5

Cyllessil wasn't sure when she had lost consciousness. She remembered pulling the knife from her other boot and plunging it into the chest of the orc leering at her. She had killed him instantly and she silently thanked the Valar she had listened to Thranduil's lessons all those years ago. She had kicked his body away from her and stood there, brandishing her knife at the orcs around her.

There were four that she could see in the cave. She wondered if she should pull out her second knife or keep it secret still, in case she needed it later. As the four orcs closed in on her she made her decision. She flipped the knife out of her vambrace and stood with knives poised, eyes on the orcs approaching her. She spun and lunged as curved swords and knives came around her, a slice getting her in the left upper arm. She was backed up to the cave wall with nowhere to turn. Well, she would try to take as many of these filthy orcs down before they finally got her.

She stabbed forward at the one to the left, slicing her knife across his throat. He fell on her feet and she felt her balance thrown off. Her left shoulder was on fire as a knife stabbed her. She whirled to the right and blocked a blade that was coming at her neck. She never saw the blade that whipped around and sliced her forearm from elbow to wrist. The knife fell from her numb hand and as she turned away she felt another knife slash her cheek open. A fist connected with her head and she went down to one knee, trying to clear her vision. The last thing she remembered was another fist coming straight at her face and then all was black.

Her head hurt. Her side hurt. Her arm hurt. There didn't seem to be a part of her that didn't hurt. Her arms were tied in front of her and she could feel the blood dripping down her slashed arm. Her shoulder still felt like a fire was blazing in it.

She heard a moan near her and opened her eyes, her vision blurring as she did so. Celebrian! She blinked her eyes to focus and could see her friend on the floor of the cave not far from her, what clothing she had left all ripped and bloody.

Celebrian's face was bruised on one side and she had a massive black eye on the other side. She wasn't moving and Cyllessil didn't think she was awake. She tried to sit up to crawl over to her when a blow hit her from the side, making her vision go black again for an instant.

"What do you think you're doing?" A harsh voice barked at her in Common Speech. She turned to see an orc behind her. "Guruk didn't get his fun with you but we had some sport with your friend there." He bragged, leering at her. She could see him fairly clearly, as light was filtering in from the cave entrance.

It must be day by now, she thought. The orc stood up and came nearer to her, then pulled his foot back and kicked her in the stomach, as she lay on the cave floor. "That's for Guruk." He paused, then kicked her again. "And that's for Hagluk." Cyllessil had to fight to breathe, all the air knocked out of her completely, leaving her gasping. He grabbed her by her hair, sat her up and backhanded her across the face. She fell to the floor again as she heard him say "And that's for me."

"That one awake finally, Thrark?" said a growling voice, as another orc shuffled over to her. She was glad to see he was cradling his left arm in his right. She hoped it had been her knife that had done that to him.

"Finally waking up, elf-bitch?" he asked, as the first orc pulled her up by her hair again.

Cyllessil said nothing, keeping her eyes on the floor in front of her.

"Time for some fun with this one, eh Thrark?" said the injured orc, as Cyllessil's hair was now used to pull her face up to look into his.

"You can play with this one later," said yet another voice as a third orc moved close to look at her. This one had a cut across his face and she hoped it was her mark again.

"I want to play with her now," said the one called Thrark. "I didn't get a turn with the other one before she went all limp. I like them fighting. And this one's got fight," he said as he leaned down and licked the bloody side of Cyllessil's face. She could not suppress a shudder as his tongue ran up her cheek and the stink of him filled her nose.

The third orc cuffed Thrark across the face as he stood up. "I said later. Those forsaken Elves you didn't kill are following us. Did you think they'd just let us take these precious morsels and go?"

Cyllessil held her breath. Someone was left alive. Someone was coming for them. She tried to clear her vision to get a better look at the cave entrance but for some reason things were even blurrier than they had been. Her mouth felt dry. Her head hurt but her arm burned her. It felt like fire from her shoulder to her wrist but the rest of her felt so very, very cold. She shook her head again to try to clear it but suddenly there was darkness at the edges of her sight, as if she were looking down a long tunnel.

"Take them deeper in the cave," said the third orc to Thrark. "We can't run in the blasted noonday sun but we can hide in here until dark and maybe those Elves will pass us by and follow the warg trail. Just keep quiet. No playing with the prisoners." He growled at the two orcs.

"Where'd those bloody wargs go?" asked Thrark. "They're the fastest way to get back to Gundabad."

"They went to feed. Bloody well jiggered we didn't let them feast on horseflesh and fresh elf last night," the orc answered, "They'll be back by nightfall. And maybe they'll get their fresh meat today if they run into those Elves." He laughed with a guttural sound.

Cyllessil was starting to shake from the cold. There was no question in her mind now. At least one of the blades that had cut her was poisoned. Her hands were going numb and she could hardly feel her feet. As Thrark came near to drag her further back into the small cave she realized she was seeing two of him and her tunnel vision was now double vision. He dropped her near a wall further back, then came and dropped a limp Celebrian next to her.

Cyllessil tried her best to look at her friend but it was hard to focus on her with the double vision. Celebrian's left eye was swollen shut and there was a swollen cut with blackened edges on her left arm. Likely poison there as well Cyllessil thought, as the cave around her began to spin.

The three orcs moved to the back of the small cave, placing themselves on either side of Cyllessil and the third next to Celebrian. Cyllessil tried to listen for noises outside the cave. She closed her eyes to concentrate on her hearing, focusing all her energy on that, as her vision certainly wasn't helping anymore. She tried to control her shivering.

If someone had survived they would see the trail leading to this cave, surely they would follow it and find them. But these orcs seemed convinced the warg trail would be the one followed. That's why the need for silence and for moving back from the cave's entrance. They didn't want to risk any passing Elves hearing anything and searching out this cave. Cyllessil was determined to give any passerby something to bring them to this cave. If she could only think of what to do. And when to do it.

Thrark was next to her. She could feel his breath on her neck and felt him leaning into her. She kept her eyes closed as she felt him lick her bloody cheek again. "That tastes sweet," he rasped into her ear, as she shuddered. "Just a taste now. I'll save the rest of you for later," he added, moving even closer to her.

"Garn! Shut your mouth, Thrark!" hissed the orc on Cyllessil's other side. "I want this elf-bitch quiet. I told you no playing with the prisoners!" Thrark wordlessly hissed back at the other orc but made no move to touch Cyllessil again.

"And if you're thinking about making any noise, elf-bitch," said the other orc, leaning close to Cyllessil's ear, "Think again," he added. Cyllessil's eyes flew open as she felt his knife blade touch the side of her chest. "I'll gut you like a fish. Thrark can still play with you after you're dead," he threatened. Cyllessil put her head on her knees and shut her eyes again.