Helloooo! Incredibly sorry for the delay but I'm having problems with my boyfriend so I kinda lost the mood to write. But here I am, back to give Leggy and the gang more adventure!
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"Sandstorm?"
For several heartbeats, Keldarion was struck dumb. He stared stupidly at the direction Gallard was pointing. The telltale signs of the approaching storm were now visible in the horizon. The afternoon breeze was turning into a full-blown gale, tugging roughly at their clothes. The sun slowly disappeared behind the mushroom-like cloud that loomed larger and larger, moving fast towards their camp.
"Holy sh…!" Swearing, Keldarion broke out of his stupor when he recognized the danger. He instantly fell into commanding mode, hurling orders left and right.
"Darion! Go fill as many water skins as you can! Gallard, gather our packs! Take only the necessaries and leave everything else that we can live without. We must travel light to outrun the storm, so we are abandoning the wagon."
"But where will we go? Where will we hide?" Terrified, Eldarion was still glued to his spot, gaping at the menacing clouds.
"I know just a place, not far from here," Gallard replied, already busy dismantling the tents.
"Then I'll leave it to you to lead the way," Keldarion said, shoving his medical supplies into his saddlebag. He turned to their youngest companion and snapped, "Move it, Darion! See to the water skins while we still have time!"
Eldarion moved. He grabbed all the water skins they had in record speed. His arms full, he bolted into the wagon and headed straight for the water barrel in the corner. He quickly refilled them, one after another, trying hard to ignore the eerie rumbling sound that the storm was making
Outside, Keldarion and Gallard worked together to distribute their packs to the four horses.
"What about him?" The draq gestured towards Legolas. The younger elf was still peacefully asleep, as if nothing was amiss.
"Leave him be. He is in no condition to do anything much," Keldarion answered as he tied another pack to his mount.
"But is he in the condition to ride?"
Keldarion halted, and then shook his head. "He's in no favorable condition whatsoever. Period."
The elf resumed his task, adding ruefully, "Legolas is still in too much pain. His injuries will slow us down."
"We are not going to leave him behind, are we?" Gallard asked, anxiously scanning his friend's face.
"Oh, I'd love to. If I wanted my father to skin me alive, that is," the elf quipped with a quick grin. "Worry not, draq. That silly brother of mine will ride with me."
His task finished, Keldarion rushed to the wagon. "Darion? Are you done yet?"
"Almost done," Eldarion called out in reply. "Only one more left."
Keldarion helped the boy carried the water skins to the horses. He glanced furtively at the big, fat brown cloud that looked as if it were chasing them.
"It's getting closer. We had better make our move now."
After everything was secured to their mounts, Keldarion pushed Eldarion towards his own white mare.
"You ride her. She is swift like the wind," the elf said, giving the boy a leg up. Gallard was already atop another horse, one of the two that had been pulling the wagon.
"What about you? And Legolas?" Eldarion asked.
In reply, Keldarion knelt by his brother and gathered the slumbering elf into his arms, blankets and all. Cradling his burden, he effortlessly mounted Legolas' horse that had been waiting faithfully near its master, satisfied by its previous romping with the mare. Muscular and powerful, the elven-bred black stallion would have no trouble bearing the weight of the two brothers at top speed.
With a slight moan, Legolas stirred awake. "What's happening? Why…?"
"Rest easy, brat. It's just a sandstorm," Keldarion reassured, wrapping one arm around his brother's middle.
"Oh," Legolas mumbled as he blinked, not fully comprehending. "Wake me up when it's all over."
"Will do." Smiling, Keldarion watched as his brother faded back to sleep. He pulled the blanket over Legolas' head and face to keep away the flying sand and debris. Turning around, he noticed that Gallard and Eldarion had already donned their turbans, the long cloth covering the lower half of their faces.
"All right, Gallard, show us this place," Keldarion had to shout against the howling wind. "But wouldn't it be better if you fly? You have the chance to save yourself if we failed to survive this storm."
"And let you all have the fun?" The draq smirked. "Not bloody likely."
With a short cry, he snapped the reins and his mount shot forward. Keldarion and Eldarion followed suit, keeping not more than a horse-length behind him. The other spare horse sped along with them, more out of panic than from the pull of its long leash tied to Gallard's saddle.
Around them, the day had abruptly turned into night. Everything had gone dark, cutting short their vision into only a few yards. How the draq managed to find his way through the murky space was a total mystery.
Having trouble keeping the cloth over his nose and mouth because of the harsh wind, Eldarion was coughing as heavy dust clogged his nostrils.
"How much further, Gallard?" the boy yelled, almost expecting to ride smack into an unexpected object in their path.
"Not far ahead!" the draq shouted back. "Keep close to me before you lost yourself in this blasted soup!"
Keldarion looked down when his brother suddenly gave a deep moan. The wild ride must have been causing Legolas some pain.
Giving his brother a reassuring squeeze, Keldarion kicked his mount to urge it to go faster. He wanted more than anything to stop and ease Legolas' agony, but to be out there in the open was completely suicidal. The storm was strong enough to move a sand dune, let alone a small group of weary travelers. They all could be buried alive!
