When the slaves had all been assembled in the court yard for their morning assignments the guards, instead of issuing the daily orders, fell into rank as Rhuddryn rode past his household staff seated on the back of one of the large male oliphaunts. Aragorn recognized the creature as the one who had a habit of following him around and demanding the Olybryn's undivided attention; the large cantankerous one who let no one else tend him. The ranger barely held out his hand when the mûmakil reached out for him with its trunk as it passed by his station. The soft touch of the animal caused him to smile and he glanced up quickly at the intelligent dark eye that watched him. Talft, at the end of the line of slaves to Aragorn's right, cleared his throat and the man swiftly dropped his hand to his side and returned his gaze to the ground.
Rhuddryn stopped his mount and addressed his guards, explaining that he would be gone for the next three days, attending the local yearly festival and auction. He admonished his slaves to behave and with a hearty farewell he urged the oliphaunt forward. The mûmakil lumbered off, a trail of servants and guards following in its wake, chosen by the master to attend him on his journey.
When the train of people has passed out of sight the guards quickly sent the slaves off to their posts, roughing up those that did not move as fast as they wanted them to.
Aragorn shot Legolas a sidelong glance out of the corner of his eye as Lur walked by them and cuffed the elf alongside the head, demanding that he pick up his pace.
The slaves for their part were more docile than usual but the festive air that colored the guard's perception of the three-day holiday from their employer made them oblivious to the changes in those under them.
Talft and Lur were especially jovial and overt in their actions. As the Olybryn reached the mûmakil fields Talft hooked his arm around Syna's waist and pulled the young slave from the file of people passing through to the meadow beyond. Sircyn bristled and stopped mid-step, trying to move around the slaves and get back to his sister's side.
Seeing the Haradrim's intentions Legolas grabbed the young man and whispered fiercely in his ear, "Do not follow your anger. It will not serve you here. Wait." The elf nodded his head in Aragorn's direction.
The ranger had quickly backtracked his steps and headed towards the two guards and the female slave they had trapped. He feigned clumsiness as he swiftly picked up a bucket filled with brackish water from yesterday and stumbled in the direction of the small scuffle that had ensued.
Syna was desperately trying to get away from the sentries, who were enjoying the challenge of keeping hold of the young girl.
"Syna can you help me?" Aragorn questioned as he walked towards them. He pretended to stumble, loosing his balance and tipping the bucket of water so that it splashed into Lur's face causing the guard to lose his grip on Syna.
Wrenching away from Talft the young Haradrim ran through the gates and into her father's arms, watching in fear as Lur disgustedly brushed himself off.
"What is wrong with you Adrar?" Lur forcefully shoved the northerner away. Aragorn stumbled slightly but kept his balance, trying to keep up the act without giving away that he still was not the idiot they thought he was.
"I only needed help with the water bucket. I'm sorry, I forgot..." His apology was interrupted as Talft walked to his side and cuffed him roughly across the back of the head, forcefully shoving him through the gate and giving a swift kick that caught the young ranger in the stomach.
"Next time you pay better attention or we'll have to teach you not to interrupt us when we are having a conversation with someone else." The guard slammed the gate shut, causing the animals to jump and shy away.
Aragorn had been unable to stop himself from collapsing in the field and he lay for a moment on the ground, catching his breath.
A gentle hand was laid on his back as Legolas crouched next to him. "Aragorn?"
"I'm alright." The ranger sat slowly up, helped by the elf.
"That was foolish."
"But it worked." The human smiled up at the elf. He knew, or at least had hoped, that he could get away with that because they thought he was a simpleton, whereas anyone else would have probably ended up with a much more severe beating. "Besides," He whispered in Elvish as Legolas helped him to his feet, "That is the last time he will ever do that to me again."
"Let us hope." The prince shook his head; his own smile uncontainable as he walked out towards the animals that waited them. "For now though, we tend the oliphaunts."
The day passed like any normal day. The only difference was the waiting. At midday there had still been no word from the house staff and Aragorn was beginning to worry. Talft and Lur were unusually lax in their overseeing of the Olybryn and the slaves for the most part were left to themselves.
"Something has gone wrong." Aragorn whispered to Legolas as he smoothed ointment around the eye of the large mûmakil he was attending. He passed the small vial of thick balm to the elf.
Legolas glanced up at the ranger; his thoughts lay along much the same path. He feared the slaves that worked in the house might have been discovered. Hiding their conversation in his work, the elf knelt and rubbed the balm into a scratch on the oliphaunt's leg next to him before glancing back up. Instead of answering the human, motion on the shaded path behind Talft and Lur caught Legolas' attention and he touched his friend, gently redirecting the ranger's worried glance.
Nenil's sister, Tali walked up the garden path a flask of wine held in her hands.
"I think all is well." Legolas whispered softly.
Aragorn stooped quickly and retrieved a small stone from the ground. He threw the flat rock so that it smacked Sircyn in the back, garnering the slave's attention. With a nod towards the guards, Aragorn silently informed the Haradrim that it had begun.
Tali glanced quickly at the Olybryn before coyly approaching the guards. "I have brought you some wine from the master's cellar. A gift," she spoke softly, her words musical as she taunted the two guards with the soft smile she laid on them, "a gift from Alkyn."
Alkyn was the head sentry that oversaw the comings and goings in the house and it was a cue for the Olybryn that things were indeed moving along as planned.
"And did he send you to us as well?" Lur questioned, his eyes everywhere but on the flask that the female slave carried.
