In An Age Before – Part 264
Now on 11 Cerveth of 2465, Helluin led eight mounted Tatyar south towards Dol Guldur. Along with Ngandáro and Arinya who had first spoken to her, and the talkative Vorsaira, went five others, two ellith, Marhrondo and Lirulin¹, and three ellyn, Ránehen, Sivimaseldo, and Erinítaite². ¹(Marhrondo, Homebody = mar(home) + hrondo(body, archaic) and Lirulin, Lark (bird) Quenya) ²(Ránehen, Wandering Eye = ráne(wandering) + hen(eye), Sivimaseldo, Excitable Boy = siva-(v. excite) + -ima(adj on v suff) + seldom(boy), and Erinítaite, Single Minded = er-(single, pref.) + iníta(mind) + -ita(with, -ed suff) Quenya)
Helluin had raised an eyebrow when the company had made their initial introductions after their arrival at the farm. Some of the names they gave had left her with simmering reservations. She was unsure if these were anessi, epessi, or kilmessi¹ and she was uncertain which would bode more ill. ¹(anessi, 'given names', the formal father or mother names, epessi, 'after names', honorifics or nick names, kilmessi, 'chosen names', self-given names. Quenya (pl.))
Ngandáro indeed played and sang beautifully, but that would not have been apparent to his mother and father as he lay in his cradle. Arinya was bright and sunny by nature and her disposition could have suggested her name in infancy. Vorsaira oft held forth his opinions, but not all of what he said suggested wisdom. He seemed to get along well with the horses, sharing or effortlessly assimilating their peculiar reasoning. Ránehen did indeed have a wandering eye, which he cast most oft to whate'er elleth happened to be 'nigh and Helluin deemed him a drooler. Sivimaseldo lived up to his name, being both enthusiastic and easily incited, but regrettably, he was given to proceeding without sufficient forethought.
However, Marhrondo was adventurous; oft volunteering for scouting duty, fearless in learning new skills, and Helluin could not see her as a homebody. Lirulin was dour and painfully serious, hardly the characteristics of her namesake songbirds, whilst Erinítaite was easily distracted. The Noldo endeavored to pair Erinítaite with Lirulin, whilst keeping him away from Ránehen lest the two ellyn sidetrack each other and accomplish 'naught. She also attempted to separate Vorsaira from Sivimaseldo who was too easily provoked to folly by some of the nonsense the 'genius' constantly spouted.
Managing the foibles of her troops was an unfamiliar task to Helluin, who had long kept her own council and was accustomed to uniform discipline when involved with allied warriors. She resolved to train the Tatyar as Rangers when and as soon as the opportunity arose. Much as she enjoyed their company, she found herself increasingly desperate to suppress some of their vexing idiosyncrasies while on duty. She deemed that their personalities could get actually them killed.
To forestall excess conversation, Helluin kept the company riding at a gallop for so long as the horses could endure. They arrived in the early evening of the 12th and stopped on the north-south track roughly three score miles due west of Dol Guldur, which placed them thirty miles from the verge of the forest. There Helluin bid them dismount and collect their rations and weapons. She left them to wait as she walked off to the west and gave a wolf howl. This she repeated at intervals as Dugr and the other horse rolled their eyes. Thinking it a game, Vorsaira gave a couple half-hearted attempts as well, but Helluin silenced him with a look that promised a swift retribution. After an hour, the southern pack arrived, sixteen adult hunters and another half-dozen juveniles including a couple pups.
Greetings, bright one. I see thou hast brought allies though one at least is a moron, the alpha said, causing Helluin to groan.
Greetings, grey hunter. More than one amongst them may be a moron. We shall see, Helluin replied to the grinning wolf. Has 'aught been seen or smelt of Yrch this year?
Nay, though I reckon thine appearance timely for the season feels right. Shalt thou seek for them?
Aye, just so, and this time we shall ride. My allies have proved themselves able as mounted archers, she told him, and of two dozen Yrch, we should make short work.
Helluin offered the alpha a baring of teeth that might have passed for a grin and the wolf growled low in his throat.
We shall await thy return. Howl if ye need aid. No settlers live east of the track now for a span of a score miles north and south and at need, we shall break the ban.
Helluin dipped her head to the alpha in thanks. 'Twas no small thing, his willingness to aid her against the treaty that had stood for many generations of his kind and the Noldo appreciated it.
Whilst they had been speaking, the other wolves had been greeting the horses and one told Dugr, t'would seem we shall not be allowed to continue our riddling now for I have heard ye ride to battle. A shame, for we have learnt some good ones of late.
Perhaps we shall have the chance to continue this night, or at worst after the Yrch are slain, the stallion replied. We too have learnt some new riddles.
Now Helluin expected the Yrch to come from the forest in the evening of the 13th and she planned to strike against them on the 14th as she had aforetime, thereby granting them sufficient time to march too far from Mirkwood to make retreat feasible. The Noldo ordered a camp set for the night and both Elves and horses received this news with thanksgiving. The wolves too were glad, and after the horses had drank and grazed, they all came together in a circle and engaged in a heated game of riddling that continued on late into the night.
