Ambush
Evening fell in the dense woods they were riding through. The bright sunlight of the day slowly dimmed to bronze before exploding into a firy red glow that brightened the skies. The rustling leaves soaked up the color, seeming to turn to blood, before dusk dulled the shades to green once more. Not long after, grey filtered into the air.
With the darkness came the awareness that something was following them.
Estel could sense a change in the atmosphere, a subtle shift that suddenly put him on edge. He sneaked a glance at his elven brothers and saw them grow tense, aswell.
So far, the hunt for the poachers had been surprisingly uneventful. They had departed the village this morning. Leaving Legolas behind felt wrong to Estel, even though he trusted Meila with all his heart. Not even his brothers´ assurances that their friend was recovering with surprising speed now that their father had seen to him had eased his mind. If anything turned out to be amiss in the village, who would protect the wounded elf?
Elladan had answered the question without even batting an eye. "He will protect himself", he had said dryly. "He seems to be surprsingly capable of the task when we are not around to do it for him." A grin had streaked across his fair features. "The fact that I slipped Meila his weapons before we left will certaily help matters, should the need arise. It is a pity his bow was destroyed, but I managed to smuggle out a substitute."
Estel had looked around at their human companions, afraid that their had heard, before realizing that Elladan had addressed him in Elvish. The brothers had laughed together then, and Estel had tried to seek comfort in the fact that they, too, were now armed again.
For the remainder of the day, the brothers had spoken common tongue even amongst themselves, and after a while the slight tension between them and the villagers had eased. Elrohir had even challenged the archer Galoth to a competition that he had good-naturedly lost.
They had found several more of the traps, many of them holding the remains of animals, but no traces were to be discovered in the high grass, not even by the twins.
"We need to come upon freshly laid traps, or wind and rain will have erased any tracks", Elladan had said with a hint of frustration. "Whoever is behind this knows their way around the wilds."
With evening closing in, they had started looking for a place to camp. Galoth was leading the group as he had done most of the day. He and his friends seemed unaware of the change that had befallen the elves and their human brother.
Quietly, Elladan and Elrohir guided their horses to Estel´s side. "Tirio eryn."/Watch the forest./ Elladan said under his breath. "Ben anglenna."/Someone approaches./ The boy nodded, his muscles suddenly taught like a bowstring.
One of the villagers turned to them, a slight frown on his face as if he had caught the sound of Elvish in the air, but before Estel could call out to him that everything was well, an arrow embedded itself into the man´s chest, immediately estinguishing life´s light in his eyes.
Elladan had his own bow up at the same moment, his arrow flying side by side with Galoth´s as they both sought to take down the attacker. Elrohir grabbed Alagos´ reins and turned their horses to place himself between any futher missiles and his brother. "Duck and stay down", he called, his bow already singing. "Draw your sword in case they get closer."
His heart in his mouth, Estel complied. His head felt as if it was filled by a fiery liquid, but at the same time his senses were suddenly more acute. He could hear his brother´s garments rustle with every arrow he drew, and he felt each of his stallion´s quivering breaths. The hilt of his sword burned in his hand, cold and foreign, even though he had practiced with it for years.
The boy saw the second villager fall. Moments later Galoth and the twins had formed a ring around him. Arrows still flew, but he could also hear horses neigh and branches snap under heavy hooves. The attackers were closing in.
"Do you recognize them?" Elladan called, obviously addressing Galoth. "Nay", the man anwered with a grunt, drawing a short sword from its sheath. "They wear masks but by the Valar, they are human!"
Then they were upon them. To Estel it seemed like their numbers were uncountable and for a moment sheer panic rose in him, threatening to wipe any clarity from his mind. The movement of the fight forced the the twins and Galoth apart, leaving room for the attackers to reach the boy.
Galoth had been correct, they did indeed wear masks, dark pieces of cloth with holes for their eyes and noses. They made them seem inhuman, creatures out of nightmares that were not only after their prey´s life but after its soul.
One of them pushed his horse between the twins´, burning eyes on Estel, but he fell from a stab to the back before he could reach the boy. Having been distracted by saving his brother, Elladan was a touch too slow bringing his sword around again and received a glancing blow to his arm that colored his sleeve scarlet.
It was the sight of his brother´s blood that suddenly freed Estel from his stupor. The sword seemed to jump alive in his hand, eager to be used, and he pressed Alagos sideways to gain more room.
Immediately, two attackers turned their attention to him, but the boy could see by their posture that they considered him an easy target. He could even hear one of them chuckle. The sound made him furious. Instead of waiting for them, he pushed his stallion forward. His sword arched upwards in a move he had practiced so often that it seemed to come naturally and then caught the first man in the shoulder.
Estel had put so much force into the blow that the blade sank in deeply and became stuck when it hit a bone.
Blood gushed from the injury, its sight almost as shocking to Estel as that of Elladan had been. Alagos threw up his head at the smell and danced backwards, nearly forcing his rider to lose his grip on the sword. With a desperate pull the boy managed to dislodge his weapon. His eyes were on the man who slid sideways, obviously losing consciousness.
For a brief moment there was an instinct in Estel to drop his sword and help the man. In his mind, he already went through his healing supplies, considering the best options to still the bleeding.
"Watch out!" Elrohir´s cry came just in time to allow Estel to duck. He felt the swoosh of air as a blade passed above him. Pressed low agaist Alagos´ neck, all he could see of his second oponent was his leg, so he aimed a blow at the man´s knee.
This time, experience and his awkward pose led him to be less forceful but still his sword drew blood. Acting upon instict rather than a plan, the boy reached down and grabbed the injured man´s foot, bringing it upwards with a jerk that effectively unseated the man from his horse.
When Estel rightened himself, he felt strangely light-headed. Two men lay before his horse´s hooves, only one of them moving.
