My heartfelt thanks to all of you still reading.
Special mentions to WheresmyTony, Ninfea di Luna, Artista321, DaHybridQueen and Legolaslover2003 for their input, I hope you got my replies.
To the guest reviewer who suggested it would be easier to read in past tense I can only say I wish I had started it that way. I didn't realise how difficult it would be to write in the present tense and won't be making the same mistake again but its just too long for me to go back and change it all now. Sorry.
So lets continue and as ever. Please. Let me know what you think. :)
Chapter 40
Pain, a sharp jolt wracks my body. No! This can not be! Not here. Not in this, my dark haven. I writhe and try to cry out, to beg, to plead for it to stop but my mouth remains silent. My whole being throbs with such a deep ache I fear it will never leave me. I spin, suspended in the dark with my pain as it reaches a crescendo. I finally manage to scream.
.
Estel stumbles through the undergrowth as if in a dream, following his companions blindly whilst his mind races. His brothers. His brothers are here. He had not really listened at the time but now he remembers Flinn saying something about ravens and suddenly it makes sense. Dagul Korbri, that is the name his brothers have become known by to the creatures they hunt. 'Demon Ravens' and they are feared by both men and orcs alike. He sees them in his minds eye, dressed from head to toe in black, their long midnight cloaks flying out behind them as they gallop into battle, swords raised, faces grim, doling out death with a cold ferocity unmatched by any other. They have even scared him at times.
Caught up in memories his foot snags on a tree root pitching him forwards, jarring his consciousness back to the present and he stumbles to stay upright. He needs a plan now he knows they are at hand and he needs it soon. Regaining his footing he resolves to keep one eye on the path in front of him whilst he works out his next move and is reviewing the facts he has gathered when his hand is forced by circumstances beyond his control.
.
Hearing a loud yell the young man looks up in time to see the orc, after apparently tripping over an unseen rock, wave its right arm madly in an unsuccessful attempt to stop its forward momentum, before pitching over its own feet to lay sprawled, face down in the rough terrain. The bundle he carries flies through the air as the force of the impact releases the creatures hold on it and it bounces twice before landing bent over a fallen tree trunk. There is a shocked silence and Estel feels his heart leap in his chest before the scream starts.
"Shut 'im up!" Draeg yells as the orc scrabbles to his feet and Estel finds himself running over the uneven ground in a desperate attempt to reach the hurting elf first. The orc is there before him however and the scream is roughly silenced as, with a string of curses, an overlarge hand is tightly clamped over the gaping mouth, abruptly cutting off the keening sound.
"Thank the gods fer that" Draeg sighs with relief as the noise stops "'s enough ter make yer ears bleed!" He is breathing heavily now from their panicked flight. "Just watch yer don't smother 'im. Clumsy fool!"
The orc snarls at the man "You wanna carry 'it?" his gutteral voice bears no sign of exertion as his eyes glare but he releases his hold slightly and grins when the scream is not repeated. "Think 'es got the message anyhow." He glares down at the bundle, hanging limply over the log, once again showing no sign of life. "If it does that again I'll give it somethin' ta scream about."
"You just concentrate on getting 'im to the boss" Draeg pants out, it is a long time since he did anything this overtly physical, usually preferring to let others do the running around for him. "C'mon, we aint safe yet, lets move."
"No!" Estel grabs a thick, muscular arm as the orc bends to pick up the unconscious elf once more then swiftly lets go as the ugly creature growls sharply at him. "We should check him out before he's moved" he looks to the older man.
"No time!" Draeg snaps out then nods at the orc "Whatareyerwaitin' for" he says rapidly, the words running together "Pick 'im up and lets get outta here before them blasted Ravens catch us".He walks away dismissively and Estel can only watch in horror as the orc bends over, grasps the wrapped being and ungently slings him over its large shoulder once more, a look of satisfaction on its ugly face at the young mans obvious discomfort.
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Silence. Once more silence descends as I try to breathe. The air closes in like a cage, cloying, thick, different. No. This is not right. Struggling against unseen bonds I claw at nothing. A noise shatters the peace, not from me this time. Sharp like the pain. Edged and cruel, dragging me towards the light I now see wavering in the distance, harsh and bright. No! No I will not go! I will not leave. The dark is my comfort. Silent, still. I try to burrow deeper. Bury myself where I cannot be found. The darkness closes around me once more and there is peace.
.
The abrupt silencing of the anguished sound sends cold fingers of fear running down Elladans back and his pace increases.
"There" an urgent, sibilant whisper reaches his ears and he turns to look at the shadow loping along beside him then follows his twins eyes with his own. Never breaking stride the pair veer slightly to the left, following the faint curly head they can now see bobbing away from them. Once again, silent signals are passed, targets are picked and the two separate, speeding up until they have overtaken the small group, to eventually halt behind a pair of trees flanking the path. It is no longer about saving some unknown figure from harm, it has become personal and those fleeing before them will be shown no mercy.
It is a few years since his brothers have been able to sneak up on him. Estels heightened senses become aware of their presence long before he sees the two dark, intimidating forms appear, simultaneously, from the trees in front of them, swords held loosely by their sides, giving a nonchalant appearance that the young man knows means they are anything but.
"Bolvag Dagul Korbri! Cursed Demon Ravens!" the orc spits out as it pulls the bloodstained bundle from its shoulder then throws it at one twin, draws its long, curved scimitar, and rushes towards the other in a frenzied attack. There is a blur of movement from the left and the orc is suddenly on its knees, hamstrung, head pulled back by hair gripped in a tight fist, sword glinting at its throat.
"You are going to die, orc!" a cold voice whispers in its ear "and it will be my pleasure." The blade flashes in a gurgle of sound and the orc crumples, black blood surging from the severed neck to stain the earth beneath its fallen body.
A gasp from behind him makes Estels head turn to see Flinn standing, eyes wide, shaking with fright, a wet patch growing on the front of his breeches, rigid with terror at the sight just witnessed. Another hiss of sound makes him turn back once more just in time to watch Draegs face turn slack as a long elven blade is drawn back from his unresisting flesh then swung round in a sharp move intended to separate head from body and before the action is completed the cold, sharp point of a blade pricks against his own throat.
Time stops. He stands still. Hands spread wide and empty. Not daring to move, just staring into the dark pools that are his youngest brothers eyes, willing them to see past the hatred and fury their dark depths exude. Willing them to see him. Willing them to see Estel.