She stepped easily out of their reach as Talft relieved her of the wine and smiled sweetly, "No. Alkyn said to tell you that I am his tonight and that you had best not keep me."
The Haradrim guards smiled wickedly at Tali, "Saves the best for himself does he?" Talft joked coarsely, "Then be off with you or he won't have you at all." The guard uncorked the flask and took a long drink, passing it to Lur who was still watching the female slave as she walked away. Talft shoved the other guard teasingly holding the flagon up in front of his friend's face and blocking his view. "Here drown those thoughts before you get us into trouble."
Aragorn deftly moved the mûmakil he was working with closer to the fence, gently pushing his body weight against the animals side until he was as close to the guards as he could possibly be with out seeming obvious. Legolas watched the ranger carefully, making sure he had a good view of his friend and the two Haradrim overseers.
Talft and Lur were so busy toasting each other and the three days ahead of them that they failed to notice when every Olybryn stopped to watch them drink the drugged wine.
Aragorn glanced back at the slaves, seeing they were all watching the guards and fearing the unusual attention would give them away he kicked a dirt clod in the direction of Sircyn and mouthed the word 'work' at the Haradrim. Realizing what they were doing, the young slave cleared his throat, catching the attention of the others and motioned for everyone to continue as if nothing were amiss.
By the time the two guards had drained the wine container Aragorn was sure they were in trouble. Both were still busy recounting past holidays and the conquests and fun they had had at the slave's expense. The ranger sighed in frustration and glanced at Legolas turning his palms up in question, but the elf only shrugged his shoulders.
Passing near Sircyn, Aragorn whispered fiercely, "I thought you said that drug would work."
"Nandani is slow acting but they will be out for a long time when it hits them."
"If it hits them." The northerner muttered darkly as he walked back to the feeding trough a bucket of fruits in his hands.
Sircyn slowly stopped his work, his eyes locked on guards. Talft yawned and stretched his legs out from the bench he was seated on. He slouched down on the wooden seat and laced his fingers behind his head. Lur slipped off the low resting-place and leaned his head back against the base of the bench with a soft sigh. In moments they were both asleep.
Silence fell on the small group of slaves as they watched intently, hoping that the guards were not merely napping and that the drugs in the wine had indeed done their job. Breaking the stillness Aragorn opened the gate and walked quietly to the shaded watch post. Legolas leapt nimbly over the fence and followed his friend. He could see the steady, even rise and fall of the men's chests as they breathed.
Cautiously Strider reached out to touch Talft. The guard fell limply over onto the seat when the ranger pushed him gently.
A cheer rose behind them from the slaves and Aragorn spun and quickly shushed them. "The other guards in the groves may not yet be drugged. We do not need to tip them off. Sircyn, you and Timbrel go check on the slaves in the groves and in the house. If all is well and the guards have all been taken out then instruct the workers to bring them to the punishment hut. We will contain them there. Go! Quickly and bring back word." He called after the two young Haradrim as they ran beneath the trees, Sircyn heading for the house and Timbrel veering off making for the manga groves to the south of the mansion.
Legolas turned Talft over and stripped the guard of his weapons. Laying the large hunting bow and quiver aside the elf tossed the Haradrim's knife, sheath and all, to Aragorn who quickly buckled the blade about his waist.
Disarming Lur next and passing the weapons to Cabed, Legolas pulled the empty flask from the guards fingers and broke the gourd open, burying the pieces of the broken flagon in the ground as instructed by the older Haradrim. The flask could never be used again because traces of the nandani would always be in the flesh of the gourd itself.
Aragorn talked quietly with Mambre, asking the women to finish caring for the mûmaskil while they rounded up the drugged guards. It would be safer for them here and not all the animals had been seen to yet.
Sircyn came running back down the path from the house. He skidded to a stop near where Talft had left the cart that they had followed out to the fields that morning. Easing the large bulls back into the heavy wooden yoke he steered the animals closer to the pasture fence. When he reached Legolas and Aragorn he was still trying to catch his breath but the smile on his face gave away his report.
"It went well?" Aragorn asked as he and Legolas picked up Lur's limp body between the two of them and tossed the man onto the back of the cart.
"Very well indeed." Sircyn answered as he and Cabed eased Talft onto the wagon next to the other. "Timbrel said to tell you he went with the manga workers to take their guards to the hut. He will meet us there." The Haradrim quickly strapped on the scabbard that his father passed him and leapt onto the wagon to make sure that the guards did not fall off on their way back to the house.
When they reached the punishment hut they were met by a number of nervous but excited slaves. Legolas and Aragorn drug their former overseers into the low building and bound the men with rope that Nenil had procured from the main house.
With more gentleness than he felt towards the Haradrim, Aragorn leaned Talft in a corner of the building, his hands tied behind his back.
"When will they wake?" He asked Nenil without turning around, helping Legolas to lay Lur on the ground near Talft.
"At least they will have each other to talk to when they wake." The elf teased. He did not like the guards, nor their attitudes towards the slaves and it pleased him slightly to see them bound in their own building where they dealt out such cruel punishment as they had to him.
Aragorn laughed lightly before looking over his shoulder to where Nenil was helping to bind the last of the household sentries. "The guards are not likely to wake until well into tomorrow if I got the dosage correct." The small Haradrim answered absently, quietly directing the others as they finished their tasks.
"If?!" Aragorn turned fully towards the shorter slave and questioned him.