All of a sudden Elrohir was at his side. Blood flowed from a cut to his cheek but his eyes burned with fierce determination and with a dark pleasure that sent chills down Estel´s spine.
"Can you handle them alone?" Galoth had reached the boy´s other side, addressing the elf. He too was bleeding but seemed not badly hurt.
There was a laugh from a few feet away and it was Elladan who answered the question, never ceasing his motions as his sword danced around him with a life of its own. Dazedly, Estel counted at least five men that lay dead or dying around him. The blood that dripped from his hand did nothing to slow him. "Of course we can!"
Galoth nodded, his eyes seeking out Elrohir again. "Good then. I will see your brother to safety. Then I shall return here."
Estel felt like he should protest, but his eyes were drawn to the first man he had attacked and he sensed bile rise in his throat. The noise of fighting seemed far away. When he felt his brother´s hand on his arm, he looked up to find the darkness almost gone from Elrohir´s eyes. "Iston dîn naw" /I know his plan/, the elf said quietly, imploringly. "Garo ho peda." /Do as he says./ Switching to the common tongue, he called out: "Aye, we shall be here when you return."
The exchange had only taken seconds, but already some of the attackers turned away from Elladan to face them. Elrohir swung his horse around to intercept them, and Estel saw the veil of battle settle back upon his features. "Ride now!" he called. "None shall follow you."
Galoth grabbed Alagos´ reins and pulled the stallion with him. First it seemed to Estel as if they were heading for a solid wall of trees and he tried to wrestle his horse free, but then he saw a path open beyond a few bushes.
The archer expertly guided them through, then let go of Alagos. "Stay behind me", he called to the boy, "and keep up, we don´t want them to catch up with us should they get past your brothers."
The statement almost made Estel laugh. There was utter conviction in him that none of the men would get past the twins. That none of them would survive this day.
Soon, the fog in his head lifted as he had to concentrate on staying on his horse. They kept galloping at full speed and the path was narrow to say the least, often making sudden turns that almost unseated the boy. Darkness had now fallen completely, and had it not been for the silver rays of the moon, they would have needed to creep forward at a snail´s pace.
After what seemed like hours Galoth suddenly reined in his horse and jumped off. They were in a small clearing that looked no different from others they had passed, but the man seemed to be searching for something. He stomped his feet and listened, repeating the action again and again. The frail glow from above made the archer´s face look ghostly pale.
For a moment Estel considered whether the man had lost his mind, but suddenly he leaned down and took hold of an iron ring that was covered with moss. He pulled once, twice, and a trapdor opened.
Galoth looked up at Estel and gestured impatiently. "Come on, get in, boy. I swear to you, no one shall find you here." His tone of voice startled Estel and he felt the hair at the back of his neck rise. Something had changed in the archer, and not for the better. He hesitated for a moment, considering his options, but then remembered Elrohir´s words. There was no question in him that he needed to trust his brother.
Carefully, he slipped off Alagos´back, leaving his weapons attached to the saddle. The stallion seemed to be as unsettled as he was, prancing back and forth. When Galoth reached out a hand to drag Estel towards the hole, the horse bared his teeth and snapped, ears so far back that they were all but invisible. A look crossed Galoth´s face then that was so full of fury that it made Estel´s blood run cold. He could see the man´s hands twitch to reach for his bow, but he caught himself just in time.
"Keep your beast in check, child, and get in here!" he said through clenched teeth. There was no missing the fact that his patience was running thin. Making up his mind, Estel put a hand on Alagos´ forhead and repeated an order that he had already given not too long ago. "Trevedo mbar, lhagr!" /Run home, quickly./ He put all authority he had in his voice and the stallion seemed to sense it, for he turned on his heels and raced away.
Estel had felt Galoth´s rising temper, but he had not anticipated the man´s reaction. With a curse, he pushed the boy to the ground and brought up his bow, aiming the arrow at the retreating horse. With a cry of anger Estel launched himself at the man´s feet, pushing him off balance, and was satistied to hear a curse and a dull thud as the missile hit a tree.
"Ah, death on you, Elvish brat!" Galoth turned his anger on Estel, kicking him repeatedly, but then reined himself in with obvious effort. Despite the pain that raced through him, the boy had a strange feeling of victory, as if he had just accomplished something that would change the outcome of this matter.
The archer took him by his tunic and pulled him roughly towards the hole. Before dropping him into the dank darkness, he brought his face close to Estel´s. "Be glad that I still need you as a token to control your brothers, or you would be dead now. Too bad those darn elves would probably sense me lying would I slay you now."
He gave Estel a last push and the boy tumbled backwards, the air leaving his lungs painfully when his back connected with the packed earth beneath him. "But do not get too comfortable", he heard Galoth´s voice when he pushed the trapdoor shut, scraping something on top to hold it in place. "Soon enough, your brothers shall be dead and I will have no more use for you!"
There was the sound of hooves drumming away into the distance, and then silence joined the darkness around Estel, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
To be continued...
My apologies for the late update, but as a working Mom I have days that simply leave no time for hobbies – not for mine, anyway. Please bear with me, I promise to update as soon as I can (plus write a story for the next Teitho contest – darn plotbunnies, they won´t leave me alone.)
THANK YOU for reading and reviewing!
Review responses:
Mirkwood warrior: Thanks, I´m happy you like it so much!
Pip the Dark Lord of All: True – hope you liked the trouble!
Snowywolf7: Thanks for your comments. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, too.
SnoCat: You´ll find out next chapter just how accurate you were *g*
Horsegirl01: Ya think? Anyone who is in need of saving? *wink*
Shire Rose: Where did you get the idea that I would play havoc with their health? I would not, would I? Erm – oh well, maybe... *g*