Chapter 4: Further in to the unknown

The battle was fierce as the greatest Elven warriors faced down the near unimplementable Dragon-Kinn. Blades and arrows crossed with spear's as the two armies collided clashing blows. An Elven warrior with long smooth dark hair and smooth skin wiled a blade with sharp accuracy as he brought it down on scales every time. But no blade they carried could penetrate the resilient scales, and so the Elf pulled back on their attack.

"You can't win." hissed the Dragon-Kinn.

"Never under estimate, the Elves."

Then he was pulled backwards, as he screamed having his hair being yanked backwards, looking back another Dragon-Kinn was pulling him down by his hair. Yanking him along by his hair strands, a yank forced him down to the ground as he was forced along the ground. Another one jumped on them and pulled out their claw and dug it in deep towards the top of their head just above the eye and slowly brought it down crossing though the eye itself.

The Elf screamed grasping of air as his pain was being drawn form his hair and his face, reaching for a sheathed dagger he pulled it out and cut his hair. Now with saggy hair they where bale to become free of the being tugged along, just as the cut was going to carry on, he threw the Dragon-Kinn of him. Standing up he took in deep breaths as the blood ran down his face over the wound.

The scar now sat clean and still recovering as it's owner sat around a camp fire as looked deep in the flames. The fire had been made from wood gathered form wood's below as they sat on the mountain path. Many other Elves had also joined them wile others slept off in the distance. Pulling out his back blade the Elf looked over it's dull and dark colour, the cracks in the metal still visible form it's creation in the forge.

"Where did you get such a weapon?" asked one of the Elves.

Thanion lifted the blade and thrust it in to the ground so it's cracks came to light in the flames of the fire.

"It's a long story." he explained as his one good eye was caught glimpsing of the by the light of the fire.

"Okay then why don't you use a bow any more?" came another question.

"How old you?" asked Thanion.

"Just short of two hundred years."

Thanion scoffed "Then I guess you don't know the deterrent having one eye makes when trying to shoot an arrow."

"Is that why you use the blade?"

"Yes, but even with it, I still struggle to hit anything."

"So why do you carry it."

"To kill Dragon-kinn."

"I guess you'll get your chance."

Thanion looked to the Elf, then to his sword "No, I won't, the sword acts as a memory as does my hair."

"And what is that?"

"That those creatures are animals." he started and "The sword I forged form the remnants of blades carried by the Brotherhood serve as my way to ward of any doubts I have that those creatures need to be put down."

On the other side of the mountain the group was still trying to get over the Mirkwood mountains, as the dark night settled in. Having found a more stable path over the mountain they hiked further up the mountain.

"Do we know where we are going?" asked an exhausted Vincent.

"Says the very snake who got us lost." Chuckled Elizabeth.

"I just want to know where we are going."

"Ounce we reach a good hight we should be able to see where the mountains are and form there we can find out where we're going."

"How are you not, falling over right now." grunted Vincent struggling to keep his composure.

"Unlike you, I don't tend to stay in a tower."

"And unlike you I don't wonder out in to blizzards on a daily basis."

"Can we just try to, uh why are we here?" butted in Theodore.

The others sighed as they continued along up the mountain trail. Snarlg stopped as he jutted his face around the rocks before racing off to a larger more stable section of the mountains before he stopped and looked out in to the horizon.

"What have you found Snarlg?" asked Elizabeth racing over to his side.

As she joined him she stopped to see they had climbed high enough to peek over the woods and out past to the lands that lay beyond it's borders. Soon Vincent and Theodore joined them, and they too where stopped at the sights that lay on the horizon.

"This is great." smiled Vincent getting out the map "We can use this view to pin point where we are, and how to reach the mountains, and find the sliver."

"So which way do we travel?" asked Elizabeth.

Snarlg began a low growl as their gazes changed as they looked to view the woods in some directions, in another they saw an ocean, and the third they caught sight of the misty mountains.

"There." called Theodore in shrivelled panic.

"Oh out there, the mountain range, we need to head, west form here."

An arrow shot past and the two looked to see Theodore pointing to the horde of Elves that where climbing up a forged mountain path just below them.

"MOVE!" shouted Elizabeth taking aim only for an arrow to shoot her hand and knock of her aim off.

"We need to go." called Vincent as he looked back to beckon her away.

Turing to leave she joined the others as they all turned to flee down the mountain further south. As they made their hastily retreat, caution was thrown in to the wind as they chose to just dive down the mountain side moving from edge to edge in leaps and bounds.

Thanion looked on as they made their escape "Have the men gather the rope, were making a b line to the forest floor."