The Avari regarded this with great curiosity and no little astonishment at first, for whilst they could countenance wolves and horses tolerating each other whilst in opposition to the Yrch, they had not expected genuine friendships to have arisen 'twixt two such naturally antagonistic species.
"But how is this possible?" Sivimaseldo finally broke down and asked of Helluin. "They are naturally predator and prey."
"I deem they sought to assuage their boredom and found that they shared an interest in common," she said with a shrug. "Thou would have been more astonished to witness two horses, a lynx, an anteater, and a giant snail playing charades."
The Tatya looked at her and sputtered, for though he detected no lie in her eyes, he could form no sentence to express his disbelief at so outlandish a scene. Again, Helluin shrugged, having witnessed just such a game on her last visit to Rhosgobel.
"After seeing our host's giant rabbits, two headed cows, calves, cats, and sheep, it seemed no great wonder at the time," she said. "Thinking back on it though, I suppose I was surprised."
He walked off muttering, "is the west so strange, or do we even live in the same world?"
Towards the third hour past midnight, several of the wolves grew impatient at a delay and yipped to urge an answer from one of the Avari's mounts. Helluin rose from her ground cloth of tofu skins and looked o'er at their upset. She came to them, gesturing at the horse and saying, that one has dozed off standing upright. Perhaps ye should stay thy game 'til all are rested?
She marked several of the wolves yawning and their eyes drooping whilst a few others had already retired and were scratching or feebly running in some dream of the hunt. Several of the horses were also asleep on their feet by then. She groaned.
If ye cease not for this night, they shall be but half-awake in battle on the morrow, Helluin admonished, waving a hand to the steeds. Surely, their answers and thy queries can wait?
But we are again at a draw, whined one of the wolves, yet he marked that the bitch next to him was lying on her side snoring. Oh fie! In the morning then, he grumbled and set his head on his paws. He was asleep ere the count of ten.
Helluin shook her head and returned to viewing the stars. Eventually, the dawn of 13 Cerveth arrived as 'twas wont to do. She rousted them all at sunrise. The pack remained asleep, but she marked some grumbling amongst the horses and felt little sympathy.
"Break your fasts and then we must be away," she ordered e'eryone. "Two score miles we must cover ere twilight if we are to espy the Yrch leaving the forest."
After the half part of an hour, the company rode east towards Mirkwood, hoping to travel fast and reach the verge of the wood in time to mark the departure of two dozen Yrch, for such had been the timetable in the past years. They bore only their bows, quivers, knives, water skins, and rations for two days, having left their spears and their travel bags 'neath the guardianship of the wolf pack. Helluin alone had retained two items, her mithril coif and her viewing tube. With the long days of summer, they went at a trot, expecting to cover the necessary miles in ten hours.
Now by noon they had halved the distance without incident and Helluin reckoned that they were midway 'twixt the north-south track and the eaves of the forest. The Noldo was satisfied with their progress thus far and allowed a half-hour break for rest and the noon meal. Afterwards the company resumed their ride, but when ten miles had passed, Helluin became wary for the land lay silent and disturbing whispers came to the Elves from the tall grass that swirled 'round them in the slight breeze. Helluin bid them halt, and choosing Lirulin to accompany her, went forward to scout their surroundings.
Two leagues hence they found a copse of scrubby trees and took cover amongst them though their crowns rose scarcely two fathoms, for the whispering of the olvar had become alarming. Many come from the east, trampling and hacking! Helluin was in a tooth gritting state of alert for 'twas broad daylight, and aforetime the Yrch had traveled exclusively at night. She could only imagine that Easterling Men had been added to the garrison of Dol Guldur.
Helluin and Lirulin had but a short time to wait ere they heard the advance of a heedless party. They hastened forward in a loose gaggle at a loping trot, carelessly trampling all 'neath their iron shod feet. Ere they came clearly into view, the Elves could hear the guttural voices of Yrch bickering and snarling at each other. The two ellith waited long enough for the enemy company to pass them by, confirming that they were indeed Yrch and that they numbered, not the expected two dozens, but 'nigh a hundred. At the first opportunity, they broke cover and rode a half-mile south ere turning west and breaking into a gallop.
Upon their return to the other seven Avari, their tidings caused an uproar. They were now nine against a hundred rather than twenty-four, but Helluin silenced them with a hiss and did what she could to boost their morale.
"Shut it, all of ye!" she began. "Ye have so many advantages here that victory is well 'nigh assured despite the change in numbers. First of all, ye are ahorse and they cannot run ye down for they have no Wargs and are all afoot. Second, ye all bear bows with a far greater range than those borne by the dozen of the enemy that we counted as archers. Ye can slay them without e'er closing to battle. Third, this is open grassland and cover for so many is scant. We shall choose the place and time of our attacks, denying our foes any advantage, and fourth, we need not finish them at one engagement. We know whither they go. Sixty miles they must come to the river. We can strike them repeatedly, day after day if necessary, and whittle down their numbers 'til their threat is ended. I expect to lose none and kill them all. In such an engagement as this, the odds are so lopsided that this is hardly even a contest."
