Atan and Emma drew their horses level with the others. The first day's journey from Rivendell had been simple so far and the elves had decided to set up camp before they left the woods surrounding the elven halls. By the end of the next day they should be at the base of the Misty Mountains and from there it was s shot trip to the caverns of Moria where the vampires were thought to be.

"We have supplies enough for a few days but it would be unwise to use them now with so much food readily available." Legolas commented as he gazed on the clearing that would soon become their camp for the night.

"What? Where? What food?" Millie asked, but a moment later she realised what the elf had meant; "Oh, you mean hunting and stuff. Won't there be things to catch in the mountains?"

"Once in the mountains we don't want to be found by the Nos, so it would be better not to hunt there." Atan replied, "I could take Emma with me now and teach her more of the use of her bow." The elf suggested.

"And I'm sure that's all you'll teach her…" Millie commented a wicked gleam in her eyes.

"Shut up Millie." Emma said. It seemed that her temper had not improved since they had left Rivendell. "Auta miqula orqu!" (Mentioned this one earlier, 'go kiss an orc!'quena)

"Oh I'm sorry, I forgot you've got Neithan now…"

Emma glared at her friend before turning her horse away to follow Atan into the trees.

"Manwë, I think you should scout the land ahead. The light is failing and we don't want the Nos to find us unprepared." The dark haired elf nodded and left silently as Millie and Legolas began to prepare the camp.

"Why do you feel the need to torment Emma?" Legolas asked.

"What? Oh she doesn't mind, unless she's in a bad mood."

"And is she not in a bad mood now?"

"Oh yes, you can tell by the way she says very little and snaps at you when you try to talk to her."

"And yet you still torment her?"

"I thought it might cheer her up, it certainly cheered me up." Millie replied with a grin.

"I do not think I will ever understand you."

"Good."

Whilst they had been talking Legolas had set up a fire within a ring of stones whilst Millie had collected dry wood to burn. Now the sky was so dark that stars could be seen twinkling between the clouds. Millie wondered briefly how Emma and Atan expected to hit anything with their bows when Manwë galloped into the clearing.

"Nos, a hunting party I'd say, heading this way…fast."

"How many?" Legolas asked reaching for his bow.

"Too many, I counted ten though there could easily be twice that."

"Ten against five? They outnumber us two to one!" Millie pointed out, "Three to one if Emma and Atan don't get back here soon!"

"Are they on foot or horse?" Legolas asked trying to gage his enemies' strength, "And what weapon's do they carry?"

"They have no horses, and no need of them. I've never seen anything move as fast as these things."

"But they're not flying so that's good." Millie said. "And," She continued looking up, "The sun's down so they still might not be able to walk in sun light."

"Yes. They appear to carry no bows or weapons of greater power. Though a couple have swords most appear to carry daggers only."

"Well vampire's generally have super human strength and no need of weapons." Millie said, "But that doesn't mean it isn't a good thing that they don't have better weapons…"

"When will they get here?"

"NOW." An arrogant voice answered from the undergrowth as three vampires leapt out at Manwë, dragging him from his horse before he could lift a finger against them. The horse screamed and bolted as the vampires crowded around the fallen elf snarling and growling. The other horses were quick to follow.

Legolas notched an arrow to his bow and let fly with speed that made it impossible for his movements to be tracked. The arrow drove itself deep into the back of one of the vampires crowded around Manwë, as the shaft passed through his dead heart the vampire screamed in pain, dissolving to dust that scattered in the breeze. In the space left by the 're-dead' vampire Millie could see Manwë. She wished she couldn't. His throat had been torn by the creature's teeth and was now little more than a bloody mess that the remaining Nos were still feeding from. To make it worse the elf was still alive and struggling.

As Legolas strung another arrow to his bow more vampires appeared in the clearing moving with unnatural speed. The elf managed to release one arrow before he was forced to resort to his ivory blades.

Millie had already drawn her own loaned weapon, but as the Nos swarmed around the other elves, fighting Legolas and feeding from Manwë, the lead vampire ordered his underlings away from the girl.

This vampire was tall and good-looking as most vampires were; he had jet-black hair and eyes of the palest, frozen blue. His skin looked white in the moonlight. Sharp but delicate fangs could be seen indenting the lower lip of his calmly smiling face as he approached.