As the group jumped form rock surface to rock surface, they grew closer to the trees, but the mountains where not meant for so such uses, and so the path they took quickly ran out. Theodore had been first and landed on his knees as he stopped and looked over the edge still a few meter's above the tree line, Vincent came next and bumped in to Theodore sending them both careening over the edge in to the forest below.

Elizabeth and Snarlg where a few jumps behind and they caught wind of the fall, hearing their screams as they went down. Then more sounds form above of arrows whizzing over head, looking up they saw arrows with rope attached had been fired. Backing her self and Snarlg up against the face of the mountain, they heard strange sounds. Before soon enough Elves came down the rope using their bows or their blade hilts to carry them down with great haste.

Not seeing her, Elizabeth chose to ready her bow, and drew it back, only to stop at the whimper of Snarlg. She then chose to fire a few shots going down the mountain, before taking out her sword wrapping an arm around Snarlg. And diving the blade in to the rock at her feet, and jumping off.

The ice formed around her as they kept falling further and faster down the blade kept spawning more ice around them but they move to fast for it to grow to big, but allowed them to slide to the mountain with ease.

In the forest below Vincent who was perched on branch dangling in a tree as he was coming back around after his fall. As he came to he jolted around in panic and subsequently feel from the tree, he held on to his staff and hugged his body tight and the orb light up as he stopped with a sudden force just a few meters above the ground allowing him to stop casting and drop to the floor and land in pile.

Getting back up he looked around before feeling a coldness around him as in Came Elizabeth and Snarlg on some ice. Catching a glimpse him the two kept going for a short wile before she pulled the blade free slowing them down. Vincent chased after them and caught up just as they had stopped and turned around to find him.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I've had worse, but my scales are wearing a little."

"Good we have to move? Wait, where's the guard?"

Else where Theodore was hanging form two branches his spear had gotten caught between them and was now dangling quite far off the forest flood. Loosing his grip he reached out with his other hand pulling him self up to grip it only to let go with his other hand. The slight jolt it caused wiggled the spear, catching on Theodore tried to shimmy around and wiggle it lose, this did in fact work and he fell down hitting more tree branches before landing on the floor with a thud. Soon the sound of something approaching caught him off guard, the Elves where still zooming over head and where landing near bye. Cowering he watched as their numbers grew.

Soon Thanion landed on the ground putting away his elven daggers. "Fan out and form a perimeter, we can't let these cretins escape." he ordered.

The elves then began to walk off in groups, forming a circle, more broke off the wider the grew apart.

Watching the elves Theodore remained hidden as he lay in wait for the Elves to leave deeper in to the woods. Looking around with his limited view he began move slowly, keeping a eye out for more Elves as he went. But the further he came out form hiding the more danger he was in.

Wile his men combed the woods Thanion remained keeping a clear eye out, and as Theodore came out of hiding he saw him standing as still as a mountain. Theodore began to try and move around him using what tress and shrubs around him to hide. He slowly worked on making his way around, he drew more of his gaze away form where he was stepping and towards Thanion's unrelenting stance. Fear washed over him as he whipped the sweat form his brow, the closer he got to freedom the more danger he was in.

"I know you're there." said Thanion "Stop hiding, I won't kill you, yet."

Theodore froze in panic as the fear took hold.

"Are you there, at all. Make a sound?" he asked, his voice shifted from intimidation to be more relaxed "I guess they're really not here, because that usually works."

Theodore looked away to take a step and in a moment on panic darted off.

"And it always does." smirked Thanion, and gave chase.

Meanwhile in the group Elizabeth was having Snarlg hunt down Theodore, as he kept his head low and his nostrils hole went wild.

"Makes you think, will we'll find him." wondered Vincent.

"Gnarg's are good hunters, they used to…"

"Yes I know the history, before the city was settled, they where bred out in the blizzards and knew of approaching predators."

"Exactly."
"But how do they know to distinguish one scent form another."

Before being able to answer Snarlg shot up picked up Elizabeth and raced off.

"That's a new trick." thought Vincent, and followed after them.

Snarlg was charging though the woods carrying Elizabeth over his shoulder.

"Put me down, down, DOWN!" she shouted.

Soon the sounds of whooshing air caught her of guard, as Vincent came up closely behind using his staff to propel himself forward. Reaching out in front, he then shot it back and his magic propelled him forward to catch up.

"What's he doing?" called Vincent.

"He's not putting me down, he must he sensed the Elven and thought they where a bad enough threat to carry me away."

"Why wouldn't he have done that earlier."

"I don't know."

All of a sudden the light in the forest grew and they tumbled out on to a road that split the forest in half, getting to their feet they where almost hit bar a horse and cart. The horse and pulled back and slowed down and the carriage it was puling along with a trailing cart behind is upset and bounced around.

A plumb women in dark pink dress pocked her head out wile fanning her self, as she look to the driver above holding the rains.