Helluin had been careful to exude complete confidence and all her statements were true. O'er six millennia at war informed her assessment and none of the Tatyar knew 'aught to gainsay her. When she looked each of them in the eyes, she felt their wills bolstered and the growth of their belief in their chances to prevail. And prevail we shall, she thought, unless some act as morons.
"Now here is what we shall do," she said, proceeding to reveal a battle plan. "In a single file line we shall approach them from the west. They shall be forced to stare into the afternoon sun and shall see barely more than a single rider approaching. At a full gallop we shall assail them as we turn north at a furlong, and we shall each loose three arrows in passing ere drawing away."
The Noldo paused to make sure they understood, receiving nods of acknowledgement.
"Once beyond their sight at a distance of a half-mile, we shall ride west a league. I expect the Yrch to scatter and seek cover after our assault, and we shall not reengage them then. Rather, we shall allow them time to accept their losses, regroup, and continue on their way. We shall attack them again at sunset, from the west with the sun at our backs as aforetime, and in that glare, we shall repeat our shooting save that this time we shall break away to the south and after a half-mile, turn east. We shall then see if they continue their march by night, or if they pause to rest, and we shall conform our further plans to the opportunities their actions present."
This time, she saw them swiftly nod in agreement as the grim lust of battle was kindled in their eyes. Against their initial reaction to the count of their foes, they had been shown a path to victory and they eagerly embraced it.
After stringing their bows and checking their arrows, the company mounted. Helluin donned her mithril coif and led them east in a single-file line. By then, they had not far to go, for the Yrch had covered another mile. Helluin clearly marked them at a mile, and at a half-mile, came to a gallop whilst drawing her bow and setting a pair of arrows to the string. Another pair she readied 'twixt the knuckles of her right hand. Like her, the Avari rode without tack and so they had the use of both hands whilst directing their horses with the pressure of their knees and the shifting weight of their bodies. Like her, they came to a gallop and prepared to shoot.
Now the Yrch saw one galloping towards them and their own archers readied their bows. They expected to make a pin cushion out of the errant rider who seemed not to see them, for she rode straight towards their company as if heedless of her danger. She closed to a furlong, only a score yards beyond their range, ere she swerved to their right, revealing a trailing rider as she raised a powerful bow. A couple of them loosed their arrows in a high ballistic arc to answer her threat, yet at that distance even they were doubtful of the outcome of their shooting. Then the stranger drew and loosed in the blink of an eye, and a pair of arrows exploded towards them on a nearly flat trajectory that struck down two of their own ere they could even think to dive aside.
At that same moment, another arrow struck down a third member of their company and their attention jerked to the second rider who was just beginning to turn away north. That rider loosed a second arrow as a third rider was revealed, but then another of their number fell and a moment later a fourth died as the lead rider loosed two more arrows whilst twisting backwards to shoot o'er the hindquarters of her horse. Then another arrow came from the second rider and then an arrow was loosed by a third rider, now revealed behind the second as he turned away.
Confusion grew and the shouting of curses, threats, and ineffectual orders from their own leader rose to a useless din. Arrows continued to strike down their comrades as rider after rider followed the first. They only began to scatter and seek for cover as a fifth rider began shooting. Ere the eighth rider galloped away, twenty-two of the Yrch had been severely wounded or struck to their deaths and another three bore less serious injuries. The entire encounter had lasted not even a minute and it had been devastating. Taken by surprise, their company had lost a quarter of its strength. The only positive thing to be gleaned from the attack was that their enemies numbered but eight.
In the aftermath, Throqûrz-foshânu¹, the Orch commander, cursed his archers for not hindering their foes, cursed their orders to march during daylight, and cursed their enemies. When 'twas apparent that the attack had ceased, the surviving soldiers rose from the grass and counted their losses. A quick examination of the arrows revealed that these foes were Elves. Then more curses followed. ¹(Throqûrz-foshânu, Eater of Babies = throqûrz(eater) + foshânu(babies)Orkish)
"Well 'nigh all thine arrows found a target and so I deem ye did well facing foes for the first time whilst mounted," Helluin said to her company after they had stopped to rest the horses. Her eight companions smiled at receiving her praise.
"Did they seem taller than Yrch aforetime?" Lirulin asked the others. "I had thought so when we scouted them aforetime."
"Thou hast a good eye. I believe they are, but not by much," Helluin replied. "What I am most curious about is how they march in daylight where e'er aforetime they have cowered from the sun."
'Round her, the others agreed, but had no answers. They had always taken it for granted that Yrch were active at night and loathed the sun.
"Save by taking a prisoner, I fear we shall have 'naught but unanswered questions," said Marhrondo, and Helluin nodded in agreement.