Millie raised her sword to face the creature suddenly finding the mind numbing fear that had gripped her since Manwë was attacked had left her now.

Lower you're sword

Millie realised that it was stupid to stand against this creature; who was obviously so much more powerful than she was, with a sword she had only learned to use a week before. She felt her hand lower until the sword's point rested on the ground.

The vampire began to move closer.

Wait! Something inside her said, Why are you lowering the only thing that stands between you and death?

Millie didn't like this voice; it gave her a headache. But it did make sense. She raised the sword again quickly making the vampire leap back to avoid its sharp edge.

That wasn't nice. Drop the weapon.

It really wasn't nice, Millie thought, she really should put the weapon down.

No you imbecile, he's going to kill you!

Now her head really hurt, and Millie didn't like being called an imbecile, especially by herself, for one thing she could think of far more offensive words to use.

The sword didn't move.

DROP THE WEAPON!

Without time to think Millie released the sword that landed on the ground before her with a dull thud.

Better, now stay still…

The creature was by her side now and the pain in her head made it feel like it was going to explode but no fear touched the girl even though the voice in her head was yelling at her to do something, anything to get away. It just didn't seem important anymore.

She felt cool breath on her neck and wondered for a moment why a vampire would be breathing. Then his strong arms were around her, holding her to him. A moment later a sharp pain in her neck made her gasp and she felt the blood being drained from her body.

You do not know how powerful you could be. The vampire said in her mind.

"MILLIE!"

A voice broke through the confusion of the girl's mind and she found herself in the arms of a vampire, his mouth at her neck. Without thinking she pulled away, taking the creature by surprise. Feeling his mouth leave her throat, Millie slammed her head back into his face as hard as she could. She suddenly yelled in pain.

"Damn that never looks that painful on TV!" She said stumbling forward a couple of steps rubbing at the back of her head before falling to her knees, the blood loss, shock or maybe even the bang on her head making her unsteady.

Looking around Millie saw that Atan had joined Legolas, the two elves now stood back to back their weapons making arcs of bright silver and white as they held off the nine vampires around them. Emma, still on horseback, was letting off shot after ill aimed shot at the Nos and yet somehow managing to hit more than she missed. Another figure had appeared across the clearing, he fought with two slightly curved blades without hilt guards, not unlike the Samurai blades of ancient Japan.

It appeared that Manwë had underestimated the number of Nos following him, including the leader over twenty-five of the creatures must have entered the clearing, a little under twenty remained fighting or feeding but that number was rapidly decreasing as any vampire hit through the heart by Emma's arrows or decapitated by the fighters tumbled to the earth as screaming dust.

"Retreat!" The vampire leader called from behind Millie, he had obviously seen that his followers were swiftly losing the fight. Millie turned to see that his nose was a bloody mess from where her head had connected.

Don't worry beauty, we'll meet again. You would like to be one of us… With that he disappeared into the trees with the remainder of his followers.

"Millie!"

"Wha'?"

"Millie, are you OK? Oh my God you're bleeding!"

"Way to state the obvious Emma, I was just bitten by a vampire!"

Emma paused, "You got bit?"

"That's what I said." Millie replied placing her hand on the side of her neck in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

"You're not gonna…you know…"

"To make you a vampire they have to suck you're blood and you have to suck their blood…it's a whole bit sucky thing…and I just realised how that sounded!" Millie suddenly laughed.

"Well you've not lost you're dirty mind and you're still managing to steal quotes so I guess it can't be too bad…but if you feel like drinking people's blood…don't."

"I'll try to remember."

Legolas and Atan appeared behind Emma along with the other person Millie had seen fighting. The twin blades he wielded now sheathed at his back, hilts visible over his shoulders.

"Manwë's dead, and we've lost three horses." Atan said quietly.

"But on the plus side you now know decapitation and wood through the heart kills them."

"Neithan!" Emma exclaimed turning to meet his deep brown eyes, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Saving you asses as it turns out."

"Fuck! He says ass. And he was so nice until then. I'm sorry Emma, he's not good enough for you."

Neithan looked confused but Emma glared at Millie before saying; "Don't worry, it's probably just lack of blood, she did just let a vampire nearly kill her."

