(A/N: Sorry for the lag in my normal tempo. This chapter needed to be a bit longer and better thought out than the others.)

Nellas woke late the next morning. The room smelled like alcohol. She rolled over and saw Elden curled up in a ball, snoring gently. She peeked out of the hall and, seeing no one, went to the counter. Barliman was there, counting coins with Noah. The child smiled at her, and she smiled back.

"Excuse me, is there some place that I can bathe?"

Barliman pointed back the way she had came.

"Last door on the right."

She followed these directions and found a small room with several pails of clean water set out, and a bar of soap on a shelf on the wall. She undressed and scrubbed herself thoroughly, letting all the dirt and grime of the road wash off of her and down the grate in the center of the floor. Satisfied that she was as clean as she was going to get, she put her clothes and shoes back on and returned to the room to find Elden sorting through his purchases and packing them into his bag. His eyes had large rings under them, but he was as alert as ever. There was a new knife and fire striker lying on top of a pair of blankets that also looked new. Elden himself was wearing what looked like brand-new clothes, a crisp white tunic and trousers, with a thick jacket with buttons hanging on his bony shoulders. The jacket was made of some kind of hide, and looked a lot like leather. A large hunk of bread was in his hand, and between bites he tossed her a woolen cap.

"What is this for?"

"Your ears." Elden said. "People in this town might not ask too many questions, but where we're going, that's not the case."

"And where are we going?" Nellas asked, placing the cap beside her and sitting down on the bed.

"Anywhere you like." Elden replied. "But first, we're going to Archet."

"What is it you expect to find in Archet?"

Elden looked up at her, and she got the feeling he was making a calculation.

"My sister, possibly."

"Your sister?"

Nellas had never heard him say one word about a sister. He looked down again and continued packing, the hunk of bread finished.

"She was very young when she left home, hardly fourteen. It was right after my mother died so I don't have any memories of her. She sent several letters, and the last one said she was living in the Bree-land, in a place called Archet."

Nellas didn't have much to say to this. She couldn't object to a sentiment like that, and though there were other places to go, right now it was better to be gracious and let Elden continue to think he "called the shots", as the boy put it.

"You should give yourself a wash before we go. Barliman-"

"-has a couple buckets of freezing dishwater and a wad of cow fat that barely rates as soap. I'll wait till we find a stream and use my own. Nobody in Archet is going to take offense for my smelling of sweat and cider, quite the opposite."

"You bought soap?" Nellas said, somewhat incredulous.

"I bought a lot of things. I was feeling flush after cheating those saps at cards."

As soon as the words had passed his lips, he froze. It was a momentary thing, but she could tell he had let something slip.

"You cheated them?" She asked, trying to keep her tone as neutral as possible.

"Beating. I meant to say beating." He muttered, closing the clasp on the pack and shouldering it. As he stood up from a crouch, something slipped out of his shirt and hit the floor with a strangely vibrant tinkle.

The ring.

Elden immediately snatched it up, examining the chain closely.

"The latch snapped..."

"Then put it in your pocket, we should be going."

After a short goodbye in which Noah gave Nellas's legs a bear hug and Barliman promised them a room any time they stopped in and he remembered who they were, they set off with their horses, avoiding the main thoroughfare and trailing along the eastern hedgerows. When there was a break, they slipped through it.

The Chetwoods were primarily a forest of oak, and despite much logging on the outer edges, they still had a depth about them that made them foreboding. Elden had his pipe clenched firmly in his teeth.

"I didn't know you had a sister." Nellas ventured.

"For a long time, neither did I. My father didn't talk about her much, and I knew enough not to ask, but people filled in some of the gaps for me."

It was a strange concept to her, having a sibling you didn't know about, but then again elves had a long lifespan and when you lived for several hundred years in one place, you met everyone. After a few more miles in silence, Elden stopped and dismounted.

"I have to take a leak."

Nellas stepped off Aini and leaned against a tree while Elden crashed off into the brush. She considered what Elden had said earlier.

Where are we going? Anywhere you like.

Where was it in the whole world that she wanted to go? She had a strange compulsion to go back to Lorien, to walk among the trees and see what had become of her kin's settlement. Were their houses and the same protection as Imladris? This line of thought was interrupted by a blade at her throat, and a calm female voice in the common tongue.

"Freeze, elf."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a slim brown hand snake around and check her pockets. They were empty. There was a rustling, and Elden appeared out of the trees, in a similar predicament. A man with a swarthy complexion and dark, beady eyes had the human at his mercy.

"Have you got her, love?" The man said.

"I do." The voice behind her replied in a thick accent.