It felt like hours when Gallard suddenly cried out, "There! That's the place I've been telling you about. See it?"
"See what?" Eldarion asked, blinking sand out of his eyes.
"That's it?" Keldarion stared. "A mere ditch?"
"What ditch? Where?" The young human still couldn't see it, even though he squinted hard for better vision.
"It's not a ditch. It's a trench," Gallard protested. He reined in his mount just a few feet from the edge and quickly leaped to the ground.
"Same difference." Shrugging, Keldarion also dismounted. With Legolas held firm within his arms, he looked down at the narrow strip of opened earth below. It was not too deep, maybe about seven or eight feet down. But it was wide enough to accommodate four horses, two elves, a draq, and a very antsy young human.
"Blast it! I can't see a thing!" Eldarion fumed, rubbing his smarting eyes. He unceremoniously tumbled off his horse in his haste to dismount. Sighing, Gallard went to the boy and pulled him to his feet.
"Follow me. And watch your step," the draq said, dragging Eldarion down the trench with one hand while the other kept yanking at the horses' reins. The animals were kicking and neighing restlessly, thoroughly spooked by the storm. Only Legolas' stallion showed not a trace of reaction, completely unruffled as he trotted along behind them all.
"Here, sit down." Gallard pushed until Eldarion sat huddled in one corner. "I will unpack our gear."
"Is this place safe? I mean, aren't we going to get buried alive in here?" The young prince of Gondor stared nervously at the walls of earth surrounding him.
"Oh, we will," Gallard answered, half-seriously. When he saw the raw terror in the boy's eyes, the draq quickly added, "If this storm never let up, that is. Relax, Darion. We will fare better in here than out there. It would take days to fill up this trench with sand. The wind blows horizontally, not vertical."
"Huh?"
Gallard paused when he realized that Eldarion didn't fully understand him. "Don't you learn geography in Gondor, boy?"
"What the heck is geography?"
Gallard rolled his eyes. "Forget I ask that."
As the draq rushed away to unload their supplies, Keldarion bent down to place Legolas in Eldarion's care. "Keep an eye on him. I'm going to see to the horses."
The storm was now on top of them, and their already murky surroundings darkened to pitch black. Somehow, Keldarion and Gallard could still see what they were about. They tossed all their valuables at Eldarion's way—water skins, sacks of food, rolls of blankets, medicines, weapons.
To ease their panic, Keldarion used some thick clothes to wrap around the horses' heads. Legolas' stallion and his own mare endured the treatment without protest, immediately easing down. But the other two horses were a bit harder to appease. They neighed shrilly and jerked like mad against the reins, their eyes rolling in their sockets. With his smooth talk, the elf managed to calm one of the two. The other one snapped the reins off Keldarion's grasp, bolted out of the trench, and vanished into the storm.
"Silly bugger," Keldarion muttered. Gripping the other reins, he yanked them to a jutting rock and tied the long leashes around it. With the horses now secured, he dropped down beside Eldarion. Gallard took his place on the boy's other side. The young human looked as if he had trouble breathing.
Quickly, Keldarion unrolled the blankets and draped them over their heads, creating an impromptu tent. It was crude but provided enough protection to ward off the suffocating dust. Beneath the blankets, the four companions sat huddled together, shoulder to shoulder. Gallard hugged Eldarion against his side, murmuring words of encouragement when the boy couldn't stop trembling. Keldarion had gathered Legolas back into his arms and was checking him all over, concerned by his brother's condition.
Legolas was still out cold. It was indeed a strong sedative that Keldarion had given him earlier. Yet, Legolas' forehead was creased into a deep frown. A sure sign that he was in pain.
"How is he?" Gallard quietly asked. He could see the worry etched on Keldarion's features. The elf was glowing so bright they didn't need to burn anything for a light!
"Not too good, I'm afraid," Keldarion replied, reaching down to prod Legolas' abused belly. "Our recent ride has only added to his discomfort."
"Is it bad?" Gallard peered down at Legolas' pale and clammy face. "I thought the hot stone treatment has taken care of the swellings."
"It has, but one single attempt won't cure all. It needs to be applied regularly until the swellings are fully healed. It's his ruptured spleen that worries me the most, though."
"Ruptured spleen?" Eldarion blanched. Only now he realized the extent of Legolas' injuries.
The elf nodded. "By right, the spleen should have been removed before the damage could spread to his other organs."
"Remove the spleen?" Eldarion sounded as if he might faint on the spot.
Keldarion glanced up and noticed the boy's green face. "Don't worry, Darion. I will not do it here."
"But, why not? It has to be done eventually," Gallard voiced out.
"Right. I can do the surgery here, in this son of a warg's hole amid this bloody storm without any proper utensils saved for my dagger and sword. I can cut him open like I cut a cake and pluck out the spleen as easy as I pluck a pear from a tree. But then I might hack off some arteries by mistake and he will bleed to death here on my lap and what am I going to tell my family then? 'Oops, I flunk my anatomy exam?' "
"Ah…" Gallard looked chagrined. "Well. I…uh…guess not."