"If the chance to take a captive arises, I wager t'will be from those last to die, for die they must one and all," the Noldo said. "I wonder if 'aught more than their new ability to abide daylight has been conferred upon them, and just how it came to pass."
Yet even as she spoke, Helluin recalled the memory she had discovered in the mind of the Orch that she had questioned a year ago. In it, one that she had taken for a Black Númenórean had contributed his seed to the breeding of Orcs. At that time, she had felt only disgust. Had she failed to appreciate the intelligence she had received and properly assess its ramifications? Could Sauron have succeeded in advancing the race of the Yrch? Could he hath improved upon his master's design? She resolved to carefully examine those last to die, and if she found 'aught to prove her suspicions, then she would make her findings known to the Wise, or at least those of the Wise that she trusted.
Helluin cast a glance to the sky, deeming that three hours remained ere Anor sank sufficiently to be an advantage. She calculated the distance the Yrch might march ere she could return from scouting their movements and reckoned that her company should retreat another league and a half.
"I bid ye withdraw one and a half leagues west and wait there on my return," she said. "I shall scout the movements of the Yrch that we may amend the particulars of our next assault."
Ere they could voice any protests, Helluin nudged Dugr to a canter heading back towards the Yrch. She made sure to remain well to their north, but after the third part of an hour, saw the tracks they had left behind as they turned west from north. There she stopped to assemble her viewing tube, and she began to scan the land to her south.
Now it took some time, but by adding the third lens, Helluin was able to espy her enemies. It seemed they still lingered at the battlefield, occupied with assessing their losses. The Noldo watched as the dead were stripped of their swords, bows, and quivers, and 'aught else that any of the living coveted. As expected, some disputes broke out and swiftly came to blows ere the leader slew two of his troops and browbeat the rest, putting an end to their contention. He supervised a hasty butchery of the slain, assigned some to haul the meat for their next meals, then deployed his surviving archers, (and those newly equipped as such), to the fore of his column to march as a vanguard a hundred yards ahead of the rest of the company. These clumped together in a fearful band of a dozen, with arrows nocked upon their bowstrings. After well 'nigh an hour, the Yrch finally set out west at a wary walking pace.
Helluin sighed and disassembled her viewing tube. What she had witnessed was upsetting in that these Yrch had learnt from their defeat and had adapted their tactics to address the flaw in their own deployment. A vanguard of archers made good sense against a swift line of foes that could shoot from a greater range. Far from simply plunging ahead as they would have done aforetime, now they went with caution. The Noldo could easily defeat their amended tactics, but had she not scouted, her own troops would have been jeopardized by their enemy's adaptability. That was something unexpected from a low-level commander of a relatively small company of Orcs; almost as unexpected as the fact that these Yrch marched in daylight.
The Noldo had much to think on as she rode west to rejoin the Avari. These Yrch were indeed more cunning than those encountered in the past, and yes, they were also marginally taller and looked stronger. They were still hideous to behold, that had not changed, but they were more dangerous now than aforetime and it seemed that Sauron had succeeded in enhancing his soldiery. She wondered how far that trend could go and what end it might attain.
"Gather now, mellyn nín, for I have learnt much in my scouting," Helluin said as the Tatyar came to stand 'round her. "The Yrch resumed their march the third part of an hour past and come at a walk now with a dozen archers in the fore. These I shall destroy ere we again attack the body of their formation as we did aforetime."
"So thou shalt shoot their archers from beyond their range?" asked Ngandáro.
Helluin nodded and said, "Aye, my bow has twice the range of theirs and my armor would turn their arrows even if they managed to hit me. I saw them set out with the vanguard walking a hundred yards in advance of the rest. I shall approach to a furlong at the head of our column and shoot them from a stand still. When ye see me gallop forward against the body of their forces, ye shall know their archers are slain."
'Round her, the Avari nodded in acknowledgement of the amended plan for it addressed the new battle order of their foes. They had little doubt that their leader could indeed slay the dozen archers with her bow and that t'would be done quickly.
Helluin eyed the sun's position and said, "We shall allow them another two hours to cover two leagues from the earlier battlefield and then we shall ride against them. By then, they should feel some return of their confidence and some diminution of their caution. It shall then be six hours past noon when we engage them with the sun a blinding radiance behind us. For now, I bid ye take some rations and allow the horses to rest. I want two mounted scouts maintaining a watch on the east lest the Yrch hasten their pace and arrive sooner than expected."
Now just ere the sixth hour past noon, Helluin led the Elves east at a trot. She called a brief halt e'ery couple of furlongs to search ahead for their foes with her viewing tube. After riding a mile, she espied them half a mile ahead, and as she had seen aforetime, their archers preceded their main company by a hundred yards. They moved warily, constantly searching the surrounding land, but with little stealth or thought for seeking cover. She watched them a while to ensure that their count seemed complete and no flanking companies had been deployed, and then she disassembled her viewing tube and stowed it.
"Trail me by twenty yards 'til I halt, then draw in behind me," she told the Tatyar. "They are four furlongs ahead."
