The group heads off to Zudrugund to save Corunir and the dwarves. Got an action-packed chapter for you here, and I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 54

Riding at a full gallop across the road and over the plains, we reached the camp quickly. There was much activity, and I was sure Radanir had shared the contents of the letter with the others so they could prepare to leave in haste.

I went to dismount, but Candaith walked swiftly up to me and tied the rest of my gear onto my saddle. "We will ride to Zudrugund immediately to try and stop the Uruks from entering," he said firmly. "I am sorry you have no time to rest."

"It is no matter; we have more important things to focus on," I replied. I looked over to where Halbarad was, and replied, "He has not yet decided who will go, or even if we will go."

Candaith's eyes widened in disbelief. "If we will go? Of course we will! Corunir and the dwarves are in danger, and have no idea of the threat they will be facing!" He was breathing heavily, and I could see some fear in his eyes.

"They may be safe there, if they stay within Zudrugund," I said slowly, considering the situation carefully. "The door is made of sturdy material, and would be difficult to breach."

"It is foolish to assume they could stay there indefinitely," Candaith countered, his eyes flashing. "You cannot mean to leave them there to starve. Do you not care for their welfare?"

I raised an eyebrow, bristling a little at his tone. He was upset and stressed, but his comment was still hurtful. He seemed to realize it, and went to apologize, but Halbarad interrupted him.

"Peace, Candaith," Halbarad said, as he made his way over to us. "I am deciding who will go on this mission." He was thinking hard, and I could see his eyes roving around the camp. "Radanir! Calenglad!" The two rangers looked up sharply. "Come join me over here."

Once they arrived, Halbarad addressed us. "I only want a small group of you to go up there, but a second group will be some distance behind, in case the enemy is too sizeable to defeat with your smaller number, or if another force attempts to ambush you. Lothrandir, anticipating my likely course of action before we arrived, sent Elladan and Elrohir ahead to scout and give us an approximate number of foes." He sighed. "Their eyesight is keen, and I hope they can determine if an ambush has been set for us so we are not surprised."

"You suspect treachery from Ergothorn?" Radanir asked, eyebrows raised. I almost rolled my eyes; Radanir trusted Ergothorn more readily than he should.

"I cannot rule it out, but I would hope their words are truthful," Halbarad said, looking worried. "I will be part of the rear guard behind you. If you sense the force is too great to engage without us, please do not try your luck." He gave me a look that clearly meant I should not overestimate my own abilities.

I prevented myself from sighing, and replied, "Of course, Halbarad. We will be smart and cautious."

Candaith was looking impatient, and I could tell the rest of us were feeling the same. "Can we go?" he asked, trying not to fidget.

Halbarad eyed us all one last time, before nodding in the affirmative. "May Elbereth guide you." He gave me another, long look, and I realized he was concerned for me, due to what had happened recently. I tried look confident, but I was not sure I managed it, as I saw the skin around his eyes tighten in worry. Candaith noticed this exchange and gave me a confused look, but I forced a smile and said, "I am fine; let us focus on rescuing our friends." He smiled back hesitantly, and we rode quickly towards Zudrugund.

We came across Culang in the camp at the base of the mountain, and he confirmed seeing the twins riding carefully up the mountain path. "They left some time ago, but I have not noticed them returning yet," he said quietly. I recalled that Culang was a very soft-spoken, introverted ranger, and he shifted uneasily at addressing so many of us at once.

I gave him a smile and said, "Hannon le, Culang. We will follow in their wake and hopefully come across them on the road." I saw him blush, and I felt a flicker of amusement, but was careful not to let it show on my face. I looked upwards and felt the worry return. Would the twins be ok? Were they already engaged with the enemy?

Luckily, I did not need to wait long to find out, because I spotted them coming our way, unharmed. Their expressions were uncharacteristically serious, and they seemed a little concerned at my presence. I gave them a look that said 'I am fine, don't worry so much', and they relaxed slightly. "What did you see?" I asked, getting straight to the point.

Elrohir sighed, "There are a handful of small groups of Uruks along the path, and I thought I spotted a large troll but did not get a good look." I hoped it wasn't guarding the rickety bridge, but with our luck, it would be standing right in front of it, throwing things at us. "We will have to move swiftly to defeat them before they reach the top." If they hadn't already.

I looked ahead, determined to succeed without succumbing to strange dark forces. It was just a bunch of Uruks; I could do this. "Let us go then!"

As a group, we dismounted and left our horses at Culang's camp; it would be safer to travel on foot, due to the slippery and rocky terrain, but we needed to move quickly. Running as fast as we could, it did not take us long to come across a group of four enemies, and Radanir and I took care of them easily with our bows. However, I thought I could hear movement nearby, but nothing was in view. Radanir apparently noted the same thing, and narrowed his eyes. "Who is there? I can hear you sneaking about!"