"What are a bunch of greasy southerons doing robbing travelers?" Elden said, indignantly.

"None of your business." The man said, pressing the knife tighter against his throat. "Check the elf's pack darling."

The woman did as she was told, but she needed two hands to do so, and the moment she removed the knife from Nellas's throat she spun around and grabbed the thief's wrist, twisting the knife behind her back in a half-nelson. The woman cried out in pain and dropped the knife. Seizing on the moment of surprise, Elden elbowed his captor hard in the gut and crouched down. He grabbed the southerner around the waist and flipped the smaller man over his shoulder, slamming him onto the dusty road. Immediately he set about beating him senseless, and by the time she pulled him off there was a rich flow of blood trickling from his nose.

"Enough!"

"He tried to rob us!"

"He failed. Let it go."

The woman ran over to her partner, who was struggling to get up. Both of them wore a set of rusted and pitted corslets underneath their robes that consisted of little more than two iron plates bolted together. Nellas towered over them, her sword suddenly in hand, although no one had seen or heard her draw it.

"As you can see, we have spared both of your lives. Make good use of them."

The woman mouthed something that looked like "thank you" and the both of them sprinted away up the trail, leaving them and the horses alone. Elden massaged his neck where the edge had pressed against his bare skin.

"That was close."

"It was. We should be more careful. Do you still want to go to Archet?"

Elden nodded.

"I doubt they'll try it again. Highway robbers don't survive by hitting the same mark twice."

So they proceeded on along the trail. Nellas reached into her saddle-bag and donned the cap Elden had given her. It was hot and scratchy, but she had realized the necessity of it. In time they rounded a bend, and Archet came into view. It was not much of a town, more like a collection of closely group shacks. The only two story building was the saloon, and it leaned crazily to one side, as though it too was drunk on the foul brews served within. Several pairs of eyes followed them even as they carried on whispered conversations. Elden ignored them and made straight for the saloon. They tied their horses to the post outside and fervently hoped that no one would try to steal them.

"Stick close to me. This place can get ugly quickly."

"It looks like it already has..." Nellas said, surveying the heavily patched clothing and toothless grimaces.

This bar was much more crowded than the one in Bree. It seemed that most of Archet was inside the building, drinking, shouting and gambling. A haze of smoke stung her eyes, and she wondered how anyone managed to actually inhale the stink without vomiting.

As they moved through the press of bodies, someone bumped against Elden, who muttered a curse. She saw the greasy-haired man look back, but he offered no reply and went to sit in the corner with his mug. They made their way to the counter and Elden slapped down two copper coins. The rotund barkeep eyed them with his one good orb.

"Drinks are one coin."

"So they are. I'd like a drink and some information."

The barkeep swept the coins into his apron.

"Since there's two copper here and I'm in charitable mood, I'll let you ask two questions. Anything more and I'll require extra."

"Naturally." Elden said.

He seemed well versed in the affairs of common folk, and apparently a coin-operated memory was a standard feature.

"First, who is that mangy looking prick in the corner who has been staring at us since we sat down?"

"The whole pub has been staring at you since you sat down." The barkeep replied. "You're an odd pair of fish."

Nellas resisted the urge to crane her neck around, but elves have ways of looking at something without appearing to look at it. The man in question was seated in the far corner, and he was indeed watching them intently. So intently in fact, that he neglected to blink. It was the same man who had bumped into them.

"Yes, but the others are returning to their drinks. This man doesn't seem to be interested in his anymore."

The barkeep sighed as though remembering something unpleasant.

"That's Bill Ferny. He's a rotten piece of work an' nobody likes him, even here. Despite his nastiness, he has even nastier friends who keep him out of trouble. I would steer clear of him if you want to live a long and fruitful life. Does that answer your question?"

"Satisfactorly, yes. My second question is if you have heard of a woman called Beorna. She would have arrived here some years ago, not much older than I am now."

"Aye, she was here." The man replied. "But she's not anymore. She fell in with a rough crowd and left, about a year and a half back. Haven't heard hide nor tail of her since."

Elden looked genuinely disappointed, but thanked the man anyway. They were able to get out again without any trouble, but Elden stopped on the stoop and grasped at his pocket. A look of shock and rage donned on his face so intense it almost made her flinch.

"What is the matter?"

"The ring. It's gone."

Without another word, he disappeared back into the bar. She waited for him several minutes, but when he reappeared he still wore the look.

"He's gone. I can't find him anywhere."

A familiar voice made them both turn round.

"Are you waiting for Bill Ferny as well?"

It was the southron woman, leaning against the wall.

"What's your interest in him?" Elden said angrily.

"He owes us money."