With that, the Noldo doffed her boots, tucked their tall shafts 'neath her belt, readied her bow, and then urged Dugr to a canter. They covered three furlongs quickly with the eight Avari trailing behind, and when they were a furlong from the Orkish archers, Helluin halted Dugr and rose to stand atop his back.
This time, the Yrch saw a rider approaching against the backdrop of harsh sunlight, but she halted ere coming into the range of their advance party. At a furlong, she stood upright on her horse's back, and from that high vantage, deployed her bow and began shooting their archers with preternatural accuracy and speed. These fell rapidly, one after another, and whilst some loosed arrows against her in a high arc, they had little chance of slaying this foe, for their weapons lacked sufficient range. In barely a minute 'twas done and the main company lay open to assault. Then the mounted archer resumed her seat and kicked her horse to charge forward at a gallop.
Throqûrz-foshânu hoped that 'twas the same company as had attacked them aforetime, for they had numbered only eight. If they had brought reinforcements, t'would be a disaster. Feeling that they had little to lose and 'naught to gain by standing their ground against a foe that would not close with them, he ordered his troops to charge. If they could only close the distance quickly enough, perhaps they could o'erwhelm these enemies with their numbers, drag them from their mounts, and slaughter them on the ground.
Now this flawed tactical decision was more akin to the actions of Yrch in the past. Without the threat of their archers, Helluin, Ngandáro, Arinya, Ránehen, Marhrondo, Vorsaira, Erinítaite, Lirulin, and Sivimaseldo simply adjusted their turns to maintain their distance and the Orcs were unable to close with them. The Elves loosed their arrows from as little as twenty yards, still a safe distance, and more Yrch fell. Then the riders were gone, this time veering off to the south.
In the aftermath, the Eater of Babies realized that he would have been better served by ordering his troops to scatter. Command had become a learning experience on this mission and he would not make the same mistake twice. His name led him to believe that he had actually eaten babies, and as such delicacies were reserved for those in charge, had once commanded raids, but his past was a blank. Alas that he could no longer remember such triumphs, or the tactics he had used to achieve them. He and his company did remember their names though, the first to do so in centuries. From habit, he reached up to massage the burn scar on his forehead.
This time, with the loss of his dozen archers, their total casualties numbered thirty-two and added to the twenty-two slain that morn, (and the two he had killed himself), the company was down to forty-four including himself. If 'aught could be considered a positive outcome of the engagement, 'twas that they had plenty of meat and would eat well for several days. As most went about the butchery, Throqûrz-foshânu assigned another twelve reluctant troops to recover the bows and quivers from the fallen and deploy forward as archers. Little did these realize, as they grumbled about this likely death sentence and contemplated desertion, that their position might aid their survival during the next attack.
Now after the Elves had turned south this time instead of north, and as they had done following their first assault, Helluin led her cavalry only a half-mile ere they posted sentries and rested their horses. The Noldo bid them maintain their watch and hold their position whilst she took Arinya and backtracked to observe the actions of the Yrch.
"Choose two amongst ye to return to the scene of the first attack and retrieve all our arrows. We leave 'naught behind save the dead," she told them. When they greeted her words with questioning glances, she added, "Waste not, want not. This is the warcraft of the Laiquendi of Eriador, most stealthy of all our people, to leave only woe for their enemies. Arinya shall join me in scouting the Yrch."
Helluin did not elaborate at that time concerning the recovery of arrows from fallen foes and the practical concerns atop the psychological intent. Like their Galadhrim cousins, the Nandor of Lothlórien and Mirkwood, the Laiquendi had historically done little metalwork compared to the Noldor and Sindar. Arrowheads were considered precious. Helluin would not have bet against some of the Laiquendi's current shafts being tipped with heads that had seen service in the War of the Elves and Sauron forty-two centuries past. The quiver that she had left with Elrond in Rivendell had contained a trio of just such, reshafted and refletched countless times, and esteemed by her beloved for the foes they had felled, much as Men might regard an heirloom sword.
By the time they reached the Yrch camp, night had fallen. Helluin left Arinya with the horses and her viewing tube. After some quick instructions, the device proved a wonder to the elleth by which she could clearly espy her enemies standing three furlongs away. She lowered the telescope to thank the Noldo and found that she had vanished. Not a sound or a movement betrayed her presence. Arinya sought for her with the viewing tube, but marked her not.
After the half part of an hour, Helluin startled her by reappearing abruptly with the arrows they had shot in their second attack. These she had tied together in a bundle.
"Come, meldis nín, let us return to the others," the Noldo said as she recovered her viewing tube and mounted Dugr's back. "I have much to tell." Behind them, a din of cursing and a few shrieks broke out in the darkness.
When they returned to the rest of their company, they found Ránehen and Marhrondo, who had gone to retrieve their arrows, still looking vaguely nauseous. They had indeed recovered most of the arrows, but had seen the grisly aftermath of the battle.
"Of course, we know that the Yrch eat their fallen, but we seldom see such lefto'ers so…fresh," the Wandering Eye had explained. Helluin had nodded to him in understanding.
