"As for courage and will - we cannot measure how much of each lies within us, we can only trust there will be sufficient to carry through trials which may lie ahead."

Andre Norton

A/N: Thoughts will be in Italics.

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Chapter 31

Left Behind

Behind the fleeing elves, they could hear the sound of the ground groaning and cracking as it continued to splinter and split into fiery fissures. As they ran to where they saw the horses standing, waiting patiently for them, Anayah saw that there was a narrowed path off to her left where the fissures had not yet widened.

She stepped up to Elias and whispered into the stallion's ears then when the other elves were getting ready to mount, she saw her opportunity and after briefly resting her forehead against the shoulder of her horse, she turned and sprinted towards the narrow pathway she had seen earlier. As if it had seen her and was attempting to head her off, the nearest fissure again began to lengthen.

Ignoring the elves who were pursuing her and calling her name frantically, she continued on. Just before the widening fissure caught up to her to pass her by and block her way forever, Anayah jumped as she had never jumped before. After she had passed through the flames and landed lightly on the opposite side, she turned and locked eyes with the three elves standing and watching her in shocked surprise.

"Nobody gets left behind." Was all she said before she turned and disappeared into the dark and the smoke beyond.

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The orcs gathered around the unconscious elf, talking excitedly among themselves, furious that they could not get the fair being to show fear, scream or even cry out. They had beaten him continuously for the past hour with fists, boots, and clubs, and not only had he stayed awake for that long but had remained silent for that long as well.

One of the orcs knelt beside the elf and grabbing him by his long raven hair, turned him over, then, forcing his mouth open, poured a small phial of dark liquid into it after which he held it shut as the elf choked and gagged before he reflexively swallowed.

The pack of orcs stood back, waiting for their foul concoction to take effect. Though a restorative to an orc, they had found that the dark liquid had a very different affect on elves and humans. One dose would bring an elf back to consciousness where he would feel every pain and punishment ten times worse, a second dose intensified the affect twice as much and caused high fevers and delirium that would eventually cause death if not treated.

As the groggy and bloody elf tried to sit up, he was grabbed by two of the larger orcs and drug to a nearby tree where, after his hands were bound behind him, the rope was thrown over a branch and he was hauled up until his feet were barely touching the soil beneath them. He heard a loud pop that was followed by intense pain as one of his shoulders was dislocated.

"What are we going to do with him now?" A one-eyed orc asked the apparent leader.

"The boss said we could have as much fun with the male elves as we wanted as long as we didn't touch the she-elf. After we catch her she is supposed to go to him - unspoiled." The leader smiled evilly as he handed a particularly ugly looking whip to One-Eye then nodded his head toward the elf hanging in the tree. "See how many lashes it takes to make him squeal!"

No amount of training or experience over his long life could lessen the pain he was feeling at this point, and even though he had still not made a sound, Rahan was close to it for his body was on fire and was getting worse with each blow that landed on his unprotected back. He had counted 30 lashes now and though he had often prayed for it, the blackness of unconsciousness still avoided him. Finally, the orc wielding the whip got either tired or bore - either way, the blows finally stopped.

He did not need to open his eyes to know what was coming next. An orc grabbed his hair and jerked his head up.

"So, we got us a tough one here. I bet you won't be so tough once this second dose takes affect!" One-Eye punched him in the stomach hard, driving the air out of his lungs and when he involuntarily drew in a breath, the concoction was forced into his mouth and he swallowed.

Even without the orcs touching him, the pain was unimaginable and this time, when the beatings began, he screamed.

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Anayah had almost reached the area where she had seen Rahan taken when she heard him scream. She had never heard any creature, animal, human or elf, make a sound like that before and it unnerved her, making her angry thinking of what extremes her Captain must have been driven to, to make him scream like that. She continued to move towards where the scream had come from, silently and with deadly purpose.

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One thing saved Rahan's life that night - the orcs had been drinking orc ale since the end of the battle and now most of them were hopelessly drunk and were starting to fall asleep. He was thankful for that much, though when his hands were finally cut loose, his legs refused to hold him, causing him to collapse weakly to the ground. The leader of the orc pack ordered One-Eye to tie the prisoner in a sitting position on the ground. He was bored and promised the others that they could play with their new toy after they all took a little rest.

He cried out as he was roughly shoved against the tree, the raw wounds on his back screaming as they made painful contact with the rough bark. After they finished tying him to the tree, each orc managed to get in one more punch or kick as they left, after which, he was left to himself as the orcs finally settled down for the night.

The sounds of the forest around him disappeared and it became unnaturally quiet although the wounded elf took no notice. Unable to find relief in either sleep or unconsciousness, Rahan's pain had not lessened, rather, it had worsened until it drove him to the very brink of despair. He truly felt that he had failed in his duty for he had failed to serve his charge until her death and this feeling was an intolerable one for a Thurin Tirith warrior whose entire fighting career was based on this one duty. With his head down and his bloodied raven hair falling into his eyes, his shoulders shook as he quietly sobbed.