Just then the southron man appeared around the corner, his steed in tow. His nose was now bandaged awkwardly, and he looked terrified at the return of his would-be marks.

"Relax Durus. They are after the same person we are."

"I saw him going north on a beaten-down old pony. If we hurry we can catch him."

Elden looked like he would enjoy nothing more than to argue, but he did not.

"Go. We'll meet you on the road."

The two southrons jumped onto their horse and sped away. Elden untied Smoke and hopped up, pulling his bow from where it was lashed to the saddle bag and restringing it.

"We must find the ring." Nellas said. "It is bad enough that you came to possess it. Someone like Bill Ferny could wreak havoc with it, or give it to someone who would use it for evil ends."

"Then mount up. I can't put an arrow between his shoulder blades while we're standing here in town."

Surad crouched in the dust, straddling the trail carefully to avoid sullying it with her own footsteps.

"I don't like this, love. Why did you invite them along?"

"Because they obviously know how to handle themselves, and because they want to catch that wretched little man just as much as we do. The enemy of our enemy is our friend." she said.

"We could have let them go empty-handed and taken the ring ourselves." Durus said.

"Yes, we could have." Surad replied, impatiently. "But we didn't. We owe them our lives. Have you already forgotten the ways of the Haradrim?"

"The shifting sands are a long way away, my dear. This is a strange land, with strange customs."

"That may be, but it does not mean we must become strange as well."

It was very curious for Bill Ferny to leave town right after stealing something. Usually he would brag a bit, or try to pawn it for drinking money, but instead he had taken that poor little pony of his and left, as though some pressing errand had come to mind as soon as he had seen that ring. She wondered what it was worth. Probably a lot. She had to admit, she was also tempted by the idea of setting off ahead and taking the ring for themselves, but it was too late for that now.

The human and the elf arrived only a minute later. They made a truly odd pair. The human was tall and thin, with dark hair to match his horse. He clutched a bow and arrow between the fingers of his right hand, and the reins in the left. Were she less well versed in the ways of the northern tribes, she might have pegged him as a man of Gondor, but the high cheekbones and the complete ease with which he sat in the saddle gave him away as a descendant of Rohan. Surad would never forget those features, or the characteristically blue eyes. She had seen a whole host of those eyes throw themselves at a line of Mumakil without once pausing to consider their own death.

The elf was a head shorter, but her horse easily made up the height difference. The black cap that had poorly concealed her distinctive ears was gone, and amidst the billows of her cloak Surad could see the sword that she had brandished earlier. She was golden-haired and abundantly beautiful, and the way she carried herself suggested royalty.

Surad climbed up behind Durus in the saddle and pointed into the woods.

"He's gone off the trail, straight north like an arrow. He knows where he is going."

"Does he know we are following him?" The elf asked.

"He soon will." Durus replied, and dug the pointed heels of his boots into the horse.

They galloped along where their route allowed, Surad leaning over the side precariously and occasionally calling a halt to reexamine the trail. It was easy enough to follow. Bill Ferny's pony had left a barrel-shaped trail of broken twigs, upturned rocks and the hoof-prints of a being that was clearly suffering from poorly-shod feet. As the afternoon wore on and the trail did not deliver them Mr. Ferny, she could feel the impatience of the young man growing exponentially. Perhaps now was a good time for introductions. When next they stopped, Surad drew even and shook his hand.

"My name is Surad. This is Durus, my betrothed."

"The pleasure is all mine, of course" The man said sarcastically. "I'm called Elden and this is Nellas. Now can we please find this pig and stick him?"

Surad couldn't help but grin, which only seemed to further annoy Elden.

"I intend to, my friend, but I am wondering what this ring is worth to you. Have you promised it to this fine young lady here?"

Nellas seemed to find this jest funnier than Elden.

"I am hardly young by your reckoning."

"Never mind what it is!" Elden said, with the air of a man coming back to the point after a trivial digression.

"I want it back, and that will suffice for the time being."

"Fair enough." Surad replied, and they continued on.

Eventually the elf mentioned that she could hear someone up ahead, and Surad gave the signal for them to transition into a walk. Nellas conveyed in whispers what her unnaturally sharp ears could pick up.

"It is difficult to tell what he is saying... there is a lot of muttering. Something about "that old bitch Miss Bones"... I cannot be sure..."

"Then we should be extra careful." Durus said. "We've heard tell of Miss Bones. She's the leader of the orcs in these mountains. Nobody has ever seen her and lived, but they say she's a white-skin, like you, and a witch to boot."

"If nobody has ever seen her and lived, how do "they" know what she looks like?" Elden said.

Durus opened his mouth as if to provide an answer, but none came, and he shut it again almost as quickly.