"All gave some, some gave all, and the fallen gave their best to their comrades, in more ways than one," the Noldo muttered as she added the arrows from the second attack to the pile.
Ngandáro busied himself with untying the bundle of arrows that Helluin had handed to him and asked, "Are these bowstrings?" There were a dozen of them, braided from coarse hair crudely twisted and too short for their own weapons
"Indeed so," Helluin said with a grim grin, "and now the Yrch shall do no shooting, for their bows have no strings. I also managed to cut four throats whilst o'erhearing their intention to spend the night in camp, feasting and drying meat for jerky. They shall make easy targets as they tend their cook fires in the dark. Let us go and ruin their meal."
Whilst her companions smiled in anticipation, Helluin gave thought to what she had seen. These Yrch were indeed taller and stronger than those she had encountered in the past, they were now more uniform in physique too, and whereas aforetime they had had the Lidless Eye carved into their foreheads, the four she had slain at close range had instead been branded with that symbol.
Helluin and the Avari rode west and they easily marked the camp of the Yrch by the several cook fires, and the figures silhouetted 'round them. These featured a spitted cut of meat, the acrid scent of which wafted, sickening, to their nostrils.
"Go in pairs and spread out 'round this camp," Helluin bid them, "and shoot when clear targets present themselves. Shoot one apiece and then withdraw back here. I would not that any of ye become engaged in a fight, so be as ghosts, invisible and untouchable. The loss of another eight shall be a bitter night's wages to them."
The Avari paired up and rode off into the darkness. Helluin gave them a head start and then rode closer at a walk. When she had closed to a furlong, she dismounted and bid Dugr await her in silence. Then, taking her bow, she slipped away towards the closest cook fire.
With the stealth of the Laiquendi, she came 'nigh, crouching in the shadows just beyond the firelight and watching as a party of a half-dozen impatiently poked at a roast with their daggers as it turned on a spit. Helluin nocked a pair of arrows and waited for the distraction she knew would come.
A few minutes later, some shouting was heard from the northwest, and throughout the camp many stood from the seats 'round the fires to stare in that direction with curiosity, but no alarm cries came and no orders were shouted. During their moments of distraction, Helluin shot two and moved clockwise 'round the Yrch. They had turned when one of their comrades fell headfirst into the fire, an arrow bisecting his skull. Then the remaining four voiced exclamations of dismay and searched the surrounding darkness for enemies. A scream of pain came from the northeast. At the moment when they were all turned away from her, Helluin shot another two. Then she moved again, a third of the way 'round their fire and shouldered her bow as the surviving pair began to panic. Silently, she unsheathed Anguirél.
After another incident at one of the other fires and some moments of indecision, the last two Orcs chose to abandon their fire and report to their commander. They took off and ran straight into Helluin as she appeared before them as if from 'naught, a black figure in the black of night, swinging a swift black sword that ended their flight. She walked 'round the fire and collected her arrows ere taking her leave. From the other campfires, she could hear shouting and an occasional scream.
"Time to go, Dugr," she whispered when she returned to the warhorse.
Upon Helluin's return to the place whence she and the Avari had set out, she found Arinya, Ngandáro, Lirulin, and Sivimaseldo already awaiting her. Within ten minutes, Marhrondo and Ránehen, and then the final pair, Erinítaite and Vorsaira arrived. They each reported seeing an Orc falling after their shots and none had been pursued when they rode away. As many as another fourteen could be removed from the count of their foes, and by Helluin's reckoning, that left only twenty-six out of a hundred.
"Pray take some rations and get some rest," she told her troops, "ye have earnt a respite this day, and on the morrow we shall charge against them again, this time from the east at dawn."
They greeted her words with smiles and began consuming some trail food for their supper 'neath the stars. Not a one amongst them thought to make a fire and none complained about their cold camp. These were conditions they had all endured as a matter of course when stalking foes in hostile territory, and after many centuries 'twas second nature. They all looked forward to continuing the battle in the morning of 14 Cerveth.
Things were not so peaceful at the Yrch camp. It took Throqûrz-foshânu o'er a half-hour just to get an accurate report of their losses and he finally had to go to each cook fire himself to count heads. He found a dozen newly slain and another pair invalidated by their wounds. He cursed and slew one of these last two, for he could not walk and they had no medicine sufficient to treat such hurts. The other injured soldier ripped an arrow from his belly initiating a gush of blood and the scent of a perforated bowel, but he gritted his teeth and clamped a hand o'er the hole. If he could march in the morn, then he could continue. By the commander's reckoning, he might last another day.
Throqûrz-foshânu had been just as furious shortly earlier when he discovered that four of his newly assigned archers had been slain and all of their bows disabled. He had been unable to contain his rage and had pummeled some of the survivors, breaking one's jaw to shut him up and striking another so hard that his left eye was swollen closed. In the back of his mind though, he understood that the fault lay with his weapons more than his warriors, and he resolved to find some way to create better bows in the future. So far, their whole predicament had arisen from the range of the Elves' shooting and the Eater of Babies had the wit to realize that they would be lucky to survive it.