Realizing what he had said Nenil raised his hands in a placating motion, "No, no I got it right. I am sure." The dark skinned man repeated himself. "Yes. I am sure. It is right."
Legolas exchanged a questioning glance with Aragorn before smiling ruefully. They both hoped the small slave was correct.
Leaving the older men to stand watch over the guards, the ranger took Nenil aside and spoke with him quietly, "Nenil, did your master have an armory?"
"I do not know." The Haradrim answered softly. "I was part of the kitchen staff only. It was just recently that the master even let me down into the cellar you see. I never saw any other parts of the house."
Legolas noted the quiet conversation and stepped nearer Aragorn; "You look for the armory?" He unconsciously switched to elven to disguise his questioning.
"You know where it is? You have seen it?"
With a nod the elf stepped over the sleeping bodies of the guards and led the ranger into the house. Slaves came and went through the large doors, some going about their everyday chores others preparing beds and dispersing sheets and pillows, blankets and coverings that the slaves had not had the privilege of using in years. Clothing was passed out to those who needed it and soon the closets were empty of all save the shelving units that were once full.
"The armory is back here," Legolas glanced over his shoulder at the ranger and the young Haradrim that were following them, easing his way past a group of women who were walking in the opposite direction, bedding piled high in their arms, "It is behind his study. I was able to see it once. Rhuddryn was found of bragging and Seobryn had goaded him into letting him see it. I was there that day with them."
The elf easily pushed the door open and stood aside. Normally the room would have been guarded so there was no need to keep it locked, but with the sentries all subdued the house was wide open to the wishes of the slaves.
Aragorn brushed past Legolas and quickly began handing out bows and quivers to the Haradrim that had followed them in. Once the others had been outfitted with weapons, he chose a sword of good weight for himself and strapped the weapon to his side before selecting his own bow. Legolas had taken down one of the large recurve hunting bows that the guards normally used out on the fields to combat the growing Taerg problems. He ran his hand up the spine of the weapon, feeling its weight and checking its craftsmanship. Stepping into the curve of the bow he bent the top down towards the floor and expertly strung it, testing the tension before slinging it over his back.
"I wish I had my own." He murmured softly.
The northerner watched him quietly before speaking; "We'll find it. Knowing Talft and Lur they have it hidden out in their things."
"And what will we do with the guards Aragorn? What happens when they wake?" Legolas turned a worried look on the human that stood behind him.
"They can choose. They can leave of their own free will or they can leave under duress. I do not think that they will have the courage to stand up to the slaves now that they have been disarmed and the very ones they have tormented stand in their places. The slaves outnumber them dozens to one, now that they are armed and roused, it would be no contest, and surely they will see that. If they are truly cowards like their actions show, then we will have no troubles. If they choose to fight it, they will either be driven out or..." He stopped and considered his words carefully, "or they will die. It's a simple choice." He met the serious eyes of the elf with his own gaze.
"It may not be so easy." Legolas cautioned.
"I know but we will deal with that after tomorrow."
"And what of the master?" a soft thickly accented voice interrupted their conversation, "What will we do about him? He returns the day after tomorrow and he may not be so willing as the guards to let this go."
Aragorn glanced at Legolas; the elf shook his head slightly. They didn't have answers yet. The future was mapped with possible difficulties, but the only way over them was to take them head on. They had made the first step; there was no turning back now. "We'll deal with that when the time comes also. One step at a time Cabed." The ranger smiled at the older Haradrim.
"No matter what, he will be made to see that he can stay and work with you or he can leave and find a new place elsewhere. This is your land now. It has always been your land." Legolas spoke quietly.
Cabed tipped his head slightly and gazed up at the tall elf, "And you think it will be that easy? Rhuddryn is a powerful man with many connections. We could have serious trouble."
With a slight nod, Legolas replied, "Yes it will be that easy. Aragorn will convince him."
Aragorn shot the elf a quizzical look, "Oh I will, will I?"
"Yes you will." The elf smiled conspiratorially at the human. "After tomorrow morning we will have what he wants most. From the letters we both have seen, Rhuddryn's benefactor will not tolerate his failure with the crossbreeding project. He will have the choice; he can leave and we will report his demise and the collapse of the project or he can stay and face the wrath of this one who has threatened him already if he does not come through. He will not want to stay on once he finds out what we have done and you my friend have your memory back and can implicate him in the murder of Laener. That alone will earn him a death mark in the northern places. He will leave of his own free will and he can start a new life, elsewhere." Legolas turned to Cabed and smiled gently, "It will be fine."
Clasping his friend's shoulder Aragorn steered them out of the small, now empty room. "Let's go discuss Seobryn's encampment and get some rest. We'll head out well before dawn. I want to catch him unaware."
The cool of predawn darkness wrapped about the small group of beings that quietly trekked across the oliphaunt fields.
The women, children and most of the men had been left to see to the daily affairs of the house. Cabed and the elders had elected to take turns standing watch over the still unconscious guards, what was to be done with them had yet to be fully decided. When Aragorn and Legolas had left that morning, the only ones awake had been those guarding the punishment house.
Sircyn led Aragorn, Legolas, Timbrel and three of his cousins towards the south end of the fields where Seobryn reportedly kept his secret camp. This area of Rhuddryn's lands dipped into the hilly places of Harad. Gullies and valleys running with now dried up rivulets made the companies passage more difficult and Legolas stepped closer to Sircyn, guiding the Haradrim through the rough places that his eyes could not see.
A gentle touch to the elf's shoulder stopped the prince in his tracks and he turned to gaze into Aragorn's dark eyes.
