Those damned Orcs are making this trip longer than what it should have been!" Lina said, angrily, as lightning briefly lit the sky.

"We won't be able to do any more traveling right now. This storm is bound to be severe. We'll have to wait until it passes." Xellos said, with a concerned look in his amethyst eyes; his usual expression banished from his face.

"This doesn't feel like a normal storm. There's something behind it." Zelgadis said, then added, "But I'm afraid Xellos is right. We can't travel in this storm."

"Sheik-san, could you explain to us what you had dreamed? Who are the Nine?" Amelia asked, as she gazed at the sad-eyed Sheikah.

"According to long forgotten legends, the Nine were once nine mortal kings. They were seduced into the shadows by an ancient Dark Lord. This was done by nine magical rings. When the Dark Lord forged his own ring, the Master Ring, these nine kings became what were then known as Nazgul, or RingWraiths. Their history is so long and dark, that I dare not recount it here or anywhere else until these dark times are behind us. But know this; the Nazgul leader, the Witch King, still retains much of his own will and will do anything to hinder us. That is why we must make haste to Marmo, before the Nine get there." Sheik said, urgently.

"It's times like this I wish I could control the weather." Lina growled, as the storm howled outside.

When dawn had come, they set off again. It was around noon when Link heard the approach of horses.

"There are riders coming. Be ready for a fight, should it come to it." Link murmured, as he grasped his bow and readied an arrow.

"Wait, Link! There's more than nine horses headed our way! It almost sounds like a small army!" Yasha said, as he looked towards an approaching cloud of dust. To their relief, Link, Lina and the rest saw that it wasn't the dreaded Nine, but it was Parn and his Free Knights, Cecil and what remained of his troop, and Spark and his traveling companions!

"Well I'll be a purple-haired Mazoku!" Lina said, with a laugh as the riders galloped up.

"But I'm the purple-haired Mazoku, Lina!" Xellos shouted, as men and elves greeted one another.

"Where the hell have you been?!" Lina asked, as Parn looked sheepishly at her.

"We got delayed by some Orcs, but we gained quite a few good riders after the battle. Spark and his crew are here, as well as Ghim and Woodchuck." Parn explained. Legolas looked curiously at Link and his companions. He'd never seen such a mixed company of elves. Three he could tell were of the tainted variety, but there was something different about them. Before he could ask them about why they were traveling together, Parn signaled that it was time to go.

"To Marmo!" Parn shouted, then led the charge. To any onlooker of the scene, they could have sworn that a great king had just mustered his troops for battle, as men and elves shouted in response and rode away; the sun glinting on their armor as the rode.