Suddenly, he felt a presence behind him though he no longer cared, for now his only thought was for death to take him quickly, causing him to seriously consider voluntarily giving up his life's grace. That was not to be, however, as he felt, arms encircle him from behind and a hand lift his head as words were quietly whispered into his ears.

"Nobody gets left behind."

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Quickly Anayah cut the ropes that tied Rahan to the tree, catching his body before it slumped over, and holding him in place.

"Rahan, do you hear me?" She had to repeat herself and gently pat his cheeks before a moan and a mumble told her he was listening.

"You are going to have to sit here for a few more minutes because there are a couple of orcs on the far side of camp that are not quite asleep yet. When they are asleep, I am going to help you to stand up then we are going to get out of here. The thing is, big guy, that you are too large for me to carry so you are going to have to help me as much as you can by doing your best to walk. Do you think you can do that for me?"

After she saw him nod she then crouched down behind the tree and together they waited for the orcs to fall asleep while she kept her hand resting on his shoulder in silent support. Finally, when she was satisfied that the entire camp was in a drunken sleep, she leaned over and again whispered in Rahan's ears.

"It is time for us to leave this place, my Captain. Do not fear, for we will not need to go far, only a couple of miles to some caves that I know of which have fresh water pools inside. If the orcs choose to follow us I will barricade us inside the caves until they lose interest and go find someone else to bother, but for now, let us be rid of this place."

It proved to be a difficult task to get the big elf to his feet because his legs kept giving out on him but once standing, she put an arm around his waist, hung one of his arms around her own neck and moved off into the night.

Anayah cringed every time that she heard a twig snap beneath their feet, although she never blamed Rahan, after all, he was fully occupied by just trying to remain upright.

She had to stop frequently and rest because trying to half carry someone almost twice her weight was starting to push her past her own physical limits. Then as if either of them had really needed any additional problems to contend with, it started to rain. Not too long after that, she started to hear the shouts of the orcs as they pursued the prisoner they had just discovered was missing which made her roll her eyes in exasperation before tiredly walking on.

It took another hour but finally the two elves reached the cave and when they finally did, she entered then gently lowered the wounded and semi-conscious elf to the ground. Turning back to the entrance, Anayah raised her hand, closed her eyes and whispered the words to a spell Gandalf had taught her long ago then jumped back as the entrance of the cave came crashing down, effectively sealing the two of them inside.

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Turning back to the wounded elf, she saw that he had at last lost consciousness. That is good! She thought to herself, for the pain of cleaning his wounds will not now be so hard on him.

Using her boot knife, she cut as much of the remaining shreds of his tunic away as she could then carefully peeled the small pieces of fabric away that was stuck to him by his own blood. She had grabbed her pack off her horse before she had run and so had what healing supplies she would need with her. Making a small ring of stones, she chanted a fire spell and soon had a small fire going, then smiled and silently thanked Gandalf for all the time he had spent showing her these small things that were now proving to be so very useful.

After heating some water, she mixed several herbs in it that would not only counteract the poison in Rahan's system but would put him into a state of deep unconsciousness where he would not then be able to feel the pain as she tended his many injuries. She coaxed the hurting elf to drink the potion then sat, gently holding him, until it took affect and he was deeply unconscious.

She quickly and carefully put his dislocated left shoulder back into place then picked up his hand and held it for a moment, examining it then nodding her head when she saw the normal color return, as well as warmth, indicating that normal circulation had been restored. She gently laid it on the ground beside the unconscious elf. With fresh, cool water from the small, fresh water pool in the cave, she gently bathed the wounds on his back, frowning at the extent of the damage the whip had caused. Muscles and ribs were exposed, some muscles having been torn by the cruel lashes. She silently hoped that she had brought enough thread with her to sew everything up.

Though she was being as gentle as she could be under the circumstances, Rahan would still occasionally flinched at her touch and try to move away from the pain she was causing him as she cleaned the whip marks on his back. When he would moan and begin to move, she would stop what she was doing and gently stroke his head, trying to calm him down, singing to him and speaking softly in elvish, while promising him that the pain would soon go away. He would then quiet and she would quietly go back to her work.

She also cleaned the two deep gashes on his head, the first at his left temple and the second on the back of his head. After she had finished cleaning the dried blood, dirt and black orc poison from the wounds, she mixed athelas plus other herbs that would not only disinfect, but would also promote healing, into some fresh water and repeated the cleaning process.

While she was doing this, she began to faintly hear the sound of orcs on the other side of the pile of rubble, which she had called down to block the entrance of the cave. At first it sounded like the orcs were arguing after which she began to hear the unmistakable sounds of digging. Her stomach clenched for she knew, without a doubt, that it would take them no more than a day to dig their way through the debris to reach them - and they did seem serious about reclaiming their prisoner and so she would have to be ready when they came. She would defend her wounded Captain - that she did solemnly vow.

