CHAPTER EIGHT

A PROCESSION OF MYSTERY

When Bethos had bathed, washing away the bloodstains while standing in the stream, he dressed himself. Elrohir helped him sit down on the grass and with his soothing arm around the shoulder of the smaller Elf, questioned him a soft voice about what had happened to Gilfanon.

Bethos remained fearful and was still crying softly. The blond Elf's voice hitched in his throat as he tried to hold back his sobs. Tears fell upon his elegant cheekbones and he was only able to launch into his story with difficulty. "Gil – Gilfanon and I were standing in the water – no – I was standing and Gilfanon was kneeling – embracing me, as it were," and Bethos stopped speaking to wipe his eyes. Elrohir swallowed hard and regarded him, his concern showing in his knitted brow while holding the smaller Elf in a tight grip.

"Were you engaged in an act of – er –?" Elrohir asked.

"Yes," Bethos nodded, biting his lower lip and trying to stop crying.

"Then what happened?" asked Elrohir.

"We were suddenly startled by this band of – of – creatures. They came upon us so suddenly that we had no time to reach for our weapons, or – in fact, it was so sudden that they were upon us while we were restrained by our embrace – we had no chance at all against them. They tore us apart, and they were shouting at us as if they were angry with us."

"Did they use weapons against you?" asked Elrohir.

"Not at first," replied Bethos. "We saw no weapons, until – until they –" and his voice trailed off.

"Until they what?" asked Elrohir, trying to keep his emotions under control, thinking it best that only one of them indulge in a breaking down of their self-control.

"They grabbed Gilfanon, and despite his strength they pulled him to the ground and bound his hands and feet while they pushed him to his knees. They put a garrote around his neck." Bethos began to tremble and Elrohir soothed him with a comforting arm still wrapped around his shoulders.

"They pulled his head back and forced him to watch as they took hold of me and pulled me into the woods. He was screaming for them not to hurt me, and though they were rough, they did not touch me harshly. However, Gilfanon could not have known that, and I am sure he believed that I would be killed, so he fought fiercely against them. While some of them lifted me up high against the tree trunk where you found me, others lashed me to it."

"You said the blood on you was Gilfanon's," said Elrohir.

"Yes," whispered Bethos. "One of them brought forward a white-handled knife carried on top of a cloth, and it was covered with blood. Before they brought it to me, I heard Gilfanon screaming in pain. It could not have been anyone else's blood but his." He began to tremble, his slight body shaking with deep sobs.

Elrohir hugged the small Elf close to him. "Be brave, Bethos," he said. "That act of displaying the bloodied knife may have been done only to frighten you. These people are obviously not Orcs and they do not sound like warriors. It sounds as if they were performing some type of demonic ritual. However, I do not understand why they have taken Gilfanon captive, nor why they would be angry with him."

"The manner in which they tore us apart while screaming at us in words we could not understand, yet which sounded like words of anger, would indicate to me that they were angry with us for being together in the way that we were," said Bethos. "Perhaps their kind does not tolerate two males making love to each other as we were doing." Bethos turned to look at Elrohir. "Why is love between two males not tolerated by some people?" he asked.

Elrohir stared into his blue eyes, now red-rimmed and full of tears. "I know not, Bethos. I think it is wrong when two good people can find love in a troubled world, yet this thing cannot be seen as beautiful no matter what the peoples' genders may be."

"Do you truly believe that, Elrohir?" asked Bethos.

"Yes, I do," Elrohir responded, his voice becoming husky.

"Then you have a very open mind. I did not set out to fall in love with Gilfanon. Before I met him, I did not know that I could love a male that way. I have watched my friend Ilfrith fall in love with your brother, and I have always thought that I, too, would eventually find a maid to love me. However, I was attracted to Gilfanon's strength and his protectiveness of me and things just happened spontaneously between us."

Elrohir's gaze met that of Bethos and he smiled. "You should believe me when I tell you that I am happy for you."