Someone chuckled then. "Gee, Kel. I didn't know you were so scared to cut me up."
"I'm not scared. I'm terrified!" Keldarion snapped. Realizing who had just spoken, he jerked his gaze back down. "Legolas! You're awake."
"Yes, unfortunately." Legolas grimaced as he shifted around, trying to get a better lying position. "What happened? And what the heck is that howling sound?"
"It's the sandstorm."
"Sandstorm? Oh, so that's what this ringwraith's guise is for." Legolas grinned, pointing at the 'tent' above their heads. "But where are we? How did we get here?"
"Can't you remember riding through the storm?" asked Keldarion. "We are now sitting in a ditch, gob smack in the middle of nowhere."
"You stupid elf. I told you it's a trench, not a ditch. There's a difference!" Gallard argued, "Geographically, a ditch is for channeling water. But in middle of a desert where the water is so scarce, it is called a…"
"Oh, will you stop?" Laughing, Keldarion gave the draq a shove. "Why so obsess with this geography thing?"
Gallard scowled. "I'm not obsessed. I just want to get the facts straight."
"Fine. It's a trench," Legolas said, quite amused. "But why aren't we taking shelter inside the wagon? A lot more comfortable that way, I would say."
"Lord, you are hopeless." The draq sighed. "Yes, let's take shelter in the wagon. Only I don't think the wagon is where we left it. The fierce wind has probably blown it away!"
Despite his paleness, Legolas blushed. "All right. That was a stupid suggestion."
Smiling, Gallard reached down and patted his friend's shoulder. "No, not stupid. You're just slow, that's all."
"Ah. That makes me feel a lot better already."
The four companions stared wordlessly at each other and burst into laughter, finding humor in their alarming situation. The storm was still raging above them, the trench was slowly filled with sand, but for that brief sweet moment there was nothing else but their strong camaraderie.
"This is one heck of an adventure," Legolas said, still chuckling. "I swear this is the last time I…awww!"
"What? What's wrong, Legolas?" Startled, Keldarion quickly bent over his brother when the younger elf clenched his tummy with a cry.
"Laughing…bad idea…" Gritting his teeth, Legolas kneaded his belly. "I would appreciate…that hot stone…right about now."
"The storm has to pass before I can make a fire and heat the rock," Keldarion said regretfully, rummaging through his bag. He took some dried leaves out of a packet and placed them against Legolas' lips. "Here. Chew on this. It will dull the pain."
Legolas made a face. "It tastes horrible."
"So is your cooking but I didn't die eating them," Keldarion retorted. "Now chew."
Legolas chew, glaring at his brother all the while.
Having nothing better to do but wait patiently for the storm to die down, the four companions sat pressing against each other and did exactly that.
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Almost an hour later, the storm finally passed. The sun was back in the sky. It was quiet and peaceful, no more howling wind.
They swiped the blankets off their heads. And stared. The ditch—oops, the trench—didn't look actually the same. Filled with sand, it was no longer as deep as before. The three horses were still tied to the same rock, thankfully, but they were now buried to their knees.
The four companions were buried almost to their necks.
Keldarion stared wryly at Gallard. "Geographically, another hour of that storm will turn this trench into our grave."
"Oh, stuff it, elf!" Gallard shot back. "At least we all survived."
Laughing, Keldarion slapped the draq's back. "Thanks to your quick thinking, we did."
"Did the Harodem army suvive the storm, do you think?" Eldarion wondered.
"I'm sure they didn't. They had no draq to lead their way," Gallard boasted, much to the two elves' disgust. They snorted noisily in disagreement.
"What?" Gallard looked perplexed. "I was just stating the fact!"
Assured that the horses were all right—restless, but completely unscatched—the company grabbed the reins and helped the beasts out of the sand, scrambling out of their hiding place. They made camp, building up a tent and a fire not far from the trench, before Keldarion tended to his brother's injuries.
"Aren't you going to remove my spleen now?" Legolas jested after Keldarion finished aplying the hot stone treatment to his belly.
In reply, Keldarion took out his dagger and flashed it in his brother's gaze threateningly.
"No! Don't! I was just joking!" Legolas yelped, putting up his hands.
Keldarion smiled, his eyes glinted with mirth as he slipped back the dagger into his boot. "So was I."
Legolas swore in response. His elder brother just laughed and went away to help Gallard feed the horses.
When the sun came down, the companions were ready to move on. From atop his mare, Keldarion glanced at the others. Next to him, Legolas sat slumped on his stallion, having adamantly told them that he was now fit to ride even though they didn't fully believe him. Gallard and Eldarion waited impatiently on the other horse, ever eager to get moving.
"All right, my fellow friends." Keldarion nodded. "Let's head for Gondor."
And they set off, back towards home and family.
TBC…
This story is winding down! Only two more chapters left! Hang on everybody!