Some hours later, after finally finishing stitching Rahan's many wounds, and binding his ribs, back and head, Anayah sat back on her heels and took a deep calming breath. It never ceased to amaze her how supposedly intelligent creatures could inflict so much pain on another being - and like doing it. She shook her head, remembering the sound of the orcs as they laughed then cheered when the elf had finally broke and screamed in agony - it was almost unimaginable to her.

Noticing how flushed her Captain's cheeks had become, she placed the back of her hand on his forehead, and felt the hot, dry skin that indicated the presence of a fever, and sighed. Filling a bowl with cool, clean water then dipping a clean piece of linen into the liquid, she began to bathe his face, neck and chest in an attempt to bring his fever down. It was going to be a long night for both of them.

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Some hours later, when the wounded elf began to get restless and started moving and tossing in his sleep, murmuring incoherently, she scooted over to him and gathered him into her arms, worried that he would cause further harm to himself with his movements. Then she then began to rock him, singing softly as she did, while with her free hand, she gently brushed the sweat soaked strands of raven hair off his forehead.

Hush! Hush!

Now softly sings the gentle night.

Hush! Hush!

The darkness sings a lullaby.

Hush! Hush!

Now close your eyes and do not fear.

Hush! Hush!

And journey to the land of dreams.

Though he had calmed down and no longer seemed to be caught in the grips of his nightmare, Anayah was still concerned that his breathing remained ragged and uneven and his body still burned with fever. As she hugged him closely to her, she momentarily rested her chin on his forehead.

He had come so close to dying and the thought of this actually happening frightened her deeply. In the short time they had been working together, Anayah had come to respect and even like, the four Thurin Tirith warriors. Though lethal and savage in battle, each elf possessed his own unique personality; Súrion with his infectious laugh and sense of humor; Saeros with a never failing loyalty, a true brother-in-arms; Semoro, strong, loyal, and surprisingly funny once someone got to know him; and Rahan, wise, fatherly and strong, both in mind and body. She felt complete when she was with them, as well as safe, and knew deep within her heart that she could trust them all with her life.

Outside, she could tell that the digging still continued and that it would probably be no more than another hour before the orcs reached the cave. She would defend her wounded Captain as fiercely as a mother would defend her child, but deep within her heart she knew that in the end, there was no way she could hope to be victorious. But, she vowed the orcs would never take the two of them alive - they would not hurt her Captain again.

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When she saw the rocks begin to shift and heard the orcs begin to encourage one another excitedly, she knew the time had come. Softly kissing the forehead of her unconscious Captain, she called his name.

"Rahan, it is time to wake up now."

His eyes opened, already filled with understanding although he remained silent, his dark eyes looking at her sadly.

"I am going to leave my dagger laying by your hand. If the worst should happen and I should fall - well, the dagger will be here for you to use however you see fit."

Weakly he raised a hand and wiped a tear from her cheek.

"Fight well, young one." The words died away and his eyes closed once more.

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The final rocks fell away and the first orc made an attempt to enter the cave but met his death almost before the thought had been finished in his mind. Orc after orc came and orc after orc was slain and when the mouth of the cave would become clogged with their dead bodies, they would be pulled away by the living then more orcs would come, continuing what those before them had begun.

Anayah lost track of how much time had passed since she had killed the first orc, knowing only that the last few days were catching up with her - and fast. She was finding herself gasping for air, her legs felt almost too heavy to move and her sword seemed to have multiplied in weight. The end of it all was approaching but still she fought with the same fire and determination that she had at the beginning. As the passageway was again being cleared of dead bodies, she welcomed the respite and leaned tiredly against the wall of the cave, dragging in air as she breathed heavily from her exertions.

There was some commotion going on outside the cave and she cautiously peeked around the corner of the wall to try and see what was going on. When she saw was a figure approaching her, weapon in hand, she raised her sword, one last time then stepping out from the wall, met her attacker. The figure met her attack sword to sword but strangely, when she felt him grab her wrist, she did not feel the need to resist. Her own pain, fatigue and sadness rushed at her and just before the darkness finally pulled her down, she heard the words that she had never thought to hear again.

"Nobody gets left behind."

TBC

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COMING NEXT: Going Home: "Let her go!"

Strangely, the beast complied, laying the old woman almost gently at its feet. There was something about its gaze, however, that suddenly alerted the others to its true intentions but before any of them could move to intervene, the creature raised one of its hands and extending a taloned finger towards the old woman's chest, used it to pierce her heart. They stood, stunned by what the creature had just done and could only bear silent witness to the old woman's final moments as she sighed one final time then became still for eternity.

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Soccer-Bitch: Hope things are going better for you. Just take it one day at a time. Thanks for the review and hope you like this chapter.