He called his troops together and issued new orders. When they were approached again, and he was reasonably sure they would be on the morrow, they were to run three strides in any direction and then go prone, and thereafter continue crawling away, thereby to become scattered and less visible targets. They would regroup after the riders vanished. 'Twas the best that they could do.
Now they had barely begun their march when approaching hoof beats were felt as thuds in the ground. This time, as the first arrows impaled a trio of soldiers, the rest scattered, then dropped and crawled away through the tall grass as fast as they could. The remaining riders found no visible targets in the dawn light and could only shoot at movements in the grass ere turning away to the north.
When Throqûrz-foshânu took stock of his company afterwards, he found that only the first trio had been slain and only one other bore a minor wound. His reaction was mixed. Though his new tactic had worked, they had come barely o'er a score miles from the forest and he had but twenty-three troops remaining. Then he looked to the one wounded the past night as he wavered on his feet in a feverish delirium and revised that to twenty-two who were battle-worthy. For the thousandth time, he wondered what his mission was supposed to accomplish and why he felt compelled to reach the river.
Helluin and the Tatyar gathered a half-mile to the north and the Noldo called them to dismount.
"They scattered and crawled," Sivimaseldo complained, "I cannot be sure if I hit anyone."
"Nor I," Ngandáro confessed, shaking his head in discontent. "I made a target of movement in the grass, but might only have shot the breeze."
Helluin chuckled, for she had seen her arrows strike down her targets, but she had been first in their line and afterwards, the Orcs had taken cover. 'Twas no more than she had expected and she was surprised that it had taken three attacks ere the Yrch did the obvious thing.
"Had I been assailed thus, I would have taken cover immediately and they have finally done so," she said. Eventually, they nodded in agreement, imagining themselves in that situation.
"Now, we too must change tactics," the Noldo said. "I reckon they are now a few more than twenty and that is less than the size of the companies that came from Mirkwood aforetime. I bid ye return to the north-south track and await me there whilst I drive them hence. Take Dugr with ye and remain alert."
To Dugr she said, I bid thee inform the wolves that I shall follow the Yrch and shoot them by day and night. They now number 'neath two dozen and I hope to question the last.
Very well, Helluin, the stallion said, I shall try to think up some new riddles.
Helluin groaned and said, Pray do not stay up all night playing games with the wolves, Dugr. I may need thee and the others awake and battle-ready this time on the morrow.
The warhorse bobbed his head in acquiescence, but made no promises. Helluin made a 'V' of her fingers, sternly pointed to her eyes, and then to him. He offered her a grin and said, trust me.
Now the Elves rode west and in the late morning, reached the north-south track. They found the wolf pack lounging in the grass on the western side, and whilst they recovered their travel bags and spears and prepared for their noon meal, Dugr conveyed Helluin's message to their allies.
The pack alpha looked o'er the returning Avari and asked, where is Helluin?
She has remained behind to drive the Yrch hither, Dugr said, and she hopes to preserve one for questioning as aforetime. She deems them cannier than the last, as well as taller and stronger.
Say thou that these Yrch have become more dangerous? Yrch are Yrch. How can this be? He asked as he growled low in his throat.
I believe that is what she hopes to learn, the stallion replied. I do not expect her 'til the morrow. Shall we resume our game?
Aye, gather thy friends and we shall break this draw at last.
Shortly later, whilst the Elves looked on in curiosity as they munched on cheese and smoked sausage, the wolves and horses made a circle and engaged in their game of riddles. They stayed not that contest all through the day and well into the night when both parties began dozing off.
Meanwhile, to the east, Helluin was stalking her foes. She followed them to the place of the Elves' last attack, recovering her three arrows and thereafter at unexpected times, shot one or two, always from a different direction and ne'er in any predictable fashion. Ere twilight dimmed the landscape, she had slain another seven and Throqûrz-foshânu's company was reduced to sixteen.
That night, the commander set a trio of sentries to walk the perimeter of their dark camp. These were found slain in the morning light, only a few dozen feet from where the rest had slept. Their throats had been cut and they had made no sound. An hour after dawn on 15 Cerveth, Throqûrz-foshânu and his remaining dozen surviving soldiers headed west.
Noon came, and though they knew it not, the Yrch were approaching the north-south track. O'er the course of the morning, another five had fallen, always the last in their line and shot from behind. Their foes pursued them…or drove them, the commander realized. They ne'er saw these assailants, for the archers were invisible amidst the tall grass, silent afoot, and so no counterattack was possible. They were not even sure of how many they were save that aforetime, their attackers had numbered eight, yet now there were no horses. The land 'round them lay silent save for the breeze.
The last eight Yrch came to the track and there awaiting them stood eight Elves, six wielding hewing spears flanked by two more with arrows nocked. A ways behind them stood nine horses, but more ominous, amongst them, seated or crouching at their feet, were a pack of sixteen wolves, growling and baring their teeth.
