Ringwraiths' Call
Adriana watched the giant birds disappear into the setting sun. She waved once and then turned to meet Gandalf's eyes, "That was fun. Lirimaer and Shadowfax should be waiting for us. Ah, here they come." They indeed were coming.
The black mare quickly and delicately picked her way over to Adriana. Before parting ways the white horse carefully rested his muzzle on Lirimaer's graceful neck and let out a small whinny. Lirimaer's ears rose and she butted her head gently against the white horses flank. Adriana watched the communication among the horses with a smile hovering on her lips.
Then the black mare made her way over to Adria and also nudged her in greeting. Adria looked over her mare. On her forehead there was a darker shade of black that was in the shape of a moon and across her flank white splashes decorated the midnight coat. Star shine amidst inky darkness, Lirimaer was indeed a princess among horses, as was only right being the relation of Shadowfax himself.
Adriana mounted up on the bareback of Lirimaer and guided her over to Gandalf. He reached across the distance and grasped forearms with her, "This is where we part. I must go see Saruman and seek his council." She nodded and then each galloped away in different directions.
As twilight appeared she finally arrived at the Baggins home as Gandalf had said she would. Knock knock knock. She knocked quietly and waited ignoring the stares of the passing hobbits. She knew how she appeared to the hobbits that were passing by…different, ethereal as the last of the sunlight disappeared into her hair and made her skin glow. She rapped her knuckles against the wood—harder this time. Knock Knock Knock.
Finally she opened the door, crouched down, and entered into the house. She looked around. Everything was riffled through and of the hobbits there was no sign. Swearing she wheeled around and nearly brained herself on a rafter. Ducking again she crept through the house and quickly exited into the night air taking deep breaths to calm herself. 'Already I've managed to get into trouble. I don't think Gandalf had foreseen this or surely he would have warned me.' She thought dryly to herself. Glancing at a hobbit she offered her hand. He looked at it and then away, she sighed and lowered her hand and wiped it on the hem of her riding skirt awkwardly, "Excuse me, can you please tell me where Bree is?" He wordlessly pointed and she bowed once before disappearing into the night. She hadn't really needed the help of the hobbit. She, after all, knew well where Bree was. No, she had needed the company that he had offered. The brief moment where they were just two individuals talking and her nervousness and fear melted away. Well…she had talked at least.
Walking along the road she hummed to herself until a clatter of hooves alerted her to Lirimaer's presence. She ran a hand along her friend's strong neck and walked a few more paces before leaping up on Lirimaer and quickly clucking at her house to gain speed. Soon they were galloping through the forest.
Suddenly an unearthly screech broke through the air and Lirimaer reared in fright. Adriana stayed on. Barely. Calming her mare quickly she once again began to gallop through the town. The ringwraiths call echoed again and she whispered frantically to Lirimaer. The pounding beat of the hoofs on the beaten path increased.
She galloped through the forest disappearing and then reappearing as the wide trunks of the ancient trees passed her. The night air was still but as she passed, each tree rustled its leaves—a silent encouragement and warning. There was danger in these words for anyone this night and the trees didn't like to see a fair elf come to harm.
In the distance she saw a cloaked black rider and a huge black horse. Lirimaer snorted and tossed her head and her speed increased. Adria leaned over and patted her neck her own midnight black hair flying behind her like a cloak, as it had managed to get out of its tie. She smiled dryly; perhaps the rider would mistake her for one of its kind…perhaps not.
Adriana tilted her head to the side and listened in the distance she could hear the quick-silver sound of a river flowing…and terrified yells. The river grew closer and she could make out the silvery flash of the river now in between the branches. A dock entered into her vision with some hobbits trying to outrun the rider. Adriana could see they wouldn't make it.
She leaped off of Lirimaer, who had already slowed sensing her rider's intention, and rolled on the ground coming up unscathed, years of training with the boys finally paying off. She looked down once at her sword wistfully but then Adria grabbed her bow with slightly shaking hands and quickly reached behind her and snatched at an arrow. Fitting it to the string she drew her hand back to her ear in a well-practiced gesture and aimed. Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves and opening her eyes to make sure of her target she released the arrow.
With the angle she had been holding it, it shrieked as it flew through the air causing the horse to stop and back up a few paces and giving the hobbit with curly hair a chance to leap to safety. He did and the boat rocked a little in the waves while two other hobbits quickly began to get them away from the dock…and the dark rider. Her arrow had buried itself deeply into the wood of the dock and the rider hissed and then screeched out a call that was returned nearby while his horse plunged in fear at the water's edge.
Adria quickly ducked and Lirimaer moved so she was screened by a nearby willow, they certainly hadn't thought that there was more than one of the nine forsworn. The wraith shrieked again and the black horse moved forward a couple paces until it was at the end of the dock. Adriana held her breath nervously as its shriek echoed towards the hobbits. They floated away their terrified faces the last thing she saw in the dwindling lamp light before they disappeared into the fog.
