Chapter 11
Arrow after arrow was unleashed from his hidden position high in the trees as orcs swarmed into the mens makeshift encampment, felling the creatures with lethal precision, yet it was not enough. The men, disorientated and drowsy from sleep were completely unprepared for the attack and it showed.
Hunters rather than warriors, their weapons basic and their skills limited, if it had not been for the unseen elf they would have fallen in an instant. As it was, his judicious shots were enough to give them time to gather themselves and their wits and form some sort of defence.
Bat found himself unceremoniously hauled to his feet and pushed into the centre of a ring of cursing men as they tried their best to protect him from the onslaught. The short swords and knives they all carried were woefully inadequate to the task but wielded with a desperation that lent each of them strength and courage.
None of the men appeared to notice that more orcs were falling than they could reach, nor the arrows that brought them down. They were all too wrapped up in their own battle for life and killing the foe directly before them was all that mattered.
All too soon the elf reached back to remove his last arrow. Fitting it to the plain, ebony bow he had made to replace the beloved weapon broken at the ritual of his exile he carefully chose his target, a small orc who was trying to sneak behind the gradually opening ring to come up on the men from behind, then let it fly. The orc fell without a sound as the dart pierced its throat and was soon trampled under the feet of another, much larger creature. With a smile the elf hung his bow from a branch, unsheathed his long knives and prepared to drop down into the fray.
Bat had never been so scared in all his life. Armed with only the short hunters knife he used for skinning and gutting small prey, he stood within the protective ring of his companions and gaped as the huge, creatures attacked. This was the first time he had ever set eyes upon Orcs, although he had heard tales of their malice and cruelty, which, until now he had never quite believed. He watched as Maklin narrowly avoided being beheaded by a large, grey tinged goblin with misshapen eyes then thrust his short sword up under its chin and twisted free as it collapsed sideways, knocking the creature next to it down as well. As they fell the man seized his chance and spitted the second orc before it could regain its feet.
There seemed to be orcs everywhere, and the noise! Bat wished he could cover his ears to block out the savage growls, curses and screams and the slick sound of steel slicing through flesh. He flinched as a long, sharp blade thrust past Jeb's guard, nicking the mans arm to draw a small line of blood before stopping just short of slicing across Bats face then clattering to the ground as the arm holding it went slack and the creature slumped down with an arrow in the back of its neck. A frown flitted across the youth's face as he briefly tried to remember who amongst them had a bow but quickly forgot about it as Jeb fell at his feet, a bloody stain running diagonally across his body from right shoulder to left hip. Uttering a strangled cry the youth felt the sting of tears prick his eyes and blinked them away furiously as he bent down to pick up the orcs fallen blade then turned and with a determination he never knew he had possessed hurled himself at the nearest goblin stabbing it squarely in the chest.
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Elladan stopped and squatted down to stare at the forest floor. "What do you make of this 'Roh?"
Elrohir moved to join his twin who pointed out the mark amongst the leaf mould that had caught his eye.
"It looks like more than one footprint overlaid upon each other." Elrohir said as he knelt to examine it closer, "Possibly three or four I think. In single file, it is difficult to tell," he reached out and traced the outside edges gently with his index finger. "Too heavy for elves."
"But not heavy enough for orcs," Elladan broke in, "I think it was men left these tracks, muindor, brother."
"Men?" Aragorn stared down at them, an look of incredulity upon his face. "What would men be doing this far into the forest?"
"That is what worries me Estel." Elladan frowned. "Either they are up to no good, or they are lost." he continued thoughtfully. "Either way it would perhaps be in our interests to follow them carefully so that we may find out."
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Without a sound the elf dropped from the tree straight in between a pair of orcs who were converging upon the youth he had picked out as the youngest and most vulnerable of the hunters. His long knives flashed in tandem, once, twice, and the creatures crumpled to the ground. Turning to the young man he smiled briefly at the open mouthed expression on his face then spun away, seeking another kill.