"Something follows us. Do you not hear it?" The ranger's words frosted on the cool morning air.
Glancing over the human's shoulder, Legolas could see into the gulch behind them. A mass of dark, slowly moving objects shuffled after them.
"It is the mûmaskil. They have followed us." He glanced at the Olybryn about him.
"They must have scented us." Sircyn whispered.
"They will give us away." Timbrel's worried voice came from Legolas' left.
"No," Aragorn glanced back at the animals; "they will cover our tracks and our smells. The mûmaskil walk everywhere in these fields unquestioned. No one will think twice about seeing them here. Let us continue. They will not follow us into Seobryn's encampment, they hate the scent of taergs." He pressed the elf forward and followed him over the next levy.
When they reached the lip of the ridge, Legolas stopped and dropped down into the tall grasses, edging forward on his stomach. He turned and glanced at the ranger as Aragorn eased up quietly next to him. The glow from a dying fire lit the hollowed out bowl that Seobryn had chosen to establish his compound in. The small valley was ringed on three sides by rolling hills and eroded cliff faces, effectively blocking in his quarry. Large cages butted up against the cliffs on one side of the ravine. Taergs paced endlessly in small circles inside most of them. However the two cages nearest the spies held wargs, but the beast lay unmoving in their prison cells. Beyond these cages were even more, built of a sturdier fashion they held an array of predatory animals the likes of which neither the ranger nor the elf had ever seen. Horrific creatures rattled the bars and chewed on the iron slats of the cages, these animals were the deranged miscreations of Seobryn's evil attempts to create a new species. The beasts were misfits, ill tempered and unequipped to survive on their own. Most died early in their life spans, their bodies not capable of bearing the alterations that had been worked on them.
"Legolas..." Aragorn whispered in horror as he viewed the compound. "They have nearly done it."
"They have done it." The elf glanced quickly at his friend, his brow furrowed in anger, "Once."
"How do you know this?"
"I killed it on the pasture lands. It must have escaped. It was like nothing I have ever seen." He eased away from the edge and stared into the dark eyes that watched him closely, "It was not like the ones down there. It was fast, quiet and very lethal. It was capable of thought like the wargs and it was wholly evil like them as well." He leaned back and glimpsed the deranged animals on the far side of the encampment; "I do not see anything like it. But if they accomplished this once they will do it again even if that is through error."
Aragorn was nodding. This was worse than he had thought. "We need to destroy those animals."
He leaned over and watched the large predators for a moment but the elf's gentle tug on his tunic brought him away from the edge. "What is it?"
"Not the taergs." Legolas shook his head quietly.
"Why not? They kill the Olybryn, they hunt the younger mûmaskil, they are a threat Legolas." Aragorn did not understand.
The elf pressed his face close to the ranger's and spoke softly slipping easily into Elvish; "They kill them because their own are imprisoned here and they know it, but do not understand. They are not evil Aragorn. They are frightened and they are striking back. Rhuddryn and Seobryn hunt them. If we release them, they will return to their own and leave this valley. There is not the water here now that there was in the spring, which originally drew them down. They stay because their families have been broken up and they want their own back. We let the taergs go." The elf's voice was decided.
Aragorn had no love for the predators, but everything he had learned about them, had been from the Olybryn who feared the large animals. Legolas was always right about these types of things; there was no reason not to trust him on this as well. Finally nodding in agreement, he edged back down on his stomach and pulled the elf with him, indicating the thrown together buildings that sat opposite the rows of cages.
"Very well, you release the taergs. Put the wargs down, we can't have them escaping down here in the south, I don't care what shape they are in. I will take care of those abominations that Seobryn and his evil intentions have created. When we are through with the animals, we can take on the humans. It looks like Seobryn only has eight men. Six that travel with him and two that must stay here full time. We can take them easily if the animals don't alert them to our presence. Besides even if we fail to stop Seobryn now, we must put an end to the crossbreeding, we can risk no more successes." He glanced sidelong at the elf to see if the prince agreed.
Legolas wasn't sure that leaving the men to the last would work, either way it would be risky. "Have the Haradrim stay here until we call for them. They are not warriors by nature Aragorn and they will only get themselves killed if we aren't careful."
"Good thinking." The ranger slid backwards through the tall grass and easily leapt the short distance down the small sloping incline to where Sircyn and the others waited for him. They stood among the mûmakil, patting the large creatures and talking softly to them. Legolas was correct, he smiled softly to himself, they were shepherds, not warriors although they would have to learn now that the compound was theirs once more.
Legolas joined him at the foot of the hill. He listened as the Haradrim argued with the ranger, but the argument was short lived and in the end Aragorn won them over. They would wait until they were called for.
"I do not like it." Sircyn muttered softly as he rubbed the forehead of the large oliphaunt that butted up against him, vying for his attention.
"You do not have to." Aragorn smiled leaning in front of the Haradrim and patting the mûmakil. "But I need you to do this for me."
With a nod the five Haradrim followed the elf and the ranger around the side of the hills and entered the natural valley through the dead streambed that cut through it. The oliphaunts had followed and their feet crushed the small pebbles of the riverbed, making soft sounds in the predawn. Morning was only an hour way now; they had to move quickly. Motioning the Haradrim to stop, Aragorn crept quietly after Legolas.
They entered the compound near the cages that held the wargs. The elf crouched low next to the large iron cell. The beast inside did not move. Its red small eyes tracked the elf dully and its breathing was labored.
