Chapter XLIII: What Goes Around, Comes Around

Mordae nearly slid to a stop as he crested the top of a large hill. He forced himself to press on, however, taking in the sight before him as he raced onward. Before him was a black, bleak, city-like fortress, obviously military. The elf could identify barracks, a command headquarters, and several guard towers, all of which seemed to be in terrible disrepair.

It was into this base that Mordae raced into, sliding to a halt behind a large storage unit. In the center of the city, just before a large building emblazoned with the giant 'r'-rune of the Remnant, the elf could make out a cluster of eight dark figures. He began crawling forward, silently drawing his knife from the wrist sheath where he kept it.

"Shall we set up positions in the guard towers?" a woman's voice, smooth, calm, and collected, murmured.

"Zat vould be optimal," agreed a voice that Mordae immediately recognized as Vrayon.

"And ze three of usss?" another vampire hissed.

"Ze vampiresss vill all be ssstaying vith me, in ze open," Vrayon commanded.

What does that make the others? Mordae wondered to himself. The elf allowed himself to rise a few inches higher to peer over the barrel he hid behind.

He identified Vrayon and three other vampires, judging from their size, but the other four figures sent a chill through Mordae's blood.

Dressed in all black, faces covered in black masks, gloved, and bearing large backpacks, the other four figures towered over the vampires. The all bore long black bows with two quivers of arrows a piece, and glittering black knives on their legs. No runes were visible on any part of their body, causing Mordae to assume that they were not Remnant.

"Lle attam, del rhuna. Dinbourn, tuil yassen min1," the woman's voice ordered in a dialect of elvish that Mordae had never heard before. It was similar to Quenya, but had differences that Mordae had never heard before. Remnant soldiers were forbidden to employ any language other than the Common Tongue. Mordae sighed quietly, accepting what had to be true; these were Halda'ohtar.

Lynza swooped silently down into the forest just outside of Lvrast and transformed with a slight pop. She gently, almost reverently, drew her staff from her back, removing the sheaths from the blades. The vampire inhaled deeply, then began to start forward.

Lynza jumped as a hand clamped down on her shoulder. The vampire whirled, her staff beginning to spin even as she turned. A strong hand shot out and took hold of the staff's center, arresting the whirl. Lynza's right hand shot to her knife, but her attacker's beat her to it.

"Stop, damn it!" a familiar voice hissed.

Lynza froze. "Celebdraug?"

"Yes, Illúvatar's breath!"

The vampire general frowned. "You really should find better ways to approach people when on mission. Mordae said you almost killed him in New Edoras."

"Later," a male voice ordered, and with a pop, Draylen appeared behind Celebdraug.

Lynza looked the pair over, taking note of the armory they carried. "Wait a minute. How did you get here?"

"We took the travel caravan," Draylen hissed. "Why did you leave without us?"

Lynza sighed. "I didn't want to put you in danger."

"You idiot!" the lieutenant hissed, reverting to vampirish in his rage. "Danger is what I signed up for! Quit trying to be so self-righteous and let somebody help you!"

Celebdraug put her hand gently on Draylen's shoulder, and the vampire relaxed.

"You're going to get all three of us killed if you start arguing here," the elf observed coolly. "Now, Lynza, Draylen and I are going to cover you while you go in there. We have no idea if Vrayon will be true to his word, and we don't want you to get yourself killed because you were. Where is Mordae?"

"If I knew, would I be so surprised to see you?" Lynza growled.

"Nice point," Draylen surrendered.

"The idiot is probably playing hero inside the city. I wouldn't be surprised if he tries to kill Vrayon himself," Celebdraug sighed, removing her bow from her back.

"Draylen and I will take up positions in the guard towers," the elf continued. "Stay out in the open, and raise your hand if you want us to fire."

Draylen loaded his vrylna and began to walk toward the western half of the forgotten stronghold.

Celebdraug saluted Lynza. "May Illúvatar be with you."

"I'd rather have an army."

The elf smiled sadly and shook her head, then turned and followed Draylen.

"Rac," Mordae hissed as he risked another glance over the barrel. The Halda'ohtar were gone, presumably to their sniper positions, and Mordae had been unable to trace any of them.

Mordae?

The elf knew it could only be Celebdraug. Hiding behind a barrel twenty meters from the headquarters.

Why?

It's more fun down here.

Celebdraug, who had lay down atop the roof of a guard tower with an elven cloak over herself, making her virtually invisible, shook her head.

Draylen and I are in position atop two of the guard towers.

Rac. Mordae resisted the urge to stand up, shaking his head as an alternative.

What? Celebdraug sounded not worried in the least bit.

There are four – repeat, four – possible Halda'ohtar snipers in positions on other guard towers, Mordae groaned.

That's not good.

Understatement of the day.

Celebdraug suppressed a snicker, slowly drawing an arrow and knocking it against her bow. Any info on them?

One of them is a woman, and another is named Dinbourn.

You're so helpful.

I pride myself in it. Where are you? Mordae asked, slowly crawling backward out of the city, not taking his eyes off the four vampires in the center.

Third tower from the gate, on the roof, Celebdraug responded. You?

Mordae rose and sprinted for the wall, ten meters away. He waited for the inevitable hiss and the sting of an arrow in his back, but none came, and he vaulted off a storage unit onto the side of another watchtower.

Clinging to the fifth tower on the south side.

Celebdraug swallowed another laugh as her eyes traced up the tower, locating the dangling figure, which scrambled quickly to the roof and proceeded to wrap a cloak over itself.