Bethos began to return the smile but suddenly burst into tears again. "He might be dead as we speak," he cried.

"Perhaps not. You described the strange people as being either one-armed or one-legged. How is that possible? How did they walk? What did they look like?" Elrohir asked curiously.

"They walked with the use of sturdy walking sticks and they moved very quickly and expertly as if the loss of limbs was natural and was not acquired in battle. They were hooded and robed," Bethos explained, sobbing. "Their faces were mostly hidden by their hoods, but I caught a few glimpses of them. Some of them had one eye only and the other side of their faces was blank. Their skin was odd-coloured, as if it had been burned and blackened, almost like Orcs' skin. The one who drew the bloodied knife against my chest and smeared it with Gilfanon's blood had only one arm, but it grew out of his mid-section—in the front of his body." Bethos shuddered as he spoke. "The recollection is too horribly fresh in my mind," he said.

At that moment, Elladan, Tifil and Peleg came scrambling frantically down the embankment and raced up to them. "What has happened? " cried Elladan. "Where is Gilfanon?"

"Elladan, I must speak to you for a moment. Come," said Elrohir, and led his brother away from the others, who ran to attend to Bethos.

"What is it, Elrohir? What has happened?" asked Elladan.

"I will let Bethos tell his story to the group," replied Elrohir. "But for now, follow me and take a look at something I have found." Elrohir led Elladan back into the woods to the tree from which Bethos had been hanging. "Look at this," he said. "I noticed it when I was leading Bethos away from here," and he pointed to a small shrub. Hanging from one of its branches was a strip of bloody skin.

"What is that?" asked Elladan, bending down to peer at it closely.

"Dear Eru and all the Valar," whispered Elrohir. "It looks like Elven skin. I think it must be Gilfanon's. I do believe that they have flayed him. Speak not of this to Bethos or he may come undone completely and not be able to continue traveling with us."

Elladan stiffened. He straightened up and his face was as pale as the moon. He looked as if he was going to vomit. But he recovered quickly and set his jaw in an angry line. "I shall not say anything to the others. But I vow that I shall hunt these unholy creatures as long as I am still living." He stalked away angrily and returned to the other Elves.

Elrohir knelt, and using his short-handled knife to dig a hole in the ground, he carefully retrieved the strip of skin from the branch and buried it in the hole. He patted the dirt over top of the little grave and raised two fingers, kissed them and placed them on top of the mound, leaving them resting on it for a moment.

Rising to his feet, his face pale and his expression determined with a firm set to his mouth, Elrohir helped Bethos to stand and led him back to the encampment, following behind Elladan and the others, and soothed him by holding the blond Elf close and stroking his disheveled hair.

With the remainder of the Elven rangers sitting in a circle, Bethos told his story once again. There was much fear and concern expressed by the other Elves, and much anger. They were all eager to pursue the hideous creatures that Bethos had described. All of their gear had already been packed onto the horses, and so Elladan, as leader of the group, said they should leave immediately. Elrohir assisted Bethos in dressing himself in his warrior gear, and as soon as he was fitted, they were off.

The area through which they traveled was quite woody until the close-knit trees gave way to a clearing and then the plain of the Hoarwell River. But once the rocky ridge of the embankment came into view, the tree growth became thick again, and Elladan and Ilfrith, who were at the head of the procession, stopped to let the others catch up to them. Because of the thickness of the trees, no one could see far enough ahead to be able to catch a glimpse of any group of strange people or creatures that Bethos had described.

When everyone was gathered together on their horses, Elladan regarded them somberly and announced, "Please stay as close to me as possible. I will try to find a suitable place to ford the river." He led his horse gently down the slope of the riverbank, over the stones and into the water. The others all followed in single file and continued through the fast-moving water, the horses walking along its edge, the Elves looking for a suitable shallow place in which to cross. After they had walked east for an hour or so, they came to a place where rapids could be seen, and where many large jagged rocks protruded from the surface and the water became very foamy, with white flecks spitting up over the edges of the waves. They had found their fords. Carefully, Elladan led them across, following the brink of the rapids. The river was wide and it took them a long time to cross it, but the water only reached the horses' knees, and they all managed to cross safely.