Suddenly six archers dropped from the cliff above us, and I found myself distantly wondering why they did not just shoot us instead of jumping down. I stabbed one through the chest, and ducked as another threw himself at me, and he toppled off the cliff into the waters below. The others were swiftly taken care of by Candaith and Calenglad. The twins and Radanir were behind us, watching above more closely, in case other Uruks were planning on ambushing us in the same way.

We continued on, still speedily but more aware of the possibility of an attack from above. Elladan held up an arm to signal us to stop, and we carefully hugged the wall. There were two Uruks standing just ahead of us, and we listened to their conversation to see if we could glean any more information.

One of them was an archer, who asked, "What do you think the Boss wants with him?"

The other Uruk, who had a massive two-handed sword, replied, "It don't matter what I think. Boss wants him, Boss gets him." I furrowed my brow in thought. Who was the 'Boss'? Could it be Saruman?

"If that's enough for Núrzumgrat, that's enough for me," The archer said firmly, and I wondered who Núrzumgrat was. The name was certainly a Uruk-sounding name, and I mused he perhaps could be some sort of general or captain.

The warrior nodded, "Good. We Grishgúk know our place. Boss'll remember that and reward it."

I was getting antsy, but it was valuable information that could be important in gaining more clarity regarding what was likely Saruman's interest in Nar.

After a few more moments, the archer sighed and said, "I'm bored. I thought there would be more fighting."

The warrior rolled his eyes and replied gruffly, "There'll be fighting enough if you don't quit annoying me."

Realizing it was time to end this little spy session, I motioned to my companions, and those of us with bows shot the two Uruks, and they flew straight and true so they were dead before they hit the ground.

We made our way forward, fighting a few more small groups of Uruks as we went. I mused that this was easier than I had anticipated, but worried there was a more sizeable force at the top, near the entrance. I hoped I was wrong.

Elladan halted us once more as we heard heavy breathing up ahead. The wind shifted, and I wrinkled my nose at the smell. Wargs. Before I could ask, Elladan held up a hand, with four fingers up. Not too many for us to handle, but we would need to be careful. They could hit hard, and the path was somewhat narrow. The best thing to do would be to shoot them with arrows before they could engage us.

However, they were behind some boulders, and we were not at a good angle. I nodded at the twins, who were in front of me; if we approached while we were still downwind, we could climb the boulders and defeat them quickly.

Moving silently, as we were trained to do, the twins went first. I would be ready in case any escaped their arrows. Luckily, my services were not required, as the wargs were efficiently pierced through their necks in only a few seconds. It was well that the path was too narrow to have more than a small number of them in one group. Elladan and Elrohir jumped lightly down the rock to face me, looking a little smug. "We did well, do you not agree?" Elladan said, and I gave him a small shove and rolled my eyes, but did not garner him with a response. He snickered, and we continued on. I got a good look at the wargs, and noted their haggard appearance. The Uruks had not fed them well, it seemed. Glad we were not their next meal.

After ascending for a short time, Candaith grabbed my arm as I went to move forward (now being at the head of the group), and whispered urgently, "There is a troll up on the bridge, like Elrohir said." He looked grim, but thoughtful.

"What are you thinking?" I asked curiously.

I was surprised to see a small amused grin form on his face, "I know how skilled you are at killing trolls. Do you think you can handle this one?"

I raised an eyebrow, but wondered at his question. "You would have me face it alone?" I was confident I could defeat it, but Candaith was usually protective of me, sometimes to a fault.

He took my hand again, and briefly interlaced his fingers with mine. "I believe you can do anything you set your mind to." He spoke with some intensity, and I felt touched at his faith in me. Unable to prevent myself from kissing him on the cheek, I leaned in slightly. I was pleasantly surprised to note he turned his face slightly so our lips met instead. It was brief, but exactly what I needed. We smiled at each other, and I knew it was his way of apologizing for his earlier comments.

Straightening up, I looked at my friends, wondering if they would step in to aid me in the fight against the troll, but they seemed to be of the same mind as Candaith. Perhaps they wanted to prove to me that my struggles with the strange darkness did not mean I was not a strong and capable warrior.

I wanted to believe it too.

Gathering my courage and telling myself I could do this, I took out an arrow and aimed at the troll's neck, where the armor did not cover the small area of softer flesh. It flew true, and the troll fell sideways…right towards us!

Realizing our peril, we ran as fast as we could up the path and barely missed being thrown off the mountain along with the body of the troll. We were all breathing heavily, but had no more time to consider our good fortune because we heard a loud commotion ahead.

Flying across the bridge that had been so difficult to cross the first time we were here, we came upon a terrifying sight. Corunir was on the ground, and his weapons had been knocked aside; I could not tell for sure, but he looked gravely injured. A massive Uruk, who I mused was likely Núrzumgrat, was standing over him, a large sword in his hand. Frithgeir was there also, and two other Uruks were facing him with their weapons drawn. The red-haired dwarf looked fierce with an axe in his grip, and his eyes were hard and without fear. We were partially hidden, as we still stood on lower ground than the rest, and the enemy did not see us yet.