Aragorn moved stealthily behind his friend, touching the prince lightly on the back as he knelt behind the elf. Turning slightly Legolas whispered softly, "They are dying."
"Then be swift and end their misery." Aragorn eased around the elf and glanced down the row of cages, his eyes darting to the low-lying buildings, nothing stirred inside of them. "I'll meet you in the middle." He called softly before he darted swiftly into the darkness heading for the far side of camp.
The caged taergs paid him no attention as he moved quickly down the row of pens. It was when the ranger had reached the cells that held the deranged miscreations that their trouble started. The animals in the steel cages looked like someone's worst nightmare. Their body parts mismatched to oversized heads or paws. They threw themselves at the bars of their prisons as Aragorn crept towards them, creating a racket that could not be silenced.
Knowing they had given themselves away, Aragorn stood from his hiding place and called back to Legolas.
The elf had already put the wargs down, ending their tormented existence with mercifully quick, deadly arrows. He knew their weak points and gave them swift deaths. Quickly he threw open the slats on the cages that held the taergs, easily releasing the animals as Seobryn and his men spilled out of their tents.
The camp filled with cries and chaos. The released taergs were confused by the torches that the men held and they scattered easily, some racing to the hills others heading out onto the flats. One unlucky taerg fled up the ravine towards where Sircyn was hiding. The smell of the creature frightened the oliphaunts.
The large creatures trumpeted in terror at the familiar scent and sight. Sircyn, Timbrel and the others clung tightly to the animals, trying to calm them, but it was no use. The tension in the air and the presence of the taerg spooked the oliphaunts who broke away from their handlers and stampeded towards the large cat. The taerg yowled and sprung quickly away, darting for the hills, but the rampaging mûmaskil did not seem to notice. In their frenzy, they stormed into the camp, adding to the bedlam that already raged there.
The earth shook; thundering with the pounding, stamping feet of the huge animals, the cool morning air pierced with their loud trumpeting cries. Unheeding of where they were going, the Oliphaunts crashed into the buildings, tearing the sleeping quarters to shreds and crushing those unlucky enough not to escape under their huge feet.
The Olybryn chased after their charges, trying to calm the frightened beasts.
Aragorn had only succeeded in destroying two of the deranged, crossbred animals when the mûmakil stampeded through the gulch. He turned towards the chaos, trying to see by firelight what had happened. At his inattention, the beast in the cage in front him threw itself at the bars of its prison, rocking the pen off its foundation and loosing the slats that held it captive. It leapt out of the cell, knocking Aragorn over and landing several feet behind the ranger. Saliva dripped from long jagged fangs that jutted out at intervals from underneath its upper lip. Stringing an arrow onto his bow as quickly as he could, Aragorn had nearly released the projectile when a dark shape fell from the cliff above him, rolling the ill-created creature off its feet. A huge taerg sunk its fangs deep into the animal's neck and shook its head violently, snapping the others neck with a lethal ferocity.
Stunned, Aragorn stood with his bow at the ready as the beast turned quick, bright on eyes on him.
"Aragorn!"
The ranger's glance darted towards the far side of the gully and he spotted Legolas leaping across the tops of the now empty cages, running in his direction. When he looked back to where the taerg had been, only the dead half-warg lay there; of the predator there was no sign.
Legolas jumped down next to the human and pushed him aside, his bow strung, he quickly began dispatching the miserable, wretched creatures that were the examples of Seobryn's failures, calling to Aragorn over his shoulder, "Our element of surprise is gone my friend and the Olybryn are in trouble. We must be quick."
Shaken out of his surprise, Aragorn left the elf to his task and raced towards the middle of camp where Timbrel was locked in combat with Malk. Of Seobryn's men only Chadoc and Malk seemed to have survived the initial onslaught. Vavon, Teek, Zelbo and the two that Aragorn had never met appeared to have either been crushed by the oliphaunt stampede or slain by the taergs as they attempted to escape. The ranger leapt over Vavon's mauled corpse, running towards Malk as the northerner knocked the young Haradrim in the face with the pommel of his sword and Timbrel fell backwards. Quickly reversing the hold on the blade Malk drove the sword towards the incapacitated slave.
"NO!" Aragorn's loud cry startled the northerner and he only had a brief glimpse of the ranger as Aragorn threw his weight into the man and rolled him away from Timbrel.
He struggled with the trader, as they came to a halt. Malk had gotten the upper hand and knelt on top of the ranger, pressing the blade of his sword against the flat of Aragorn's, trying to overpower the young man. Malk pushed with all his might, driving the ranger's own blade dangerously close under Aragorn's chin.
Aragorn resisted violently, slowly moving his knee up between them, trying to get an edge over the heavier man that held him down. He had nearly gotten the upper hand when a rake of pain sliced across his stomach, separating Malk from him. He watched as the trader was tossed high into the air over the back of a large mûmakil that had come upon the fighting men. The Oliphaunt lowering its head had caught Malk on its huge upper tusk and tossed the man away from its Olybryn. The sharp edge of the tooth had dug into the ranger's soft skin, leaving a deep, nasty welt across his abdomen.
Standing quickly to his feet, the ranger patted the enraged mûmakil, trying to calm the animal. He stumbled to Timbrel's side and pulled the Haradrim to his feet. "Get the oliphaunts out of here." He instructed the terrified Olybryn. "Now, Timbrel quickly!" He gave the young man a good shove towards the large, agitated animal that stood behind them, "Seobryn will begin killing them if he sees they are a threat. GO!"
