For disclaimer please see chapter one.
Chapter V: Death.
"Amin khiluva lle a' gurtha . gurth tula khila amin, gurth ta tuluva a' lye"The four hobbits in the cave waiter anxiously for something to happen: for the elf or Strider to return or for the Black Riders to find them. Time seemed to stand still, the only sound they heard were from their own deep breaths. Then suddenly everything seemed to happen at once they heard somebody scream and then the sound of metal hitting metal.
Pippin and Merry jumped up and raised their swords, ready to leap out into the night and join the battle, when Frodo grabbed their arms. "What ever is going on, we are safer inn here," he said sternly.
"We can't think about our own safety when the others are in danger" cried Pippin, feeling braver then he was. "Of course not, but Pippin have you ever used a sword, have you ever used it to kill something?" Frodo asked, Pippin opened his mouth to answer when he remembered that he had never raised his sword to anything or anybody before, he did not even like to watch when the others chopped heads off chickens.
"Maybe Mr. Frodo is right" said Merry thoughtfully and lowered his sword. "We may only cause the others danger when they must spend their focus protecting us"
So, they waited in the darkness and they could still hearing the intense shrills from the Black Riders, and then suddenly it stopped.
"Do you think it is safe?" Sam asked when the silence grew too intense. Frodo took a step towards the exit and looked out, he could see nothing but the darkness, the clouds were even hiding the stars.
"I shall take a look," Frodo said and started to climb down, when Sam stopped him. "I think it is best if I go first Mr. Frodo" he said, and before Frodo could stop him, Sam climbed out. They waited worryingly for Sam to appear, then after a few moments, his head popped up in the opening.
"They are gone," he said simply and then disappeared again, the three hobbits looked at each other waiting for somebody to make the first move, then slowly Pippin climbed out followed by Frodo and last Merry, carrying Tquel in his arms.
He rose slowly and filled his lungs with air, letting the events from the last couple of minutes play through his mind. He could see the hooded figure loom over him, sword ready to strike. She had saved his life. He watched her, sitting on the ground near the sword her legs drawn up under her check, her arms wrapped tightly around them, not moving.
He walked over to her and reached out a hand to touch her, she whimpered in fear and then crawled over to the large stonewall where she curled together and stared at him with large terrorized eyes. He was about to walk towards her again, when another thought suddenly entered his mind.
The hobbits.
Quickly he dashed around the corner fearing the worst, when to his delight he saw the four hobbits safely on the ground dusting some dirt of their jackets.
"Strider" Frodo called brightly, delighted, to see the ranger in one piece.
"Where have you been?" Strider asked. When he heard the loud cries he had feared the worst and the shock of what had really happened still played freshly in his mind.
"Up there!" Pippin said and pointed to an opening high on the wall that was almost invisible to the untrained eye. It was probably an old cave were they hid emergency equipments.
"How did you find that cave?" Strider asked puzzled, he had rested here several times but had never spotted the opening before. "The elf…she took us here…. where is she, is she alright?" Pippin asked.
Strider nodded and the hobbits breathed a deep sigh in relief. "What happened?" Merry asked as he dropped Tquel to the ground.
"We will talk about that later, right now we need to get as far away from this place as quickly as possible, there is no telling when they will return, but they will be stronger" Strider answered.
She could see and feel nothing but pain and a deep and throbbing darkness that seemed to strangle her with its cold and harsh hands as it twirled around her body. She could feel the exact moment the sword entered the body of the Black Rider, how the body jolted before it relaxed and withered away. She could see the death in the Rider's face and she could hear its soul cry in anguish as the centuries of pain left it and entered her.
The pain was unbearable, stronger then she had ever felt before. Even the worst beating could not compare to the spasms that ripped through her body as she struggled to breath. Then the darkness around her took form as a ghostly shade, and suddenly entered her body. A voice began to whisper in her ear, and soon she could hear nothing except chanting telling her to come to Him. The darkness inside her stirred and her body started to move.
