Translation of hand signals will be in italics within parenthesis at the end of the sentence. (translation)
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Chapter 29
First Contact
Because of her recent injuries, Anayah had postponed the trip to Osp that she had been planning. But now, the time had finally come when her little demon-hunting mission could no longer be put off.
She met with her foster father who checked her over carefully and pronounced her 100% recovered. His father's heart, however, knew full well that being recovered and being fit were two different things and so he told her she would have to be careful for some time.
Her Guards had been fully briefed, all weapons and supplies had been checked and loaded on the horses and finally, with nothing left to do, Anayah decided it was time that she took her leave of her foster father. She found him in his Study, diligently working at lowering the massive pile of manuscripts in front of him. When she lightly knocked on the door, he looked up from his work, smiled, and then invited her in.
"I take it that you are ready to leave?"
"Yes, Ada. The time has come and I cannot put it off any longer."
He looked at her for a moment then sensing her uncertainty, he tried to draw her out.
"What is it that is troubling you? I sense that there is something about this trip that is disturbing you?"
She should not have been surprised that her foster father could read her heart, because he was, after all, who he was - a father who knew just about everything. She smiled inwardly at her analogy then answered her Lord's question.
"Ada, something about this demon scares me - scares me even worse than the Nazgûl. There is something unsettling about knowing that everything you think is real can suddenly be blinked out of existence, and that the process has already been started without so much as a by-your leave! It seems inconceivable that someone would act in such an unconscionable and irresponsible manner by creating this thing's existence - I did not think even Sauron was that bold. I mean – does whoever did this think themselves greater than Ilúvatar, himself, that they can control the very essence of existence? It frightens me, because such a person, if you can call them that, is very dangerous because they do not know, much less seem to care, exactly what it is they have unleashed on their own world. And now my guards and I have to try to clean up the mess they have created! Any one of us could die – and if we did it would be for someone's stupidity and ego! We could die for a cause that should never have existed in the first place."
Elrond had listened carefully as Anayah had spoken and he realized that the words she spoke had been the mirror of his own fears. Not for the first time was he amazed at the depth of her understanding and thinking, even despite her tender years. He was somewhat at a loss as to what an appropriate response would be and so was silent for a moment.
"Anayah, my heart tells me that whoever did this deed has spent so much time and energy proving that he could do this thing that he had no time left over to consider if he should do it. It is quite obvious that this person is not one that considers consequences and very likely either considers himself, or herself, way above what their own personal station in life actually is. As to whether the cause is just or not – I believe that there is another way to put it."
He frowned as he sought the right words for the idea he wanted to convey.
"If you think of the cause from the perspective of its creator, then no, it is not a just cause, it is as dark and as hateful as the heart that created this monster. But, if you think of it as the cause of many innocent people, and that you will be helping save the very world they live in, then the cause is very just – and that is a good thing."
She smiled at the elder elf.
"Your wise words always make me feel better, Ada."
Anayah got up to leave but before she left the room she gave her foster father a hug.
"Wish us luck, for I have a feeling that we will need it on this trip."
"You and your Guards have both my best wishes and my blessing. May the Valar ride with you and protect you all."
Touching her forehead in respect, she turned and left the room
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Her guards were waiting for her at the bottom of the steps with their horses as well as her own. Just as she asked Elias for a leg up and had settled herself in the saddle, the door of the house flew open and her brothers and the Mirkwood Prince came out.
"Weren't you even going to say goodbye to us?" Aragorn's eyes registered the hurt he was feeling.
"I am not leaving forever Aragorn, although now that I hear you say these words, I realize that I have been somewhat heartless and should have considered your feelings more. For this I apologize, brother."
She dismounted then walked up to the group, touching foreheads with each of them, in turn, and bidding them goodbye. When she got to Aragorn, she saw that his eyes were misty and she frowned, puzzled for a moment, as she wiped the tear away that had actually escaped and made its way down his cheek.
"No sadness big brother! I will be back."
"You had better be back for I am just getting used to having you around! Don't make me have to come after you!"
Shaking her head and smiling, Anayah turned away and patted her horse's chest, again asking for his leg, then after stepping on it lightly, she swung herself up and into the saddle. Turning, she looked one last time at her brothers and friend standing before her in the courtyard then after touching her heart, finally turned away. The five elves touched gloves then as if on cue and almost in unison, they wheeled their horses and rode out of the gate at a gallop.
Elladan leaned over to his twin.
"I really want to know how they do that."
The others laughed then turned and reentered the house.
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The five elves rode into the deserted town of Osp less than two days later finding it to be a mostly unremarkable, deserted little town, complete with boarded up shops with broken out windows and dusty, unkempt walkways. She signaled to Rahan and he pulled up along side her.
"I, for one, do not want to spend the night here so, let us go back to that pretty little glade we passed through not too long ago and make camp there."
Nodding in agreement, he signaled the other elves and they turned and left, none of them missing the feeling that their every move was being watched.