Once they reached the other side Elladan gathered everyone around him to make another announcement. "I have decided to ride ahead to scout for those who have taken Gilfanon. They are on foot, so they cannot have gotten too far ahead of us."

"No, Elladan!" Ilfrith cried. Her hand flew to her mouth in terror.

Elladan turned to her, his expression grim. "Ilfrith, I understand how you feel, but this is a dangerous matter. I fear that these people, if that is what they are, are capable of doing great harm. We do not know if there are many of them in this area, or if they are responsible for Legolas and Aragorn's disappearance. I do not want them to get any further ahead of us and be able to elude us completely."

"No, Elladan, I do not wish for you to go at all!" Ilfrith pleaded with him. "Because I am afraid of losing you!"

At that moment Elrohir came forward. "I will go," he offered. He stared at his brother. His mouth turned down at the corners and a frown appeared between his dark brows.

Elladan regarded his twin with just as somber an expression. "Very well, Elrohir. I will allow you to go in my place. But promise me that you will be careful, my brother," he said quietly, giving Elrohir a meaningful glance. He stuck out his arm as his twin rode past him. Elrohir nodded grimly, grasped Elladan's hand firmly in his, then let it go with reluctance and trotted off in a northerly direction across the rocky terrain.

The others all followed Elrohir for some small distance, leaving the river behind, and began to enter the area known as the Ettenmoors. They were now traveling northwest. They soon lost sight of Elrohir in the hilly, swampy land, and they kept following a natural rocky ridge that led through the bogs and over the hills. After they had traveled for many hours, Elrohir had still not returned.

Elladan, extremely worried about his brother, halted the band of Elves beside a small hill overgrown with thick cedar trees and much heavy undergrowth of mosquito-infested shrubs and weeds.

"I fear many things, my friends," he announced. "I fear that Elrohir may have become lost. I fear the unknown horrors that lie ahead. What say you all? Should we go on or should we give up the search, turn back and leave Aragorn, Legolas, Gilfanon and now Elrohir to their fates? If we turn back we could at least spare ourselves injury and perhaps death."

He directed a look of remorse toward Ilfrith, who gazed back at him with a look of stark terror on her face. She knew that he wished for her not to be here and that she should have turned back when they were only a few days out of Rivendell. He was doing this for her, and would risk his own twin. She looked appalled and sickened by the fact that he would do this. Then she appeared to steel herself.

"I want to go on," she said firmly through gritted teeth. "We cannot leave our friends behind."

Elladan smiled at her with relief and admiration in his gaze. "What say the rest of you?" he asked his party of rangers.

None of the other Elves wished for a female to appear braver than they, nor did they wish to leave the others, feeling that such action would be a cowardly betrayal of their comrades and not fitting of their race. They all voiced their wish to continue, and they began to push forward despite the late hour. The sun was setting, but still they galloped on, over hills and down into shallow, marshy valleys. Just when they stopped finally, on top of a hill to rest for the night, Penlod pointed toward the far west. "Look!" he cried.

At a distance of at least a mile, a row of tiny, flickering lights could be seen. They were almost pinpoints, but they were wavering as if they followed a winding path, moving in single file. It was undoubtedly a procession of people carrying torches. "Could that be the people we are seeking?" asked Penlod, squinting into the distance.

"I am sure of it," said Elladan, leaping onto his horse. "Our group has come too far east, and Elrohir may be following close behind. Come! Let us not delay!" He urged his horse forward in the direction of the lights, and the other Elves followed him, springing onto their own steeds. Through the encroaching darkness of night they gave chase to the eerie column of flickering lights trailing off into the dark and mysterious plains to the west.

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