Regaining his senses, Timbrel nodded and grabbed the oliphaunt's large tusk, steering the animal back towards the end of the valley and the route out through the riverbed. Aragorn heard him calling to Sircyn and his cousins as the Olybryn began to round up the mûmakil and attempt to exit gulch.
Aragorn glanced back through the debris that littered the valley. The fire pit had been destroyed and the fire had leapt out of the ring of protective stone, burning through the heaps of destroyed canvas and wood that had once been Seobryn's housing. The smoke hung thick and low in the small ravine and it was difficult to see through the shroud that wrapped the camp.
Morning was coming; the skies were streaked with red fingers that seemed to reach out over the destruction that marred the landscape. Across the compound, the ranger caught site of Legolas putting down the last of the misbred creations. Movement to the left of the elf drew his attention and he recognized Chadoc slowly gaining on the prince.
"Legolas, your left!" He called out in elvish, warning his friend seconds before Chadoc got the upper hand. Intending to aid the elf, Aragorn ran towards the far side of the camp only to be knocked to the ground as a spear that had been thrown in his path impeded his legs, tripping him up. He rolled hard onto his shoulder and came up in a crouch, the surprise of the attack catching him off guard.
Seobryn walked slowly towards him, his sword drawn. His face was a mask of anger as he stalked the ranger.
"Well I guess Chadoc was right for once." He circled Aragorn as the young man gained his feet. "I should have killed you when I had the chance Adrar." He spit the ranger's slave name at him.
Aragorn wiped the sweat from his eyes with the sleeve of his tunic, smiling back mirthlessly into the face of his tormenter, "Would have saved you a lot of trouble Seobryn."
"Damn you rangers and your entire race!" He shook his head, "You have no idea what you have done. You have no idea who you are up against. I'm the least of your worries. You are on the wrong side."
"Oh and I suppose you'd let me join you now." Aragorn feinted at the trader; the man quickly sidestepped his thrust.
"Too late for that now my pet," he growled. Moving closer to the ranger Seobryn swung his blade low in a wide arc that Aragorn jumped, narrowly avoiding. "I made you. Now its time to get rid of you, like I should have done before." He rushed the ranger and attacked him fiercely.
To the trader's surprise, Aragorn gave him no ground, but met and parried every blow and strike. Spinning around quickly and ducking underneath a sweep of Seobryn's blade Aragorn slammed the pommel of his sword into the man's face, throwing him off balance and breaking his nose.
Seobryn stumbled backwards, one hand covering his face, breathing hard. He looked at the blood that cover his palm and licked his lips where the blood had dripped down his face; his eyes were hard and fierce.
"Who is your employer?" Aragorn questioned.
Ignoring the question, Seobryn stepped back in towards his opponent, his anger igniting the fierceness of his attack. Unable to keep up with the trader, Aragorn swept low and spun in a crouch, attempting to get out from underneath the onslaught, but Seobryn was ready for him.
Moving in close to the ranger, he twisted his ankle around the young man's pivotal foot and jerked back wards, slamming his fist into the side of Aragorn's head. Momentarily stunned senseless, Aragorn did not move. Seobryn grabbed the collar of the ranger's tunic and pulled the semi-conscious man towards him before punching Aragorn hard.
The trader dropped the younger man to the ground and stood over him, spitting out the blood that had accumulated in his mouth, he smiled down grimly at the youth. "You were never cut out to be a ranger. Neither you nor that pathetic excuse of an old man that you drug around with you. If I had the time, you'd die the same way he went - screaming." He spit the words at Aragorn, hefting his blade; he prepared to drive it through the young man's heart.
Seeing his death, Aragorn's fingers grasped the hilt of his sword and he brought the blade up in front of him. At the same time two arrows cut the air over his head, embedding themselves in Seobryn's chest. The trader fell forward onto Aragorn's upheld blade, a look of sheer surprise etched on his face.
Aragorn pushed the dead trader off of him and scooted out from under his bulk. He sat on the ground, staring at the body of the man he had at one time thought was his owner and a flood of emotions caught him.
Legolas ran to his side and knelt next to him. Turning Seobryn over, he retrieved his arrows and concentrated on the young human.
"Are you alright?" The elf gently moved Aragorn's hand away from where he held his abdomen; the cut from the oliphaunt was bleeding. When the ranger didn't speak Legolas leaned down and stared into the haunted eyes, tenderly touching the welting bruise on the side of his friend's face. "Aragorn?"
Slowly the human nodded, his gaze coming to rest on the elf kneeling in front of him. "Yes, I am all right." He moved unsteadily to his feet with Legolas' help. "And you? Are you in one piece?" He asked with a slight smile; the cut to his lip smarted and he touched it gingerly with his hand. He looked over the wood-elf, checking for cuts or damage. The fair being's face was bruised and dirtied but he appeared to be in no worse shape.
Legolas nodded and looked back towards where Chadoc lay fallen in the dirt.
Aragorn glanced down at Seobryn once more; "He never said who his employer was."
"Did you think he would?"
"I had hoped." Aragorn laughed lightly, brushing himself off and cleaning his sword on his pant-leg. He looked around them slowly. The bodies of the dead wargs and half-wargs were everywhere. One of the taergs had not made it out alive but none of the Oliphaunts or the Olybryn had been hurt or killed, much to his relief. "We must burn this place. It can never be found."
Legolas nodded, "It is an evil place. I will fetch Sircyn and the others, we can gather the bodies in the center of the camp and set it all on fire, all that has not already burned that is."