Núrzumgrat looked to turn his gaze to Frithgeir. "Unless you want the same as that fool Ranger," he gestured to Corunir, "you'll tell me where Nar is!" I was alarmed; it seemed even more likely now that Corunir was in peril of dying in front of our eyes. I also worried about the Uruk's words; clearly the person who ordered them to find Nar knew who he was and what knowledge he might have. It seemed like Saruman knew more than we did.

Frithgeir glared at him, "I told you, I don't know where he is. Even if I did, I wouldn't tell you!" He was furious, and I noticed Nar was not out here, and the door to Zudrugund was shut. I hoped he'd stay inside, for his own safety.

There was no time to wait for Halbarad and the others; if we wanted to try and save Corunir and Frithgeir, we needed to act now.

Calenglad took the initiative, and bravely shouted, "Hold, Uruk!" We moved forward so we were on the same level as the Uruks.

Núrzumgrat turned around slightly and noticed the rest of us, and a terrifying grin was on his face. "Ah, more Rangers to slay! What a pleasing day this has become!" I quickly counted, and there were twenty other Uruks, not including him. It would be a fierce battle.

Núrzumgrat's eyes found mine, and his grin became even more malicious. "And a she-elf. How lucky for us, eh boys?" The other Uruks laughed cruelly, and the memory of my capture in the Lone Lands threatened to overwhelm me, which was the last thing I needed right now. I felt Candaith's hand grasp my shoulder tightly, and it helped ground me.

I glared at them all, and shouted, "None of you will be lucky this day!"

The Uruk leader barked out a laugh of his own, "You think a few tarks (men) will keep you safe, she-elf?" His eyes became hard, and full of hatred, "Think again."

I could feel Candaith shaking with rage next to me, and I was working hard to keep my own in check.

Apparently tired of the back-and-forth, Núrzumgrat growled, "Take them!"

A furious battle ensued, and all I could think about was staying alive. I tried to keep an eye on the others, but it was difficult with so many of us fighting in such a small area. Things were chaotic, but I noted Candaith trying to stay close to me. Núrzumgrat had not yet joined the fight, apparently finding it more amusing to watch.

I threw myself to the right to avoid a sword meant to impale me, and noted Candaith cut the Uruk's head off soon after. I was barely able to give him a nod of thanks before he suddenly fell to the ground; a Uruk had charged him and knocked him over with a shoulder to the chest. I stabbed the Uruk with my knives and shoved it away from us to check on Candaith. "I...I am fine, Gwin. Just winded," he gasped, breathing heavily.

I had no time to consider this further as I quickly decided to guard Candaith myself, as he seemed unable to rise. My knives were moving fluidly, and I got into a rhythm, fueled both by my hatred of Uruks and my skills as an accomplished warrior. The weapons felt like extensions of my arms, and I was focused and calm.

That is, until I felt a jolt and a searing pain in my right shoulder. I looked down, and was alarmed to find an arrow sticking out of it. Stumbling, I turned to see a cruel bow in the hands of Núrzumgrat, who was grinning at me with a wild rage in his eyes. Candaith tried to stand, but it seemed he did not have the strength, perhaps due to some cracked ribs or other injuries I did not notice initially.

"I told you these rangers would not protect you from me, she-elf," he growled harshly. Storming over, he grabbed my shirt and pulled me to him. He used his other hand to twist the arrow in my shoulder, and I cried out in pain; my knives slipped from my grasp, and my feet were barely touching the ground. "I don't care how many of my soldiers die. It's you I want, and then that dwarf Nar."

Terrified but unwilling to let him know, I snarled, "Then why did you shoot me? Did you want me to die? How will you enjoy your 'prize' then?" I did my best to ignore the horrible pain in my shoulder, and refused to break eye contact with his yellow gaze.

He pulled my face even closer, as if he might try and kiss me; the thought if it made me want to gag. "Oh, this arrow won't kill you; I chose that place on purpose. It'll slow you down so you can't get away from me."

My eyes were darting around, trying to see if any of my companions could aid me, but all of them were caught up in their own battles. Elrohir's eyes were wide with fear when he spotted me, and he started trying to shove his way towards me, yelling my name. However, there were so many Uruks, and he was having trouble. I could not see Elladan, and worried he had been hurt.

Núrzumgrat started to bodily drag me away, and I tried my best to escape, but I felt him jerk suddenly. His expression was one of surprise, and I noticed a dagger sticking out of his back. I met the eyes of Candaith, who had somehow managed to stagger to his feet.

As Núrzumgrat began to fall, I noticed with some alarm how close I was to the edge of the cliff. I tried to extricate myself but the Uruk had an iron grip on my shirt, and I could not escape. My eyes widened as Núrzumgrat's evil ones met mine, and with his last breath, he fell off the edge.

The last thing I saw was the look of abject terror on Candaith's face before I was pulled over the cliff.

I bet you didn't see that coming! As a reader, I hate cliff-hangers, but writing them is much more amusing. Thanks for reading, and please leave a review! It makes me a better writer and is very encouraging!