The rider dismounted and grabbed her arrow easily pulling it from the wood. Slowly it brought the arrow to its face, hidden by the hood, and inhaled deeply. Then it threw the offending weapon into the water and rose while looking around. She could hear its boots as they struck the wood and the whisper of his cloak as it dragged on the ground. Adriana winced slightly and tried not to imagine the poor soul that was trapped by the shadow of power that they thought they had, tried not to think of how this creature, when it was finally vanquished, would go somewhere that was far worse than the evilest place they had been namely in the company of Sauron.
Adria gripped her bow tighter and Lirimaer shifted quietly. A sniffing sound reached her ears and a quiet voice twisted beyond recognition with evil, "Elf maiden come out, come out. You let them escape from me." Its taunting reached her ears and she gagged with revulsion it turned its black cloak covered head. "There you are."
Adriana stood up and just as quickly leaped upon Lirimaer who promptly began a mile-eating run… which was good because the black cloaked figure let out another hellish screech and leaped upon its horse giving chase.
Adriana calmed herself and Lirimaer—deep breaths for herself, gentle pats for that of her mare. They had reached the road and she looked first one way and then the other in indecision. They could head to Bree now but there was no telling where the hobbits were and she wanted to buy them some time. Pounding hooves alerted her to danger and she wheeled Lirimaer with a gentle tap and then both rider and horse were bent over in their haste to get away from the black rider.
Lirimaer eventually began to put space between the two, her birth right considering Shadowfax's legendary speed, and finally as they crested a small hill Adriana looked back to see…nothing.
The rider had disappeared. The next instant a muffled screech, well familiar by this time, met her ears. In the distance she saw another hill a mile or so away and a horse rearing in pain as it frothed at the mouth its sweat soaked sides visible to Adria and her keen elven eyes. The horse's rider hit it again and it suddenly turned and disappeared into the darkness.
Quiet…stillness…the echoing of the crickets in the grass. Adriana closed her eyes and then dismounted. Rubbing Lirimaer down, she quickly hefted the saddle bags to her shoulders and then led Lirimaer at a measured jog back down the hill and towards Bree.
Adriana slowed Lirimaer to a walk. She had run beside her friend for awhile and then being too tired to continue and seeing that Lirimaer had gotten enough rest had ridden her the remaining miles. She had been grateful to travel in silence; either the wraiths had lost the trail—which she seriously doubted; or they had paused to regroup—which she seriously hoped against; for the sake of the hobbits and herself.
Lirimaer halted and Adria broke off her troublesome thoughts to see a door. Dismounting she sauntered over to the door and knocked. A sliding of wood caught her eyes and she met the eyes of the wizened old man that was the gate-keeper, "What be your business?" He asked calmly why he eyed her.
She nodded her head respectfully and then favored him with a smile, "I'm a traveler and I seek somewhere to rest. I'm also looking for some hobbits; four of them should have come here less than three hours ago if I'm to be any judge in the matter." She had dropped her carefully cultivated noble lady's speech and stance and became before the incredulous man a simple traveler.
He carefully looked her over again, "We don't want no trouble. I expect you to act accordingly miss. There is an inn, the Prancing Pony, and last I saw that is where those four were headed lead by a mister Underhill." Adriana nodded and suddenly the man disappeared and the large doors were pulled open. She was careful to hide the fact that she wasn't looking for a Mr. Underhill but a Mr. Baggins. Perhaps these hobbits were different from their timid breed, craftier.
She thanked the man and then walked through the gates leading Lirimaer to a nearby stable. To the stable help she paid a handsome fee to have Lirimaer be treated like the princess she was and to have the best. Though by the besotted glow about the young hobbit Adria had no doubt that Lirimaer would be fed the best oats in the house and rubbed down until she shone.
Adriana nodded once more and allowed herself to be pushed out of the stable so the 'lady' could be properly taken care of. Lirimaer butted her out too as if she could sense the pampering she was to get. Adria laughed as she walked along the street towing her pack and saddlebags with her. She trusted the hobbits but not so much that she was going to leave everything with them. Lirimaer could take care of herself and often had in the past and would no doubt have to again in the future.
Finally out of the many building that lined the street she saw a sign with a rearing horse, faded lettering below it proclaimed it to be The Prancing Pony…and the inn that she was looking for. She stepped in side and made her way over to the entrance of the commons area but then stopped and carefully swept her eyes over the bustling crowd looking for her new charges.
Down the street the man pulled his coat closer to himself as he avoided the drizzle and carefully watched the she-elf walk into the inn. She seemed nice enough sure but one could never tell who to trust these days. "I don't know what the maiden had in mind when she tried to hide who she was. A fairer creature I haven't seen, wait 'til Lucy hears this tale." He turned back around and then carefully moved the wooden latch into place across the doors and it tumbled down with finality—it would keep everything locked out…or locked in.