Soon the humans in the company could hear the sounds of Bill's diatribe too, as well as the soft clip-clop of his clumsy steed. They all slid from their saddles and crept forward. Just ahead the Chetwoods finally began to dissipate, giving way to the rolling grasslands that were typical of this strange country. Beyond that, the plains folded into rolling hills, and behind those, the mountains lurked, sticking up out of the ground like jagged teeth. Bill's pony was wandering among the trees, seemingly in no hurry.

Surad looked to her left just in time to see the young northerner notching an arrow and drawing the string back with steady hands.

"What are you doing?" She hissed.

Too late. The arrow flew and embedded itself in the pony's neck. The beast cried out in a terrible wheezy bellow and dumped Ferny like a sack of potatoes. The sack grew legs and began to scurry.

"After him!" Elden shouted, but it was easier said than done.

The brush was still fairly thick, and here and there there were rocks that slowed their progress greatly. When they finally emerged from the thicket, Bill Ferny had put his gangly legs to considerable use and was sprinting up into the mouth of a valley. They pounded across the short stretch of grass that carpeted the distance between the forest and the foothills before being impeded once again by rocks. The debris ranged from boulders the size of houses to thin layers of shale that crunched and cracked underneath their horses' feet. The mouth of a valley that had looked gentle and sloping from the shade of the forest quickly turned into a steep ravine with a narrow path on either side leading up to a higher bluff out of sight where the grass once again found purchase among the accumulated soil and rock.

They kept to the left, climbing steeply until the land leveled off. The plains were much sparser up here. Tufts of hardy grasses elbowed their neighbors and jostled for a space between the cracks in which to grow. To their right the valley petered out in a sheer cliff and the level ground continued until it came to the backside of the foothills, a pale stretch of rock far less weathered and seemly than the front. It looked rather like a snail that has been pulled from it's shell, one patch of skin much lighter than the rest. The backside of the foothills and the first fingers of the North Downs formed another valley, this one wider at the bottom.

An unearthly whistle rose out of the wind and they saw Bill Ferny still running for his life towards this second valley, his dirty blonde hair whipping to and fro. An answering cry came from the northeast, and soon it found friends. The air was alive with the cries of wargs.

"We have to follow him, quickly!" Elden shouted.

Surad wanted to protest that he should hardly be giving directions as he was the one that had fouled the shot in the first place, but there was no time for quibbling. The pale rocks were mottled with moss and lichen in the places where the sun touched them longest, and the rainwater seeped in greatest quantity. Right now the sun was hovering above the horizon somewhere to the west. Dusk was minutes away, and some instinct told Surad that they should be running the opposite direction as those mountains, were they people of wisdom. Instead they continued to tear after Ferny, taking the bends in the valley at a gallop. As they rounded another, a very large blackness came into view, a gap in the rock beyond which no light penetrated.

There was no other place Ferny could have gone, and the howls of the beasts on their trail grew louder by the second.

"Well?" Durus said, his eyes raking the lips of the canyon high above, expecting company.

"We have to go in. I will shut the way once we are through so we cannot be followed." The elf said.

"How do you know it goes all the way through?" Surad protested.

She didn't like caves. Not one little bit.

"Would Bill Ferny have gone into a place where a he knew he didn't have an exit?" Elden said, and she had to admit he had a point.

"Alright, but be careful. It could be a trap."

One by one they entered the cave. It was wide enough to admit all four of them abreast, but only after dismounting and coaxing the frightened animals inside. When they had passed the entrance, there was a flash of blinding blue light and an avalanche of rock tumbled over the entrance, leaving them in complete darkness.

"I don't suppose either of you brought torches?" a voice that sounded suspiciously like Elden said, next to her ear.

"Of course not, I wasn't planning on going spelunking!"

Another blue light winked into existence, and then several more. The orbs hovered, and then set about it a slow dance around Nellas, throwing a strange illumination on their surroundings. The rocks grew several shadows, and each danced in turn, growing darker and lighter as they overlapped and split again and again.

Elden, apparently accustomed to this kind of sorcery, moved to examine the walls.

"This is not a natural cave."

"What do you mean?" Surad snapped.

"These passages were cut by picks and blasted out with smokeless fire, like they do in Gondor. I would wager it is a mine, although one that has obviously been long abandoned. Unless I am much mistaken I believe it belonged to my ancestors, the men of the north."

"We should continue." Nellas said. "Ferny will not have wasted any time, and if we loose him, we may just loose our only way out of this place."

Despite her inborn suspicion of anything not human, Surad was beginning to like this elf.

"Aye." Elden replied. "Let's go get that bloody thief."