The skitter of small rocks above their heads made the two companions look up to the edge of the rift on their left. A large male taerg was watching quietly from the high vantage-point. Its bright eyes scanned the small valley below it, coming to rest on the two living beings that stood in the middle of the carnage.
"I released that one." Legolas whispered.
"And it has come back to thank you by eating you." Aragorn replied sarcastically.
The elf glanced at the ranger and laughed, "I doubt that very highly Strider."
"Oh really?" Aragorn gazed back to the edge of the cliff over their heads once more.
The taerg was gone, as silently as it had come it was gone.
"Really." Legolas leaned against him, whispering in his ear. He gave the ranger a gentle pat on the shoulder before walking back towards where the oliphaunts waited, "Come Aragorn," he called to the young human who still stood staring at the cliff edge, "let us finish this and go home."
The Olybryn stood on the edge of the ravine with Legolas and Aragorn. They silently watched as the campsite below them smoldered and burned down to heap of darkened ash. Even the cages had been thrown into the fire, their beams sticking at odd angles from the smoking pile like the bones of some long dead creature.
It had been easy enough to contain the blaze within the walls of the gulch and the lack of breeze had kept the fire from jumping its perimeter. It barely sparked now as the ashes began to blow away on the easterly wind that had just picked up, cooling the lone figures that watched over the canyon silently.
"It is done." Legolas clasped Aragorn's shoulder gently and walked the human away from the edge of the valley. "Let us go home." He glanced at the impromptu bandage that wrapped the ranger's midsection, it had at least done its job for now and stopped the bleeding but he would want to see it tended to better when they got back to the house.
Aragorn caught his inquisitive glance and smiled, patting the bandage gently, "Its all right."
They walked in silence back to the main house and those who waited for them.
Commotion at the front of the house brought Aragorn and Legolas running from the Oliphaunt fields. They had been seeing to the herd animals before coming in for breakfast but the loud trumpeting and crying of the Haradrim had interrupted the Simbani's morning chores.
Legolas rounded the corner of the house first. Taking in the situation he turned and shouted for Strider to hurry, before cautiously approaching the large oliphaunt that stood in the courtyard thrashing its head against the manga trees and trumpeting loudly. It was the beast that Aragorn had grown found of, the large patriarch that Rhuddryn had ridden out on several days ago. A long gash cut down the length of his front left leg and the broken end of a spear jutted from the wound. Scratches and cuts marred the thick skin and the large ornate tented saddle that adorned the oliphaunt's back was broken and shredded.
One of the male household servants that the master had taken with him was holding the creature's lead line, trying to calm the distressed oliphaunt. The man was in no better shape than the animal he was standing next to and his attempts to calm the creature were not working.
Legolas swiftly ran to the man's side and pulled him from harms way as the oliphaunt turned on the handler, swatting at the man with his trunk. Rolling them both beneath the intended strike, the elf dragged the man away from the animal and passed him off into the hands of the waiting Haradrim that had formed a ring around the oliphaunt and were trying to calmly bracket the creature in and move it away from the house.
Rounding the corner with Sircyn close on his heels, it took Aragorn only seconds to recognize the beast that had caused the riot of commotion. He pushed his way through the small crowd that had gathered and ran up to the animal talking loudly to it in broken Haradrim. Frenzied from pain the animal did not recognize the human at first. Dipping his head down in a defensive posture he aimed his left tusk at the man.
"Get the people back!" Aragorn shouted at Legolas who immediately began clearing the area.
Seeing the danger the oliphaunt presented to his friend, Legolas called out a warning to the ranger and ran back to assist him. Aragorn ducked at the last possible moment, and the huge tusks brushed the air above his head. He stood up swiftly, positioning himself in front of the animal between its long tusks, and wrapped his arms around the oliphaunt's trunk talking softly to it.
The familiar smell of the northerner stopped the animal and it slowly stilled its thrashings until it stood swaying slightly, uttering small growls and grunts.
Legolas approached the beast's injured leg. His hands held out before him, speaking in Elvish. The small, dark eyes of the oliphaunt watched his movements but the animal did not resist when the elf gently touched the bleeding gash. Keeping his tone soft and continuing to speak in his native tongue, Legolas called Aragorn to him.
"Aragorn, he is wounded and the spear tip is still in his foreleg." The elf glanced around the animal's large tree like leg trying to catch his friend's eye.
With a small nod Aragorn moved slowly to join his friend. The oliphaunts huge head turned to follow the Olybryn it had come to trust and watched patiently as the man inspected the cut.
"What happened here?" Aragorn twisted on his boot heels and glanced back into the crowd of faces that had pressed close once again now that the animal had been calmed. His eyes lighted easily on the servant that had attended Rhuddryn and he asked once more, "What happened?"
The Haradrim nodded; knowing the question was intended for him, "We were attacked on the way home. It was unprovoked. We did nothing! There was no haggling in the auction yards, the master met with no one for business, he was simply in town for pleasure!"
"Who did this? Did you recognize them?" Legolas pressed the man for answers.
Looking to the stone walkway beneath his feet the man replied softly, "It was the warlord Asynic. The one who continually wants to purchase the master's oliphaunts. He asked again this time, as he always does, for his clan had gathered for the celebration as well. But as always Master Rhuddryn declined. There were no harsh words between them and Asynic seemed humored by his response as usual. They ate together the night before we left." Shaking his head in confusion he continued, "I do not understand. They did not ask us for anything, they simply killed the master and anyone who tried to stop them."