"Do look where you going?" she scoffed "And why have we stopped."

"Some blighter's have fallen in to the road." he replied.

Moving over to see them the Women was shocked to see the Dragon-Kinn in the middle of the road.

"Oh my, Dragon people, I do love me some Dragon people." she beamed. "Why don't you come in."

Vincent and Elizabeth looked at each other.

"Come I'll give you a lift." she offered. "I will even let that thing join us."

"It can't hurt." said Vincent.

"We can't leave the guard behind." insisted Elizabeth.

"And the Elven won't leave us."

"Fine." she cursed, climbing aboard.

Snarlg followed.

"But that thing, it can ride with the driver." said the women, shoeing it away.

"Snarlg, go wait up front." said Elizabeth.

The Gnarg climbed up and slumped himself next to the driver.

"You to handsome." said the women.

Vincent climbed aboard and joined them ,as the driver snapped the reins as the cart started up.

The Elves where regrouping as Thanion held Theodore's spear as he kept the young Dragon-Kinn ahead of himself.

"Move it." grunted Thanion as he pushed him on.

An Elf came up to him in a hurry.

"Report." said Thanion.

"We've been over a fast majority of the forest."

"And."

"It would seem they came out on to Old Forest Road."

"So."

"Trying to purse them further, well it would do no good."

"These woods belong to us."

"But we don't go this far south, not since." he paused.

"Sauron has passed, his power no longer has a hold here."

The Elf was unsure.

"March down the road and pan out around the surrounding area." ordered Thanion.

"It will be done." replied the Elf.

He then turned to Theodore "It seems your allies are ever elusive, you can tell me where they are going."

Theodore kept quite as he looked away.

With Dragons natural attractions to gold, this has created a few sayings based around their tendency to hoard and seek out and hoard large amounts of gold. The first being Dragon sickness, which is said to effect those who start to change their goals and start to obsess over gold and riches. The other is know as Dragon sense, this is a ability many believe to be carried by Dragons and Dragon-kinn alike.

It's said that they can sense gold, especially in large quantity's, but also if they are amongst their own hoard. Thought to believe they can sense a new peace or single out any one peace of gold, and even tell one anything goes missing. Since few have met Dragons and lived it's unknown if they can tell how much gold a person is on them. This trait is said to be held only by the Dragons and only seen in use by Dragon-kinn highway men in the Second Age.

In the carriage the women was taking more of an interest in her new travailing companions.

"So where are you going?" asked the women looking at Vincent.

"Were looking for a score of silver." said Elizabeth.

"She means Mithril." corrected Vincent "Do you know where we can get some."

"It's quite rare now days." she replied.

"Do you know where we can get some?" asked Elizabeth.

"Yes, but first can you tell me is it true?" she asked making eyes at Vincent.

"Is what true?" asked Elizabeth.

"Do you have, the you know." she said getting closer to Vincent.

Elizabeth just seemed confused.

"She means Dragon Sense." said Vincent trying to avoid her.

"Dragon sense?"

"Yes we do have it." butted in Vincent.

"Oh great how much gold am I wearing then." she flaunted.

"How do we do this?" whispered Elizabeth.

"The same way we always did." Vincent whispered back. He then moved to sit along side the women "My friend is far stronger in that field, so I'll let her tell you."

"Oh very nice." smiled the women as she clung to Vincent.

Elisabeth noted she had on golden chain, then Vincent closed his eyes gripped his staff and muttered under his breath as to hover his hand over the staff. Then a span of glowing orange lights appeared over the women. Elizabeth counted them all before they faded.

"Six." said Elizabeth "Seven if you count the earnings as two."

"I guess that bracelet's where fake." she scowled pulling her self of Vincent.

"What bout the silver, Mithril."

"Oh you can only get that from Moria and that dried up a few ages ago."

"That was one the few locations on my map, it's one the furthest point on the south east border on it."

"Then we have a heading." said Elizabeth "Ounce we have our guard."

"Do you have any Mithril?" wondered Vincent.

"Oh no, my husband can relay get me genuine gold."

A large clang was heard atop the carriage.

"What was that?" panicked the women, as she clung to Vincent.

Then the carriage was turned over and the three tumbled around inside.

Travailing along the road Thanion still had Theodore as his prisoner, as the rest of the Elven warriors marched down the road beside and behind him.

"Tell me Dragon-Kinn, why have your kind re-submerged after all this time."

Theodore kept quite.

"Persistent, can I understand. I was only trying to gain some understanding as to why you have come back after so long." Looking back on him Thanion smiled. "Fine then keep your secrets."

They soon stopped seeing what was laying before them on the road, when one of the Elves came up to join Thanion.

"Is that a Dragon?" she asked.