Where's Draylen? Mordae inquired, once he had drawn an arrow and was in position.

Damned if I know, Celebdraug replied. He headed north, and I lost sight of him.

There was a lull in the conversation.

Lynza? Mordae questioned.

Should be moving in any time now.

Does she know Vrayon has friends? There was a slightly worried tone in Mordae's mindspeak.

Not to my knowledge. Celebdraug's voice remained even.

Mordae swallowed deeply. Fire if support needed?

There was a pause. I suppose we have to, Celebdraug finally conceded. We'll just have to trust that Draylen can take care of the snipers if they locate us.

Another long pause. Can he? Mordae sounded unsure.

Celebdraug did not answer his question. There's Lynza.

"Ssso, vat exactly are ve doing here?" Smynoc, the vampire captain, inquired of his General.

"Lynza and I have busssinesss to attend to," Vrayon explained. "She hasss harasssed me for ze lassst time. If ve cannot kill her, ze Drow vill."

Before either Smynoc or the two vampire elites could respond, an ear splitting shriek split the air. The elites leaped back, swords drawn, as Lynza appeared directly before them, her bladed staff whistling through the air. They began to counter, but the vampire girl was too fast for them.

Lynza thrust her staff to the right, hooking it around one of the elites' sword. Executing a quick circle with the blade of her staff, she hurled his weapon several meters away, then whirled and performed the same maneuver on the other.

Smynoc lunged forward to meet her, sword aimed straight for the girl's heart. Lynza bent over backward, striking upward with the wood and iron section of the staff between her hands, deflecting the attack upwards. As she rolled backward, the vampire swung her blade into Smynoc's stomach and dragged up to his neck. The captain let out a shriek, and with a pop, he dissolved into ashes that were borne away in the light breeze.

Rac! Celebdraug hissed as the vampires battled.

Can't even get a shot off! Mordae sympathized, watching helplessly as the creatures dueled. That close to one another, a sniper shot was risky; it was just as likely that the dart would find Lynza rather than one of the enemies.

Movement! Celebdraug screamed, rising to one knee as she caught sight of a dark figure moving in a far off tower.

Confirm not Draylen! Mordae ordered.

It's a woman!

Take the shot!

There was a whispering hiss as one of Celebdraug's stealth arrows hurtled through the night into the head of the Halda'ohtar one hundred meters to her right. The body slumped silently to the ground, the arrow embedded in the wall behind it.

You know, Mordae breathed, attempting to fight off the in battle nerves, Just because it looked like a woman doesn't mean it wasn't Draylen.

Shut up... Celebdraug began retorting. Movement one hundred meters to your left! Confirm not Draylen!

Target armed with longbow!

Fire!

The Drow's body pitched from the top of the tower, leaving the arrow to plummet erratically to the ground. There was a sickening thud as it struck the ground, reminding Mordae of the sound that the Drow assassin in New Edoras had made.

Confirm two enemies down! Celebdraug commanded.

Confirmed!

The two elites were moving for their swords, but Lynza beat them to their weapons. Stabbing into the neck of the closest, Lynza released her weapon with one hand and hurled her knife into the chest of the other. As the first opponent exploded into ashes, Lynza vaulted into the air and decapitated the other elite, who joined his compatriot as fire-leftovers.

Vrayon hissed and drew his daggers, wondering why his Halda'ohtar were not firing, his eyes narrowed. Just as he was preparing to attack Lynza, the girl spun her staff, then thrust it into the ground where it stood, quivering slightly.

The Remnant General knew she meant to stand down, and he could not bring himself to attack. He sheathed his dagger, angrily driving the blade into the metal pouch.

"I sssaid alone," Lynza hissed calmly.

Draylen sat still, atop the roof of the headquarters where he had flown, watching the seen and unseen dramas unfold around him. Mordae and Celebdraug had dispatched two of the Halda'ohtar very efficiently, and Lynza had done an excellent job defending herself. It was looking as though he would not have to reveal his position after all.

Suddenly, a glimmer of movement behind Celebdraug caught his eye. Then, behind Mordae, another dark figure rose. Draylen cursed, knowing that he could only take one of them down before the other slew one of his friends. He knew immediately which shot he wanted to take, but also knew that he would regret either decision. As he raised his vrylna, another thought hit him.

Swearing in vampirish, Draylen stood, aimed, and screamed at the top of his lungs, a bellowing sound that echoed off the walled fortress.

Vrayon and Lynza both looked up at him in astonishment, as he prayed the Drow would as well. There was a snap as he fired the first lizcan at the Drow behind Celebdraug. At the range he was at, only thirty-five meters, there would be very little deviation of the disks; they only began to separate after forty, a characteristic that Draylen had developed after months of testing.

The assassin crouched behind Celebdraug exploded in a spray of purple blood as all three disks slashed through it. Celebdraug shrieked in disgust and rolled off of the roof, swinging under and into the guard tower.

Draylen cried out as an arrow from the other Drow slammed into his right shoulder, punched straight through the thick plate armor he bore, and halted flight, protruding from his back. There was an echoing crack as Mordae whirled and snapped the neck of the archer, letting the body fall to the ground.

Confirm all enemies neutralized! Mordae barked.

Confirm lots of nasty blood all over my nice sniper blanket! was the reply. A pause. Confirm enemies down.

"I thought you sssaid alone," Vrayon hissed with an ironic smile.

"Looksss like lying runsss in the family."

1 You two, go east. Dinbourn, come with me.