It was like watching something happen from far away, as from under the water, and she could not stop it. She tried to scream but her voice was nothing but a hoarse whisper. She saw her self, walking towards the edge, the wind was starting to play with her hair and it lifted the shaggy cloak, she always bore, tore it off her body and tossed it out over the rim. She walked closer to the edge and her body started sway slightly as rocks fell under her foot. " Amin…Mori… Gurth"
The voice continued to whisper in her ear, more urgently now telling her to surrender to the darkness. She took another step and felt nothing under her foot; somebody grabbed her arm and dragged back.
It was like being ripped out from a nightmare and she gasped in shock and surprise.
"Mani ume lle umien?" (What are you doing?) She heard a voice cry and she feel her knees buckle under her as she supported her self against the man holding her.
" Ndengina amin….. Tua amin…..amin….Mori….. Gurth "
(Kill me…. Help me…I… dark…. death)
Her body started to twitch violently and Strider looked at the hobbits helpless.
"What…what is wrong?" Pippin asked hoarsely as he heard Tquel whimper softly. They stood paralyzed watching the elf frighthfully jerk in the ranger's arms.
"I…I dont know…let us get away from here…. grab our stuff" Strider said and lifted her fragile body up in his arms, she immediately started to struggle against his grip, but he was stronger and soon he had her firmly fixed against his chest.
They ran. They didnt stop or turn around because they knew the Black Riders were behind them, because they knew each stop could cost them their life. The trees reached out their lean arms and grasped for the people running through the forest in the darkness of the night.
The only thing they heard was the elf's mantra as she repeated the words over and over again her voice turning into a croaking rasping until it was only a whisper.
" Ndengina amin….. Tua amin.. Ndengina amin….. Tua amin"
Only when the sun rose dared the ranger stop and then they were all breathing heavily, gasping for air. Merry and Pippin dropped to the cold and hard ground wiping sweat of their foreheads and clutching their chests were their hearts drummed against their torsos.
Frodo leaned against a large rock and watched as Strider gingerly put the elf down on the ground, then covered her with his own cloak. Sam, who had suddenly taken the role as a dog watcher, saw how Tquel looked at his master with his large brown eyes, then he walked away his tail between his legs, whimpering slightly.
"What…. what is wrong?" Pippin repeated and stared at the elf that lay motionless on the ground, the mantra had stopped and now she looked more dead then alive, her eyes stared blankly at nothing and the only thing showing she was still breathing, was the rise and fall of her chest.
Strider didnt know what to do, he had never experienced anything like this. He scanned through his memory trying to find anything that could explain what had happened. But he came up empty. He walked over and placed a hand on her forehead, then quickly dragged it back as he felt the heat from her body burn his palm.
"She has…. a fever" he said slowly, as if he was trying to convince him self.
"Is she sick?" Pippin said and took a steep in her direction. Strider shook his head.
"But…. you said she has a fever" Merry asked questionably and then suddenly Frodo remembered something Bilbo had told him a long time ago.
"Elves can't get sick."
He grabbed her hands, but quickly let go. The hands had turned black and looked like dead and burned flesh. The dark spots seemed to pulsate. He checked her neck, opened the top buttons on her dress and saw the dark spots on her neckline and down towards her breasts. He swallowed and quickly covered her skin. He felt nauseating just looking at the dark throbbing flesh.
He started to pace back and forth his arms on his back and his eyebrow furrowed deep in thoughts. What was happening, did it have anything to do with what happened at Amon Sûl? He had never before seen anything like it.
"We need to get her to Rivendell…. hopefully the magic of the elves can help her" Strider said and lifted her up again, they had no time to lose.
"But…. but we are six days from Rivendell…will she make it?" Sam stuttered as he quickly gathered his things again. Strider stopped and turned back to the hobbits and then stared at them, " I pray that we will" he said slowly and then looked down at the elf in his arms, she had once again started to mutter.
"Amin khiluva lle a' gurtha . gurth tula khila amin, gurth ta tuluva a' lye"
(I will follow you to death, death follows me, and death will follow us)
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