Aragorn frowned at the Haradrim, thinking through what he had been told. "They did not try to take the oliphaunt?"
"No." the slave shook his head, "That is what I do not understand. Asynic has wanted this one for many years. But when the opportunity came he did take him."
"Did they take anything?" Legolas questioned further, as confused as the ranger.
The slave was silent for several moments thinking back through the attack, "It all happened so fast." His words were soft and he reverted to Haradrim. Aragorn translated quietly for the elf. "But wait! They did take something. The master's migar clip." The slave turned to the head of his clan, imploring the man to remember with him, "The silver one. The one in the shape of an oliphaunt?" When the others nodded in agreement he glanced at the elf again; "Master Rhuddryn always kept it with him, in his shirt pocket. He prized it greatly and had his name inscribed on it. But that was all they took."
Aragorn and Legolas glanced at each other knowingly. Rhuddryn's death hadn't been an accident nor had it been a rivalry argument or a robbery, it had been a murder at the hands of his benefactor for the failure of the warg facility that they had destroyed two days ago. Obviously, even before their actions, whomever it was Rhuddryn was working for had run out of patience.
The Oliphaunt that the ranger was crouched near stomped his wounded leg gently, drawing the man's attention back to the beast.
"Very well. Get inside and get cleaned up, Sircyn will see to your wounds." Aragorn dismissed the wearied man. Catching Cabed's eye, he motioned the older Haradrim over.
"Can you get some of the numbing weed that Rhuddryn kept in his pantry, we have to get this spear tip out of our friend here. He is getting impatient." Aragorn smiled up at the beady dark eye of the animal that watched him intently, as the man nodded quickly and ran into the house.
"With Rhuddryn gone the Simbani and all the Haradrim that served him are now free." Legolas observed quietly. "Without the threat of retribution."
"Yes." Aragorn glanced up at his friend, "Cabed said that Rhuddryn had no family, no one to inherit his lands and whatever so-called friends he had will not put themselves out fighting for it. After the manner in which its previous owner died, no one will come near this place. It is the sweat and blood of Cabed and his people that has run and worked this ground these many years, I think they've earned the right to them if that's what they want. They are their own masters now and may leave or stay as they like and work the earth. This place will house and feed all of them if they keep it up as they have."
"Only now they would be doing so for themselves and for another man's profit." Legolas nodded.
A huge smile broke across Aragorn's face; "Yes and the taergs will bother them no more now that Seobryn's operation is gone. They are truly free."
"I wonder if they realize it yet?" Legolas asked curiously. But Aragorn never had a chance to answer as a loud cheer went up inside the house and the sounds of celebration rang out into the courtyard. The oliphaunt jerked slightly at the sudden noise and Aragorn stood gently patting the creature's underbelly to keep it calm.
Cabed descended the steps in moments a huge smile on his rounded face as he approached the two friends, the bag of herbs cradled in the crook of one arm and a pot of cool water balanced in the other.
"Adrar, we are free!" His cry boomed through the manga grove and the joy in his voice was contagious. He sat nearby talking incessantly about their new found freedom and the plans they were already making to keep the grounds up as the ranger and the elf removed the spear and slathered ointment on the scarred tough hide of the oliphaunt.
With a gentle pat to the great beast, Aragorn stood and smiled once again at the leader of the Simbani. "Well my friend, you have only to decide if you will stay here or not. You are not bound to this fate any longer, you may go where you like." He watched the older man carefully.
Cabed tilted his head slightly weighing the northerner's words. It was true, they were free, but he knew that in their hearts the Olybryn belonged to the herds and they could not have left if they wanted to. Already in the past half hour, they had seen some of the household servants and those that had worked the fields traipse out the front door provisions on their backs, as they headed out returning to families they had left behind in other regions. But that was not for them.
"No." the older Haradrim finally spoke as they walked the oliphaunt back behind the house to rejoin the herd, "The Simbani will stay. All our family is here now. We belong here. We belong to the herds and with them is our heart. This is our home and it was bought with the blood of our kin long ago. We will make a good life here for ourselves and all who wish to stay."
Aragorn nodded, smiling softly to himself, he had figured as much. Reaching the low stone fence he opened the gates to the herd's field and led the large oliphaunt out onto the meadow, giving the animal a fond pat as it lumbered slowly away to join the others.
"I still wish we had found out who funded Seobryn and Rhuddryn and requested the creation of those foul creatures." Legolas latched the gate behind them once more and followed Aragorn back towards the house; "It is obvious by the means of his death that Rhuddryn's benefactor grew tired with their failures."
"True enough." The ranger walking next to him agreed. A lopsided smile spread across the young man's face, "Well then he ought to be really happy when he finds out about what happened to Seobryn."
He laughed as Legolas shook his head, the elf wondered darkly to himself if they had truly done Seobryn a favor. Whomever the man had worked for, the hint of evil had hung in the air and the crossbreeding, though a failure, had been achieved in part at least through foul craft and not purely natural means. Few were capable of such a feat and neither Seobryn nor Rhuddryn had possessed such knowledge on their own. He would need to remember to speak to Mithrandir about it when he saw him next; it would be interesting to see what the Maiar thought. But now there was not the time for such dark ponderings as the happy sounds of the Haradrim's celebrating rang in his ears. Mounting the steps of the house the trio was immediately wrapped up in the cheer that exuded from it. The elf could not stop himself from smiling as he followed Aragorn into the main room, there would be time for talking later.