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It took almost no time at all to set up camp. Finally, Anayah got their attention and they all gathered around her for their final briefing and plans.
"If any of you have any feelings, premonitions, advice or suggestions, your left eye is twitching, your ears are ringing, anything at all that is pertinent to what we are doing here and that might save me or help me, please feel absolutely free to add those things to this discussion. Ok, then here is how I want to play this thing. "
She looked at each elf individually and they, in turn, smiled and nodded in understanding.
"Things might get a little bizarre tonight so be prepared to see and hear just about anything. I want to wait until it gets dark because that seems to be when the creature is the most active and will provide us with our best chances of catching him. We will use stealth at all times, from the second we step foot over the first doorstep until we leave - I do not want to alert the creature to our positions but I do want to be able to see or hear him if he is around. Semoro, I want you to team up with Súrion, and Saeros, I want you to team with Rahan."
The Captain frowned.
"Don't you think it would be better if I was with you?"
"The reason it would not be better and why I do not want you by my side this time, Rahan, is because I need to get close enough to the thing to touch it, maybe even get it to come to me – I do not know yet - the only reason, good or bad, that I can give you is that having an elf by my side might scare it off. But do not despair, my good Captain, for I do want you and Saeros close enough to me that you will be able to intervene if it should become necessary. Does that sound like a plan?"
Rahan nodded his head.
"When we enter the town, I want Semoro and Súrion to check every nook and cranny, every room in every house, outhouse and doghouse – nothing will go unchecked - and if the two of you see any movement or anything at all that looks out of place or suspicious, call me – not my name – use night sounds, owls or other night birds. I have Ninniach's pendant, so I will not be entering any building unless the pendant activates on me. Do any of you have any suggestions or other input?"
The others shook their heads.
"Then I suggest that you all try and get some rest. We will be busy tonight."
The others turned away to rest but Rahan stayed behind. After several moments of watching his charge, he finally decided to speak.
"You are nervous?"
"Nervous does not even come close to what I am feeling right now, Rahan. I am scared so spitless that my mouth could not produce enough moisture to drown a bug."
The big Captain chuckled.
"I'm glad to hear that in that respect, at least, you are normal!"
He mock-flinched as the young she-elf playfully punched him in the arm.
"Do not fear the darkness, young one, for it is not in its power to hold sway over you unless you allow it to do so. Besides, you have the four of us watching your back – what more could you want?"
She smiled at that and for the first time felt more at ease.
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Darkness had descended fully on the deserted and silent town of Osp when the five elves finally broke camp and packed their horses, readying them for the trip home. Being elven horses, the elves knew they could be trusted to stand ready and to come when called in case the five of them needed to leave in a hurry.
Semoro and Súrion wore camouflage uniforms and face paint but the other two wore the normal black uniform. When the five of them decided they were all finally ready, they began walking toward the town.
Rahan signaled the other two to move off to the right and begin their search then looked to Anayah for further instructions. She held up two fingers, meaning that they were to give her two minutes before they started to follow her and when she saw both Rahan and Saeros nod, she silently moved off.
Anayah threw her elvish senses forward and to the sides, trying to sense the presence of anything out of the ordinary. As she carefully and soundlessly moved along the pathway, she removed the pendant from the inside of her tunic, looked at it, then nodded with satisfaction when she saw that the crescent moon remained black.
Suddenly, just ahead of her, a board creaked, causing her to quickly press her body against the nearest wall, in the shadow of an overhanging balustrade. When a small, furry creature scurried across her path, she closed her eyes and took a calming breath, wiping the sweat off her brow.
When she reached the end of the building, she waited for a moment, listening, then peered carefully around the corner. Seeing nothing, she quickly stepped across the distance to the next building then, again pressing her body against the wall, again listening carefully for the sound of something moving.
As she was looking to where she had last seen Súrion and Semoro, she saw movement out of the corner of her eye to her left. Something was moving soundlessly between the buildings in the direction of the building Súrion and Semoro were currently searching.
"Come on guys, be alert." She whispered these words only in her mind, trying to will the other group to hear her.
Glancing behind her, she saw no sign of either Rahan or Saeros although she knew that both elves were there. She pointed to her eyes, tapped her chest twice where the pendant lay hidden beneath her tunic then pointed two fingers to the buildings on the left, moving her hand slowly toward where the other group was, then tapping her head with the two fingers. (I saw something moving behind the buildings on my left, moving to our right towards the others. I think it's our boy so be alert.)
Anayah did not want to cut across the open space and possibly alert whoever or whatever was on the move so, taking the pendant out of her tunic, she checked it and was alarmed to see the faint yellow coloring of the moon. Taking a deep, calming breath and closing her eyes for a moment, she began to move more quickly from building to building, pausing only long enough to take a quick look at the spaces between the buildings before moving on to the next.