Bat shook his head, it had all happened so quickly. Had he really seen an elf kill those two goblins? There was little time to think though as more of the creatures seemed to be appearing all the time and before he knew it he was slashing and stabbing with his borrowed blade in a frantic effort just to stay alive.
The elf was in his element. Smiling widely he acted with precision. A cut here, a thrust there, always moving and always just out of reach of the orcish weapons. The attack grew more desperate as the creatures fell and those remaining finally noticed his presence. Thrusting a knife deep into a particularly ugly orcs belly he grinned as he twisted the blade then drew it up, effectively gutting the creature. Revelling in the black, viscous fluid that gushed out, coating his forearm like warm blackcurrant jam, he watched in fascination as coils of internal organs strewed out of the long gash dangling to the floor like palid vines. A sudden urge gripped him and he sliced them loose, then bent to pick one up. It was warm and slippery, rather like a foul smelling snake. Turning suddenly he lashed out at the creature that had been trying to sneak up behind him. The long piece of gut in his hand twined around the goblins neck and without thought he pulled it tight, effectively throttling the creature. It gasped and scrabbled at its neck in a futile effort to slacken the noose, but the elf pulled harder and grinned into its face as he saw the beady eyes bulge and its struggles grew weaker and weaker until they stopped. Dropping the limp creature with a sly grimace he heard a sharp intake of breath behind him and whirled, blade outstretched to meet this new foe.
Bat's arm's were so tired. Unused to the weight of the heavy blade he had eventually taken to wielding it two-handedly but was finding it ever more difficult to raise it, never mind put it to use. It was such a relief when he realised that there was finally a gap before him not filled by a goblin and he took the chance to glance around, to check on his companions. Macklin and Tomis appeared to still be standing but of the others he could find no trace. The ground appeared to be littered with bodies and although both of his friends were still fighting a goblin apiece there appeared to be only four more alive and they were clustered together around a creature he did not at first recognise to be the elf who had startled him so by leaping out of the tree what felt like a lifetime ago. He unconsciously found himself edging closer and as he watched two orcs fell simultaneously to the elf's blades in a movement faster than his eyes could fully perceive. He felt his stomach rebel then as he drew close enough to bear witness to the third goblins, evisceration and swallowed hard against the rising tide of his previous, scant meal. The sight of the elf, wrapping the gruesome length of gut around his final opponent's neck then leaning in to smile into its dying face brought Macklins story rushing back and he reeled in terror as realised he was seeing the tale brought to life. It truly appeared as if the elf was sucking the living essence out of the goblin! With a gasp he stepped backwards, tripped over his own feet as they tried to organise themselves to run away and found himself seated on the ground in a pool of congealing black blood with a long, silver blade resting upon his throat.
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Aragorn could not help the sigh that escaped his lips as his eyes scanned the parched ground beneath his feet. The three brothers had been quatering this patch for what seemed like an eternity now, trying to find the slightest trace that could lead them on the trail of the unknown men once more but it appeared to be a lost cause.
"Tis useless." Elladan straightened up from where he had been crouched, gently brushing the hard earth with his fingers in the hope of feeling something he could not see. "The ground is just too hard."
"But there must be some trace." Elrohir looked up. "They can not have disappeared completely muindor, remember Glorfindel always said that no one could move without leaving at least a small sign of their passing except"
"Except for a wood elf in the trees." Elladan laughed.
"Aye, and that only because the trees would aid in their concealment." The pair finished together with a grin.
Aragorn suddenly looked up at his brothers words. Of course, how could he have forgotten! He had heard Glorfindel's little mantra enough times. He raised his eyes to scan the trees. The ground was too hard for prints but there could be other signs. He began to move slowly from tree to tree, scanning the trunks and lower limbs for any unexplained marks or scratches that could help them ascertain which way the men had gone and it was not long until he found what he was looking for.
"Here!"
The twins turned as one at Aragorn's shout and he urgently beckoned them over to where he stood carefully examining the bark of a large oak tree.