"I'll have you know he was going to make me one of them!" Millie replied, "And I didn't let him bite me, he did some mind control thing."

"Merde, these vampires are telepathic?" (Merde, shit French, need I say any more?)

"Not all of them." Neithan replied.

"How would you know?" Atan asked, suspicion clear in his voice.

"Well…because if the rest were telepathic they would have shut the rest of us up in a moment in stead of fighting and running."

"Which also kinda hints at the fact that even the lead vamp can't be too powerfully telepathic. I mean he could only aim his mind control at Millie and not the rest of us as well."

"And even his powers on me weren't that good, it was like I could fight him, but it hurt a hell of a lot so don't try it at home."

"Why would I want to 'try it at home'?" Atan asked.

"Never mind, look it all makes sense can we eat now, I'm starving!"

"Not for blood by any chance?" Emma asked.

"No!"

"Good...how about really rare stroke raw meat?"

"Emma shut up, I am not going to become a vampire."

"Just making sure."

Legolas knelt to check the bite of the girl's neck but found that it had already closed.

"Emma and I only caught a couple of pigeons before we heard the fight, but I left snares for rabbits so we should have more meat by morning."

"I don't care what we have to eat, I've not eaten anything since lunch and I'm hungry!"

Within the hour the group were sat around the fire eating the now cooked pigeons along with some of their other supplies.

"You don't think they'll come back do you?" Emma asked, somehow keeping the fear from her voice even though the attack had left her even more shaken than before.

"Probably not." Neithan replied, "But they might come back in larger numbers tomorrow night."

"What makes you the local vampire expert?" Millie asked.

"Well you didn't seem to have anything useful to say."

Millie looked like she was about to argue but Legolas spoke, preventing her from doing so. "In the morning we must find the horses, then head into the mountains. Hopefully we can find somewhere to hide from these creatures."

"But I thought we just needed to know how to kill them." Millie said, "Which we now do."

"We need to now as much about them as possible." The elven prince replied, "Which we don't…yet. But I agree that the council should be told what we know so far. So Neithan should return with the information."

"No way!" Neithan yelled.

"You were not even supposed to be here, and Manwë should not remain here." He glanced at the cloak-covered body at the edge of the clearing, far away from the remaining, skittish horses. "If possible he should be taken to Mirkwood, to his family, for burial."

"I killed more of those creature's than any of the rest of you. I obviously seem to know more about them than you do, are you sure you want me to leave?"

"If they are going to attack again it would be stupid to lose anyone who can fight with us." Emma pointed out making Millie laugh, "What?"

"You know that's not the only reason you want him to stay." Her friend replied with a knowing grin.

"Shut up Millie." Emma said, not for the last time, her face going red. "Dolle naa lost." She muttered for emphasis. (your head's empty/you idiot, quenya again…perty language)

Neithan grinned, "Let them go back with Manwë, I'll go on with you instead."

"What?" Millie exclaimed, "No way! We're going to kick some vampire arse, that's arse with an R as it should be spelt by the way, and there's nothing you can do about it!"

"About the spelling of arse or about us kicking vamp ass?" Emma asked.

"Both, so stop saying ass! We're going whether you like it or not."

"Well…" Emma began.

"You're not scared are you?"

"No!" Emma replied defiantly, "Actually yes, I'm bloody terrified. (wow eng swear from Emma did you notice?) You just nearly got yourself killed, or worse; vampified. And I don't even know if that's a word…but it is now. And it doesn't matter that I'm scared out of my mind, 'cos I'm not going back to Rivendell."

"Great speech Emma." Millie commented with more than a touch of sarcasm.

"Shut up, I've never been good at this sort of thing. But we do have…talents you might need."

"Talents?" Neithan asked.

"Well Millie might be able to get immune to vampire telepathy and I…I…never mind what I can do." Emma mumbled not willing to tell Neithan that she was in fact one of the Kriaz-nor, the last of the werewolves.

"So it's decided," Millie said, "We are not going back."

"Then I will." Atan said quietly, "Manwë was my friend, I will not leave him here. And someone should inform the council of our progress, in case…" (and I was getting bored of him so bye bye…)

"In case the rest of us never get back?" Emma asked.

"Well I feel so much better now." Millie said wondering if she wished she could go back to Rivendell.