Throqûrz-foshânu rightly read his doom in their eyes, for though these grey hunters were not Wargs, lore told that they had been allies. Here, they stood as foes. 'Round him, his surviving soldiers raised their swords and screamed war cries, itching for a fight now that they could finally confront their enemies. He was no less eager, though unlike them, he did not expect to survive. Still the chance to draw his enemies' blood could not be ignored. 'Twas likely the only chance he would get.
He shook his own sword o'erhead and cried out, "Sadâuk!¹" ¹(sadâuk, attack Orkish)
The word had barely left his lips when an arrow slammed straight through his right elbow, well 'nigh severing the limb completely, and his sword clattered to the ground. He sank to his knees as waves of pain washed o'er him. On his right and left, two of his troops fell, shot by the Elves standing before them, and then the last six Yrch and Elves briefly clashed, swords against spears.
The fighting was bitter and vigorous and blood was split on both sides ere the last of his soldiers were shot down. As the Elves withdrew to tend their wounds, a figure in black armor came out of the grass behind him and circled ere shouldering her bow and lowering herself to take a seat on the ground. He marked that this one was different from the other Elves, taller, stronger, and sterner, the only one that bore a full suit of plate armor, and her weapons were far superior as well. Unwilling to acknowledge any intimidation, he looked her directly in the eyes. She sat before him and addressed him in his own language.
"Bhadûrz-lat ghâr adh Uruk-hai¹" she said. ¹(Bhadûrz-lat ghâr Uruk-hai, You (are) different from other Orc folk = bhadûrz(different) + lat(2nd pers. sing. pron., you) + ghâr(from) + adh(other) + Uruk-hai(Orc folk) Orkish)
"Bhadûrz-lat ghâr adh Albai¹"Throqûrz-foshânu replied, casting a brief glance to the Avari. ¹(Bhadûrz-lat ghâr adh Albai, You (are) different from other Elves = bhadûrz(different) + lat(2nd pers. sing. pron., you) + ghâr(from) + adh(other) + Albai(Elves) Orkish)
She nodded to him in agreement, setting a hand on her breastplate and saying, "Golog¹," and Throqûrz-foshânu nodded in understanding. She spoke his tongue as few of her kind did, and she had neither sought to torture him, nor treat his wound for false pity's sake, for they both accepted that his death was 'nigh. ¹(Golog, Noldorin Elf Orkish)
"Bhadûrz-lat mat¹," she asked, but he knew not how to answer and could only shrug. She nodded again, understanding that either he had not been told, or perhaps his memories had been expunged by his master ere he was sent forth on his mission. ¹(Bhadûrz-lat mat, Why (are) you different = bhadûrz(different) + lat(2nd pers. sing. pron., you) + mat(why) Orkish)
For a moment, he felt himself falling into the clear blue of a summer sky hidden within her eyes and his pain disappeared. His mind was laid bare, and yet with far less malice than he had felt when confronted by his master. 'Twas a strange thing, he briefly thought, that one amongst his peoples' most hated enemies would treat him with a shred of respect. Then he knew no more.
Throqûrz-foshânu was his name, and Helluin was surprised that he knew this, commander of a detail of one hundred sent west from Dol Guldur. He knew not his purpose, but felt an o'erriding compulsion to come to the river. West, he must go west. Ere his memories of his march from the fortress lay only darkness and the wall of fire hiding 'aught that had come aforetime. Helluin had expected no more. As aforetime, she broke the wall, finding the familiar scene of him prostrate on a stone floor receiving commands from the darkness. "Seek tribute from river. Bring to me, Throqûrz-foshânu."
Helluin made a careful examination of her surroundings, recalling the smudge of memory she had encountered aforetime and she found one similar in the commander's mind. She unraveled the thread of his recall and 'twas again a dark memory that she discerned.
Helluin saw a grim hall filled with Orkish soldiers. In the center stood a forge, and beside it, a heavyset Orc in a blacksmith's leather apron. Amongst the coals were set a series of rods and the smith drew one forth, revealing it to be a brand. This he pressed briefly to the forehead of an Orch as he lay pinioned on a slab of stone by six assistants, marking him with the Lidless Eye. His scream of pain went up and then he was dismissed so that another could be constrained in his place. A line of Orcs wound away into the darkness, waiting on their turn at suffering.
Then into the forge strode a tall figure clad in black leather decorated with many steel studs. He was too tall for an Orch and Helluin deemed him a Black Númenórean by his features, revealed in the light of the coals with each breath of the bellows. He turned to look at Throqûrz-foshânu who waited next in line, and he smiled, a chilling rictus of steel teeth and cruel eyes. Unlike the insane one she had seen in the earlier vision of a rutting hall, this Man was critically aware, calculating, and filled with malice.
Use the large brand for that one, the Man told the smith, he is to be commander.
And whilst the Eater of Babies gloated at the confirmation that his ambitions were to be advanced, the smith bowed and fawned, saying, It shall be so, Master's Herald.
To Be Continued