Again she saw movement in the alley adjacent to the building the other group was currently searching. She was moving as quickly as she could and still be safe when she heard Semoro yell. She looked at the upper windows of the building, looking for any new movement, when she saw a bluish light, totally unrelated to the normal elvish glow of her guards, bouncing around in the room they were in, then began to hear the sounds of an unholy fight, complete with yelling and crashing and things breaking.
"Stealth be damned." She muttered fiercely, then yelled to her Captain. "Rahan, move in NOW!"
The three elves left the protection of the shadows and sprinted toward the building that held their friends, unsheathing their weapons as they moved. As she ran toward the building where the fight was in progress, it was her hope that the sound of her voice would be enough to drive the creature off the other two elves but if she was wrong and the demon had not fled and was still there when she arrived – then so be it - it would be hers.
Just as they reached the wooden walkway in front of the building, there was a high pitched shriek, followed by the sound of breaking glass as a body came hurtling in their direction from above. Not even thinking, Anayah threw herself forward in an attempt to break the elf's fall wondering the entire time why the words "big" and "little" kept running through her mind – right up until the time that something big and heavy landed on her. There was a blinding flash of pain and white light, then everything went black.
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"Here she comes."
She could faintly hear a voice and somehow knew that it was talking about her, and although a great effort was put into ignoring the voice, when she felt the cool, damp cloth being applied to her forehead, she could not ignore consciousness any longer and slowly opened her eyes to gaze blearily at the four worried faces above her. She tried to speak and was surprised that her words were barely above a whisper.
"I think something big and ugly fell on me!"
The four elves laughed. She looked around her until she found Rahan.
"Is it gone?"
"I am afraid so. But at least we found out one thing - the creature is afraid of elvish steel and can be hurt by it."
She tried sitting up and with the help of Rahan and Saeros managed the maneuver although her head was pounding so badly that she thought she was going to be ill. When Rahan saw all the color drain from her face when she stood, he picked her up and the five of them began the walk back to camp.
They had decided to camp at the edge of Osp for the evening and Anayah was soon sitting on her bedroll sipping a pain relieving tea, sighing with relief as the pain in her head slowly receded to a bearable level.
"So, tell me, what happened up there." She looked at Súrion as she spoke.
"The thing, creature, demon - whatever you want to call it - came right at us through the wall as if it were an open window, kind of oozing through the pores of the wood. Then we both fought it, though I cannot tell you how, or if, we inflicted any damage on it. I can tell you that it almost seemed to have mass - it has become something slightly more solid. Then Semoro stabbed it with his sword and it shrieked, turned on him, and threw him through the window."
She looked at him for a moment, noting the haunted look in his eyes.
"Are you well?"
"Yes, I am well, though I must admit that never in my life have I ever felt anything that was so cold and devoid of life - it was worse than touching a decaying corpse." The silver-haired elf shuddered. "But yes, I am well otherwise." He smiled reassuringly.
She nodded then turned to where Semoro was sitting, deep in thought. Sensing that she was watching him he looked up and met her gaze.
"I do not know what made you think you could break my fall for I weigh twice as much as you do! Please, do not ever try that again for we are trained well and know how to fall without being damaged too badly - but ugly? I fear you have wounded my heart and sorely damaged my feelings, my Lady."
They all laughed. After a bit, when the laughter had died down, Anayah asked the question that had been on her mind.
"Did the thing touch your heart, Semoro?"
"No, it did not touch my heart although just having the creature touch me in any fashion was an experience I will not soon forget. And you say you have to "purposely" touch this thing?" He shook his head in disbelief then shuddered.
She nodded.
"I will ask Ilúvatar to guard you himself when that time comes."
"Thank you Semoro – I mean that."
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The grey eyes that peered into the far distance were not just angry – their ire went way beyond that simple emotion to something else more vindictive and dangerous. Furiously the bearer of the grey eyes turned away from his window and walked to a nearby table where ancient books lay open, waiting for the reader to summon the power through the words written on their pages. For a few moments his long, slender hands searched through the books, looking for the right spell.
He smiled maliciously as his eyes fell on the spell that would fit his needs perfectly.
"Ah, yes my meddling little she-whelp, I know exactly how to teach you to leave things be that do not concern you. First we will separate you from your soldiers and then, when you find yourself alone and without the aid of those other four fools, we will see just how brave you really are." With a chuckle he turned back to his window and looking out over the distance, cast his spell. This was going to be very interesting.
TBC
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COMING NEXT: Orcs: Just when the elves were about ready to turn around to run, a third earthquake hit causing the ground under Rahan's feet to heave upwards, throwing him forward, a nasty looking fissure appearing directly behind him. Seeing the Captain go to his knees, Anayah started to go to him, even after flames started shooting out of the newly formed crack in the earth. The fissure continued to widen and lengthen, effectively cutting the elf off from the others.
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THECheeseTurkey: Glad to see you back. I was going to check out your story but when I clicked on it, this old "slug" of a computer I use locked up on me. Don't worry, I will get there someday! Thanks for the review on Chapter 26.