"They passed this way." He beamed at his brothers as they rushed over. "See, here, the moss has been scraped along this side of the tree." Pointing at the spot proudly he stood back to allow the twins an easier view.
"Hmmm, something has indeed rubbed against it." Elladan agreed thoughtfully. "But how can you possibly say it is them gwador? "
"Because," Aragorns smile widened as he moved to the next tree "Only a man would write his initial in the bark of a tree."
There, crudely carved in the trunk of the tree was a rather misshapen letter B. The twins stared in disbelief at this blatant disregard for nature whilst Aragorn smirked.
"So," he chuckled. "Now the human has bested the elves and found the way, shall we continue?" He moved off, ignoring the pointed glares from his brothers. "From the direction of the scrape on the other tree I should say they went this way."
The twins shared a knowing glance then followed in Aragorns wake, each contemplating retribution upon their impudent, human brother.
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"What is your business in Taur-nu-Fuin?" The gore covered elf stated contemptuously his long knife firmly held against the quivering youth's throat.
"W, we, we." Bat stammered, trying unsuccessfully to ignore both knife and elf and bring his mind to answer the question. "Hunting." He finally managed to blurt out as the knife pricked a little harder.
"Hunting!" The elf scowled. "Hunted, would be closer to the truth." He flicked his knife upwards to lightly tap the tip of Bat's nose, replaced it in its sheath and reached out his hand to assist the youth to his feet all in one fluid movement.
Bat's eyes opened even wider and he shrank back in fear as, to all intents and purposes, the elf appeared to move in for the kill. He felt the pale hand grasp his arm and was powerless to resist as he was pulled unceremoniously to his feet. Held by the slender, deceptively strong grip his heart began to race wildly and, as a sudden warmth rushed down his trembling legs, he felt his knees buckle as they refused to hold his weight.
"You are wounded?" The clipped words held no concern in their question as the young man felt himself lowered gently to the ground and fingers begin to probe around his head and torso. "It is no surprise."
The elf's face twisted in a grimace of distaste at the acidic scent of the youths terror as he quickly scanned him for any sign of injury. Noting a splash of black gore upon his sleeve and the damp stain on the front of his breeches but finding no trace of blood he sat back on his heels and scowled.
"Nay, not injured, just scared." He stated with contempt. "And so you should be." He paused slightly to lean forwards once more. "There are many things in this forest that would kill you without a second thought."
A cold shiver ran down Bats spine as he saw a dark smile slowly begin to spread across the elf's face and he remembered the look of pleasure that face had worn as he throttled the final orc. He began to think that nothing could have been more deadly than the feral creature now observing him closely, like a cat eying a small mouse.
The elf licked his lips, soaking up the youths terror. He had never before realised just how tangible a thing it could be. How wonderful a sensation to create. With one word, one slight movement this man would do anything he asked of him. To have such control over someone's emotions was a heady experience and for a moment he was almost overcome with the need to hurt, to maim, to see just how far they could both go along this road. A physical ache began to grow within him and he leaned forwards, his eyes glittering darkly, mouth opened as if to speak. His hands reached out with a life of their own. Totally in thrall to the moment he failed to notice the tell tale sideways dart of the young mans gaze, then, in a flash of sharp pain, darkness suddenly fell and he knew no more.
A/N
Ok so. I hope this isn't getting too much but I did say it would get darker and I'm afraid there is further to go down that path yet. It is in the title after all! :)
I would just like to say thanks to all of you lovely readers out there. I am presuming that some of those clicking on the fic are actually reading btw. Hope I am not just fooling myself. :)
Special thanks must go to Miracles in the dark,BlackMinx17, Horsegirl01, alphaomega27, estaron and the unnamed guest for taking the time to get in touch with a review it is very much appreciated guys. :)
***So that's it for now and remember. It doesn't have to be much, just a quick word to say. Hey. I'm reading this will do. Of course, it would be even better if you say 'I'm reading this and I like it'!***